By Li Maomao | Office Director, The Five Studios
作者：李毛毛｜哈特国际设计有限公司办公室主任
Some partnerships begin with a meeting.
Others are built quietly over many years.
On July 27, 2026, The Five Studios and RDA | 環亞聯合 officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Shenzhen, opening a new chapter between two teams whose relationship had started long before that day.
For Mr. Hatem and Mr. Eric of RDA | 環亞聯合, this was not simply the beginning of a new business relationship. They have known each other for nearly a decade, sharing ideas, experiences, projects and journeys across different markets, including the Middle East.
Over those years, professional respect gradually became something deeper: trust.
And perhaps that is why the signing felt less like the beginning of something new, and more like the natural continuation of something that had already been growing for a long time.
The date itself also carried a special meaning.
Mr. Eric had thoughtfully chosen July 27 according to the traditional Chinese calendar, hoping to select an auspicious day for this new chapter of cooperation.
What made the occasion even more memorable was that, almost unexpectedly, many people who are usually travelling or working in different places were all able to be together in Shenzhen.
For once, key members of The Five Studios team were in the same room, joined by long-time friends, clients and partners from the design industry.
Among them were friends who have worked alongside Mr. Hatem for years, including the founder of MV Italian Design, as well as colleagues whose schedules normally make moments like this surprisingly difficult to arrange.
Sometimes a carefully chosen day really does seem to bring everything together.
Throughout the gathering, there were of course professional photographers capturing the signing ceremony, the contract exchange and the official group photographs.
But when I looked through the pictures afterwards, I noticed something interesting.
Some of the photographs that seemed to tell the story best were not the professional ones at all.
They were the selfies Mr. Hatem Khemmar had taken on his phone.
People were standing close together, laughing, talking and simply enjoying the moment. There was less formality in those photographs, but perhaps more truth.
They showed something that an official signing picture cannot always capture—the friendships and relationships behind the companies.
Many of the people in those selfies were not simply guests invited to attend a business event. They were people who had known one another for years, worked together, travelled together, supported one another and gradually become part of the same extended professional circle.
That human connection was probably the most meaningful part of the day.
At The Five Studios, we believe strong collaborations are rarely created by contracts alone. They grow through shared experience, mutual respect and the confidence that develops when people continue showing up for one another over time.
The strategic cooperation between The Five Studios and RDA | 環亞聯合 brings together complementary strengths in architecture, interior design, creative development, theme parks, IP development, visualization, animation and international business development.
By combining our respective experience, networks and creative resources, both teams hope to create stronger opportunities for future projects and provide broader value to our clients and partners.
But beyond the strategy, July 27 will remain memorable for something much simpler.
For one rare afternoon, people who are normally travelling between cities, countries, projects and meetings found themselves together in the same place.
A carefully chosen date.
A room full of familiar faces.
A contract signed between two companies.
And behind it, almost ten years of trust.
We look forward to this new chapter with RDA | 環亞聯合, and to the projects, journeys and friendships that will continue to grow from it.
With appreciation,
Li Maomao
Office Director
The Five Studios | 哈特国际设计有限公司
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