About

Mahliqa specialises in hand knitted and hand crocheted jewellery using a mixed media of hand-dyed yarn, precious metals and gemstones, wire and luxury crystals.

The company exhibited for the first time in 2010, at The Knitting and Stitching Show, London, and continues to produce jewellery collections, jewellery knitting kits and other accessories and notions.

The designs are eastern inspired, drawing on historical jewellery collections from the Indian sub-continent, recapturing the elegance and opulence of past-times.

Suraya Hossain is the designer and creator behind Mahliqa.

Formally a solicitor by profession, she took a career break to bring up her young family, and took up jewellery making as a hobby.

Her journey into textile jewellery began in 2005, when she discovered some wire in an art store in London. As a knitter, she decided to try and knit with it, and her obssession with knitted wire jewellery began. In 2008, she took the plunge and formally started her jewellery business.

As a London-born British Asian, Suraya draws on her cultural heritage of arts and handicrafts from the Indian Sub-continent. She is inspired by the classic jewellery created in India and Persia in past centuries, where there is a rich history of intricate filigree work in gold, which she re-creates by knitting and crocheting in fine gold wires. Many pieces are named after Asian/Middle-Eastern themes or places.

Her collections also explore the traditional art of stitch in jewellery, using wire to reflect the patterns of knit, stitch and crochet in her designs. She also incorporates hand-dyed textiles into her work, collaborating with other skilled makers.

Her love of nature and concern for the environment is also a huge influence in her design process, which is reflected by references to flowers, plants, natural elements and colourful landscapes. In her exhibition "Where Wool Meets..." in 2017, later showcased in her 'Earth Collection' at Vogue Knitting Live 2020, she produced a full length knitted wire skirt, depicting the fragility of the earth that we live on, with emerging crystals showing that there is hope for renewed growth. The piece took the form of a skirt as a reminder that we need to take care of what surrounds us.

Suraya has been featured in the We Make London publication “Inspired : London – A Guide to Handmade In London” published in 2012.

She has appeared on national TV on Kirstie Allsops Handmade Christmas Show in December 2019.

Her wire designs have also been featured in "The Knitter", "Knitting", "Inside Crochet" and "Simply Crochet" magazines.

Suraya enjoys working to commission with clients. Whether you are looking for a bespoke piece to match an outfit, a wedding or birthday gift, or simply something different for yourself, the commissioning process allows you to become involved in the design & creation of a unique and truly original piece of work.

Suraya will be happy to discuss the options with you to suit your budget.

The commissioning process often takes time, approximately 8 - 12 weeks – however if you have a tighter deadline please contact Suraya to discuss your requirements.