Knowledgeable by her British upbringing and Yemeni heritage, Central Saint Martins graduate Kazna Asker has created a clothes assortment that mixes sportswear design with conventional Center Jap materials and silhouettes.
Known as Watered by One Water, the gathering was showcased on the Central Saint Martins MA 2022 style present and was the varsity’s first MA present to characteristic hijab-wearing fashions.
“I really feel very grateful that we had been in a position to showcase the range of Britain and introduce Islamic style and Center Jap materials to the west from a minority perspective,” Asker advised Dezeen.
Asker, who grew up in Sheffield, designed conventional Islamic clothes such because the jilbab, abaya and thobe in waterproof nylon cloth and added sportswear particulars together with drawstrings, zips and pockets.
The gathering additionally contains cargo pants, jackets and tracksuits adorned with conventional Center Jap materials.
“I’ve at all times been a tomboy, and I keep in mind my entire childhood seeing and sporting solely Nike and Adidas tracksuits and sneakers,” Asker stated. “So I suppose sportswear has at all times come naturally to me!”
Asker designed the gathering in pairs of menswear and womenswear to symbolize the brotherhood and sisterhood of his area people.
“I used to be actually impressed by the area people in Sheffield and the way we tailored our tradition and traditions whereas designing and empowering the Muslim neighborhood,” stated Asker.
“I feel there are a whole lot of unfavourable connotations related to the hijab, Islamic modesty and the Muslim neighborhood, so we deliberately created clothes for women and men to indicate the fraction of our neighborhood and that we’re all watered by the identical water . .”
To raised symbolize Muslims in Sheffield, Asker invited folks from her area people to explain what ‘neighborhood’ means to them and what conjures up them.
The responses had been compiled right into a graphic design and printed on the again of a hijab cloak.
Asker acquired the Debut Expertise Award on the 2022 Vogue Belief Arabia Awards for his Watered by One Water style assortment, which was praised for his neighborhood engagement.
“I hope that extra Muslim women will enroll at Central Saint Martins and see themselves in my assortment and really feel empowered to be there,” Asker stated.
“I hope that a small door has been damaged to showcase extra numerous style and symbolize folks in an trustworthy and honest means,” the designer continued.
Different inventive designs by Central Saint Martins graduates embrace a solar-heated blanket and a printer that tasks gentle onto algae to supply photos on cloth, ceramics or paper.
Photograph courtesy of Central Saint Martins except in any other case famous.