TUMO Studios is a not-for-profit educational program for university-age students and young professionals. The focus is on the creation of analog products — beautiful things you can touch, wear, taste and smell; things you can cherish and use in your daily life; tangible things that add quality to the everyday.

Aspiring designers, accomplished design professionals and local craftspeople come together in a hands-on workshop setting. Each workshop aims to create innovative, contemporary products that are both globally competitive and grounded in local knowhow, materials and culture.

By working closely with local craftspeople and connecting their work with contemporary design trends, TUMO Studios aims to both help revive traditional craftsmanship and perpetuate the knowledge passed down through generations of artisans. Young designers learn by working with craftspeople and then integrate their materials and techniques into new products. This will in turn raise the quality of locally designed and produced items, making them more attractive in the contemporary global setting.

Young professionals at TUMO Studios have already learned how to create wearable garments from designers Missak Hajiavedikian and Tigran Avetisyan, reimagine what makes a dining table accessory worthwhile with product designers Nanna Antonsen and Fernando Vale, make seasonal dishes from chef Wael Lazkani and develop modern accessories with jewelry designer Anaïde Davoudlarian. With all this behind us, there’s still plenty ahead in product design, fashion and jewelry; screen printing, bookbinding and analog photography; woodworking, metalworking and leather crafts; culinary arts and perfume design; not to mention delving into specialty areas like handcrafted bicycles, recycled furniture and lighting solutions.