Mood Board

Calico

Blanket Dress

Once I understood how the blanket fabric would drape, I had a pretty good idea of how this dress would ultimately look. So I drew my design: a dress that would fit tightly like a corset with separate embroidered sleeves made from bed sheets.

Founded by a young Syrian-Canadian woman, Tight-Knit Syria is a non-profit organization working with displaced Syrian women in two collectives: one in Northern Syria, the other in Lebanon. Fueled by their resilience, resourcefulness, and creativity, these women are now able to earn an income and support themselves and their families through the sale of their beautiful handmade products.

Embroidery

I met Moroccan photographer Ahlam through common friends, and we immediately bonded. Her sensitivity to humanitarian causes matched the spirit of my collection, so we decided to organize a photo shoot, hoping to create an exhibition about this collection. Unfortunately, the pandemic has prevented that from happening. Here she is hard at work.

Ahlam and I decided to name our shoot “SYRcle bi Ahlami,” which means “SYRcle in My Dreams.” We wanted it to communicate the beauty of Syrian culture, not the tragedy. So we focused on traditional objects and textiles. While shooting, I wanted the models to have fun. I served them tea and Syrian food, and we all listened to Syrian music. All of the models were Syrian refugees that we found through Revivre, a Parisian organization that helps refugees relocate to France.

This was probably the most difficult shoot that Ahlam and I did. Hundreds of my people have died at sea while fleeing the Syrian war in search of a safe home. We wanted to sensitize the public to what these refugees have to endure (and sadly, no one talks about)—walking for days, sleeping on the street, and sometimes even drowning.

While searching for the shoot’s venue, Ahlam and I decided on a look that was both traditional and industrial. I feel so fortunate to have gotten to know each of these women and their inspirational stories during the shoot. Both Ahlam and I got goosebumps when taking this photo.

I’m very proud that the collection was featured in I-D Vice, the online French version of I-D, a prestigious British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, and youth culture. The publication became aware of SYRcle at a press conference held jointly by my school, Istituto Marangoni (Paris campus), and Vogue Italia, where it was announced that my collection had been selected by the school and Vogue Talent as one the “10 best” of my graduating class.

As one of the “10 best” collections created by a graduating student at Istituto Marangoni (Paris), my school would normally have organized a special fashion show to celebrate those collections. The pandemic, unfortunately, made this impossible. Instead, my school collaborated with Vogue Italia to produce a fashion video. This is a still photograph from that production.