In Conversation: Three University of the Arts London Fashion Students Meeting East with West
Menswear designer Ahmad Alwohaibi, fashion journalist Thanaaz Hisham and womenswear designer Marmarie discuss their individual practices and their journey’s so far at UAL.
The University of the Arts London has become a factory for producing some of the best designers and creatives throughout a wide range of disciplines. Amongst those hoping to have similar success in the creative industries are students from across the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab diaspora. Here, Nada Naya Nemer speaks to three students using their individual relationships to culture as a source of inspiration to develop diverse creations with an East meets West sentiment.
Ahmad Alwohaibi, BA Menswear, Central Saint Martins
Ahmad Alwohaibi. Image courtesy of Ahmad Alwohaibi, 2024.
“I see myself as an agent of change. Everything that I’m learning here I can take back to Saudi and show them something they’ve never seen before.”
Soft-spoken yet daringly driven, Ahmad Alwohaibi is currently in his first year at Central Saint Martins. Despite being experienced in design - Alwohaibi was one of the previous owners of Saudi label 2D2C2M - the 33-year-old has decided to leave his past perception of fashion behind to reposition himself in the industry that he has always loved. “It wasn’t a sudden decision to quit my job and come here, it took me about five years to decide. I started to think that I needed to really work on myself and that’s why I decided to apply to one of the best fashion schools.”
Alwohaibi describes his past knowledge of fashion as self-taught through collecting and reading books on philosophy, designers, and fashion history and theory. His biggest influences - that he still admires today and claims that he will forever (i don’t think you need this?) - include Helmut Lang and the Antwerp Six. “I don’t just like them for what they do on the runway, but I also like reading about how they think and work.” The young designer himself is now on a journey of reinvention, or a process of ‘unlearning’, to rewire his perception of fashion and how he reacts to it. “When I joined CSM, I started to challenge myself more, for example, by starting the design process from something that I might find uncomfortable or don’t even like.”
Colour may be the next aspect for Alwohaibi to tackle: the first year wears a full black ensemble of a quilted bomber jacket, t-shirt and loose-fitting trousers - with the exception of his white trainers. “I have a natural inclination towards black or even just all-white. I don’t know where it comes from - maybe a feeling of inadequacy to play with colour. That’s something I must challenge myself more with because I do like colour.” Despite this suggestion, black is a daring colour to use alone in design. It relies on perfect technique, interesting silhouettes and playing with texture to create an exciting or perfectly executed garment. “I’m still figuring it out, right now I don’t have any concrete answers to describe my work or what it represents but I see myself as an agent of change. Everything that I’m learning here I can take back to Saudi and show them something they’ve never seen before.”
The designer hopes to go back to Saudi and start a new brand, catering towards the younger generation who “really want change” (he claims). Changing the landscape of traditional Saudi fashion is part of the designer’s wider ambition and his raison d’être for enrolling at CSM. “Being Arab is something that I’m really grateful for, but it’s not the only thing that defines me. It has become more so since moving to the UK - I’m definitely a bi-product of my culture whether I like it or not. Ultimately, I don’t care about stereotypes or how people perceive me, as long as they’re loving, but I do care about the prejudice that can come from this.”
Thanaaz Hisham, BA Fashion Journalism, Central Saint Martins
Thanaaz Hisham. Image courtesy of Thanaaz Hisham, 2024.
“When I’m writing about real people and their stories, I never want to come off as insensitive, because I know that I’ve read pieces where I’ve felt like that.
“Finding and sharing stories about topics that need to be talked about and haven’t before is something that I’ve always had a passion for”, says fashion journalist Thanaaz Hisham. With a particular focus on South Asian heritage, the Middle East and diasporic communities, the young journalist provides a contemporary and insightful view on topics she believes should be spotlighted further in the publication industry. Currently enrolled on the BA Fashion Journalism course at Central Saint Martins, the writer was born and raised in Abu Dhabi, with an Indian heritage. With her driven attitude of wanting to be “the person in the room who is always one step ahead”, the young writer has already written for GQ Middle East and has become a regular in Vogue Arabia.
Despite being studious and academic in the ‘traditional’ sense - Hisham mentions that she went to incredibly science-focused schools - the young journalist always felt she was better suited to creative subjects. As a result, Hisham started her own magazine, Nanta, a publication that commented on all things arts and culture - including film reviews, interviews with artists and even commissioning other aspiring writers across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. “I worked on it for over a year and although it was a passion project, it made me realise very quickly that this was something that I wanted to do as a career.” Researching the industry further, Hisham started buying and collecting magazines (Apartamento, Azeema, and archival issues of i-D magazine to name a few), and along the way, she discovered Central Saint Martins. “I quickly became obsessed with it,” she reveals. After completing a foundation course at the university, the writer decided to apply for the Fashion Communication and Promotion course. Despite thinking the interview went “amazingly well”, she was rejected. “I found out at around 12AM that I didn’t get a place and stayed up until 8AM crafting a perfect email, like ‘hi, you’ve missed out on an exceptional student’. The funny thing is, I got a reply saying that I would be better suited for fashion journalism, and honestly, it’s the best decision that’s ever been made for me. I think it really suits me.”
Throughout her time at the university, the young journalist has explored themes of diaspora and culture. “Writing about Middle Eastern and South Asian diasporas is something that I’ve naturally gravitated towards and find interesting. I don’t actively search for those stories, it’s just what I end up writing about a lot of the time as a way to uplift those voices.” Although at times communicating these themes has been difficult, Hisham is adamant that she will continue to provide diasporic communities and themes a platform to share their experiences. “I would say I have a good understanding of these diasporas, and I never want to write from a place where I can’t provide the correct cultural context. I have lots of other interest like K-Pop and anime, but I don’t particularly feel like I could do those types of pieces justice. I can write about those things if they’re timely or relevant, but when I’m writing about real people and their stories, I never want to come off as insensitive, because I know that I’ve read pieces where I’ve felt like that.”
Marmarie, BA Womenswear, London College of Fashion
Palestinian-inspired accessories that womenswear designer Marmarie often features in her outfits and designs. Image courtesy of @marmarie._ on Instagram, 2024.
“I feel like I’m making my clothes for people like me, so people who care about streetwear but also, they know what’s going on in the world and they want to support the cause.”
Combining influences from her environment growing up and living in North London with traditional Palestinian textiles and jewellery, Marmarie is currently completing a course in womenswear at London College of Fashion.
Crucial to her aesthetic as a young fashion designer, Marmarie explores themes of identity and environment in her designs. “When I was in secondary school I knew that I wanted to go to London College of Fashion, but first, I did a foundation course at Ravensbourne. That was the beginning of my journey to finding out who I really was, and when I started basing my projects on where I am or who I am.” ‘Who she is’ is explicit through her personal style, combining a mix of street wear silhouettes, a variety of textiles and traditional Palestinian jewellery - statement pieces that the young designer always includes in her outfits. “My personal style is just a mish-mash of everything. I like to collect everything that makes me happy and put it together in one look. I especially like incorporating traditional jewellery with my outfits, because Palestinians have such beautiful garments and jewellery, so it’s cool to mix that in with a more urban street style.”
Researching and collecting images from Palestinian fashion, history and art books that her father collects, Marmarie is eager to start incorporating her cultural identity in her designs through the use of pattern and print. “During these two years at LCF I’ve been playing around with actually learning how to make garments, but the silhouettes are quite grungy and street. Something I definitely want to get into is print. I have so many ideas that I want to use, especially in terms of mixing and inverting cultural patterns.” Alongside her heritage, the streets of “her ends” (she says), heavily inspire her and contribute to her love of art and print. Most notably, graffiti found on the walls of her area are a huge inspiration. “My area isn’t very great, but I look for the things that make me happy in it, for example there’s graffiti here and there, and when you look through my Instagram you can see that I have a love for graffiti. Even my own style is definitely inspired by it.” Using this as a backdrop to one of her most recent projects, the student created sculptures and collages out of rubbish found in her area, combining it with images of garments that she then drew and painted on, making a “whole mess”. This chaotic and eclectic design process is one that the designer often takes and applies to different sources of inspiration that she collects, including photography related to religion, pictures of garments and, again, lots of traditional jewellery.
“I just love maximalism and doing the absolute most. When I was thinking about why I’m attracted to bright colours and doing too much in general, I realised that growing up, my life was very much centred around routine and doing the same thing everyday. Even my parents, they would sit in the same chairs everyday,” Marmarie explains on why she loves the chaotic process of designing and creating. In the future, she wants her brand not only to represent her, but the people around her. “The comments I get from my friends is the feedback I care about the most. It helps me a lot because they’re not only the people that I genuinely care about, but they’re the type of people that I’m making my clothes for. I feel like I’m making my clothes for people like me, so people who care about streetwear but also, they know what’s going on in the world and they want to support the cause.”