B E K H O M O R E H E N A by Zahra Hosseini

'Take a minute to respect others faiths, now take a minute to respect my faith, instead of destroying it, let us take a minute to listen to the vibrational frequencies and how they can affect our mind, body, and souls. Let''s listen to the effects it can have upon us' 

Photography: Brooke Roberts-Islam, Aurelia Anomalie

Zahra Hosseini, also know as Sooty, is a young Iranian designer committed to using her talent to do something good in this world. Her mission is to bring back the beauty of Islam, fighting against the misconception of Muslims in the media and today's society. She aims to do this by focusing on the peacefulness of 'Azan',  the Islamic prayer call, recited by the Muezzin. This prayer is recited, three times a day;; at dawn, noon, and sunset, from the speakers of mosques in Muslim countries. Azan, meaning 'to hear, to listen, and to be informed about'. 'Allahuakbar'' meaning 'god is great', is repeated during this. This beautiful word has been destroyed and begins to distort our perceptions in the media. She urges to to  not be fooled by what is being shown through media and let us only judge with our own minds after being shown the truth.


As a young Iranian woman, she stands before us to be the voice of young Muslim girls and to share her story, a story of ones journey of self-discovery through her own faith and culture.  It is this research, combined with scientific explorations that allowed her to unfold a deeper meaning into a journey we all share. In her performance/collection,  'B E K H O M O R E H E N A'  she has created garments that young Muslim girls can wear to make themselves feel connected to modesty decreed by their faith while allowing for the opportunity clothes provides for expression and connections to the modern world. Her work is about young Muslim women defining for themselves how they want to dress and how they want to be seen.  The original chador was a way to protect woman from prying eyes of men in a patriarchal society, therefore it completely covered the body and didn't expose the feminine shape. Her clothes express the struggle for the new Muslim female identity. One that expresses the values of their traditions but that also keeps the essence of their faith and identity, in a world that may perceive to be undersiege, by other cultures and within. She is keeping what is positive about being a young Muslim woman, emerging from the shadow of the patriarchal.

Photography: Brooke Roberts-Islam, Aurelia Anomalie

She tells us: 'I hope to open people's eyes, away from bias and stereotype. I ask to give it the respect it deserves. Don't judge it by what has been shown through the media. Look at it with a fresh perspective. I'm not trying to convert or persuade anyone, I'm only sharing my personal story. I hope people can be respectful, positive, and supportive. We are at a time in our society where the real truth is being overshadowed by the lies we are fed. Let us be proud of our faith and where we all as individuals come from and let the beauty show you the truth.' 

You can discover Zahra Hosseini's performance during the Show Programme at the SAM-Decorfabriek on Saturday the 16th of June (get your tickets online here). To learn more about her, visit her website at www.zahrahosseini.com or follow her on instagram @ZS.HOSS. 

Shoe design by Ellen Sampson from London

Please introduce yourself: 
My name is Ellen Sampson and I am a shoe designer, curator and artist living and working in London. I work on the boundaries between fashion and fine art, attempting to explore the relationship between clothing and lived experience. I am also undertaking a PhD in Footwear at Royal College of Art.

What inspires you in general? 
I take most of my inspiration from sculpture and architecture and furniture design. I am particularly inspired by the work of artists and designers from the early and mid 20th Century. I have a particular interest in sculptors such as Barbara Hepworth and Brancusi whose simple abstracted forms and clean lines really appeal to me. I also really like the mark making and painterly qualities of the St Ives group artists such as Ben Nicholson. When developing a collection I often refer to furniture and interior design from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. I particularly like the work of Jean Prouve for its honest use of materials and simple functional forms.

Amit Baruch - designer and art/trend director

Photography: Asaf Einy

Please introduce yourself: 
I am Amit Baruch, a young fashion designer, art / trend director. I graduated in 2011 from "Shenkar, College Of Engineering and Design" with a Bachelor in Fashion Design (BDes.)
Originally from Tel-Aviv, since last year I am living in London where I moved to just over a year ago following a work position in the in the fashion industry, awarded as I graduated with honors.
During my studies, I mostly designed for women, but then I fell in love with the thought of doing menswear and had a change of heart. In addition, I love working with leather, designing bags and accessories.

Fashioning the City conference at RCA London

Last week FASHIONCLASH attended this unique conference at Royal College of Arts in London.

'Fashioning the City: Exploring Fashion Cultures, Structures and Systems' is an international and interdisciplinary conference initiated by  Nathaniel Dafydd Beard, who was one of the participants in the FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2010 exhibition.
FASHIONCLASH shared the plenary round table discussion with Kaat Debo (MoMu), Kathryn Ferguson (filmmaker and curator) and  Dr. Marie Reigels Melchior, (Designmuseum Danmark).
Beside that there were speakers and presentations from Stefan Siegel (Not Just A Label), Professor Wendy Dagworthy (RCA London), Professor Julie Sommerlund ( Royal Danish Academy of Arts - School of Design) and man more.
Overal it was a very well organized and inspiring conference.
We were very honored to be a part of  this conference among with speakers and leading fashion institutions from all over the world.

More about the conference:
http://fashioningthecity.wordpress.com