Inside Catfish-objects: Play, Culture, and Imperfect Design

Inside CATFISH Objects: Play, Culture, and Imperfect Design

December 24, 2025
Nada Armanious
Features

Founded by sisters Khadija and Nabila Rashed, CATFISH Objects has quickly carved out a space of its own in Egypt’s growing design scene. Known for its playful irreverence and bold visual language, the brand blurs the line between art and function, inviting curiosity rather than conformity. With roots in Cairo and influences that stretch to London, CATFISH challenges traditional perceptions of design, celebrating contradiction, humor, and imperfection. In this conversation, the Rashed sisters refreshingly reflect on the origins of CATFISH, their collaborations with artisans, how less obsession with Western validation is needed, and how they’re helping reshape what contemporary design means in and beyond the region. In the conversation that follows, the Rashed sisters speak candidly about building CATFISH on their own terms—and why embracing play, culture, and imperfection is central to their vision.

CATFISH Objects has such a distinct voice. It’s playful, bold, and unique. How did the idea for the brand first come to life?

CATFISH was born from a realization that design often feels inaccessible, something reserved for a certain group of people who can afford it or understand its language. We wanted to change that. CATFISH was built on the idea that design should feel approachable, that it can exist in different contexts and speak to younger, curious audiences. From there, the rest followed naturally. It all comes from the same belief: that design shouldn’t be confined to one definition, one method, or one kind of person. It was built on curiosity about the surrealism that exists in everyday objects and a desire to challenge how people interact with functional design.

Photo provided by Catfish Objects

We’re curious. The name CATFISH is quite unexpected. How did it come to be?

The name is intentionally playful and satirical, to reflect the brand’s humour and irreverence. It’s a subtle rebellion against overly serious design narratives. CATFISH is disruptive by nature, a reminder not to take things at face value, to provoke a double take, both in name and in design. It’s also a reminder that none of this is that serious.

How do your collaborations with Egyptian artisans shape the final outcome of your objects?

So far, our collaborations have centered around different artisans and craftsmen across Egypt. These partnerships aren’t about outsourcing but about co-creation. Working with artisans is always an educational process, as it allows us to learn from experienced hands and translate traditional techniques into new, contemporary forms. Moving forward, we’d love to collaborate more closely with other brands and artists, not just within product design but across disciplines. There are so many creative intersections we’re curious to explore.

Photo provided by Catfish Objects

You source fabrics from Morocco, Egypt, and the UK. What makes these places particularly unique in shaping your aesthetic?

Cairo is home. It’s where we find the raw, organic elements that shape our designs. Making pieces here means being rooted in heritage almost naturally. Our focus on geometry and proportion is informed by Egypt’s visual language, the symmetry of ancient temples, the golden ratios of Pharaonic architecture, and an underlying fascination with order and repetition. These traditions guide us, either by making us question their structure or build upon it.

London, on the other hand, moves to a completely different rhythm, one defined by subcultures, individuality, and a celebration of eccentricity. It is a city that constantly reinvents itself and challenges you to rethink structure. That openness and self-expression feed directly into CATFISH. Together, these influences shape CATFISH’s hybrid identity.

Cairo has such a raw creative energy. How does the city influence your work?

Cairo is a city of juxtaposition. It doesn’t try to hide its layers or make sense of them, and neither do we. Our objects are built on that same coexistence of opposites. We embrace contradictions because they’re not a flaw, they’re a reflection of who we are. The contrast between being playful and intentional is what makes the work honest and Cairo reminds us that beauty can come from this tension; balance doesn’t always mean harmony, but allowing two very different things to coexist.

Photo provided by Catfish Objects

You’ve described CATFISH as part of a movement to loosen up the region’s creative scene. What do you think the local design world needs less of, and what does it need more of?

Maybe less fear of imperfection and less obsession with Western validation. More play, risk-taking, and self-expression. There is so much talent here, but creativity (even our own) sometimes gets boxed into trends and predictable design languages. We are trying to break that stiffness. There is constant pressure to fit into molds shaped by “high-brow” design institutions that dictate what design is. We want to reimagine collectible design for today’s generation, to make it approachable, research-driven, and emotionally resonant. Today, our generation experiences design, art, and culture in new, fluid ways, so it is important for the creative scene to see and actively respond to this shift.

Photo provided by Catfish Objects

When people interact with your pieces, whether sitting on a stool or looking into one of your mirrors, what do you hope they feel?

I think the most interesting kind of art is the kind that makes you curious. That’s what we hope our pieces do: spark curiosity and make people ask questions. It’s about that pull, when something catches your attention and you’re not entirely sure why, when you start asking yourself what draws you to it and what it stirs in you. That’s the feeling we hope our pieces evoke.

What’s next for CATFISH Objects? Any upcoming collaborations, collections, or experiments you’re excited about?

We’re working on new pieces that continue to explore exaggerated proportions and materials that don’t traditionally go together, continuing to blur the line between art and function. In a broader sense, we’re rethinking how CATFISH fits into the world of collectible design, but in a way that feels approachable and emotionally resonant. We’re realising that our generation experiences design in a much more fluid way, less about ownership or status and more about curiosity and connection. We want CATFISH Objects to live in that space where design feels accessible and open to interpretation, something people can experience, question, and grow with. We are excited to make this philosophy shine through in the pieces we make and to people we collaborate with.