I'm continuing the thread that I started in yesterday's post, republishing interviews that I recently did for Zoot Magazine with some of the graduates of San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. Today it's Farida Khan's turn.
Born in Pakistan and currently living in Qatar, Farida Khan received a Higher National Diploma in Fashion Design from Edexcel BTEC, completing her MFA degree in Fashion Design through the Academy of Art University’s Online Fashion Program.
Ideas of unconventional beauty were the starting point, but Khan mixed this theme with technological inspirations, creating dresses with well-defined shapes using wool gabardine, coated denim, polyurethane and punched leather.
Who has been the greatest influence on your career choices?
Farida Khan: I find Belgian designers very inspirational. I admire Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester and Raf Simons. Alexander McQueen’s career is also very impressive and I have deep respect for the legacy he has left behind.
How do you find your inspirations?
Farida Khan: In a word, I would define myself as a “Metamodernist” as my inspirations try to go beyond postmodernism. Reforming, restructuring and reinventing are the driving forces that keep me inspired. Premeditation is generally never a norm when I develop ideas in my sketch files. I fill many pages with self-created paper cut-outs, automated imagery and surreal writings finding the standout elements that relate most to my mood. I hardly ever work with a single mood board. Fabrics become the focus for development and research at a very early stage and stay so until the actual making of the designs.
How did you feel at showcasing your collection at the Academy of the Art fashion show?
Farida Khan: Working with Simon Ungless, the Director of the School of Fashion, as my mentor for the graduate collection has been a very exciting experience. Showcasing this collection at New York Fashion Week does full justice to the hard work put in by the students and by their lecturers. I have received due attention and it has been really positive. I feel this is only the beginning of an exciting journey ahead of me.
Can you tell us more about your collection, is there a theme behind it?
Farida Khan: Acute interest in dissolving values about traditional gender specific clothing and trying to find beauty in unconventional places motivated me to develop an understated yet technically complex collection. It is an attempt to rebel against what is generally conceived as awe-inspiring beauty. I wanted to define both today and tomorrow's designs by developing classic pieces - in wool, cotton, coated denim, state of the art polyurethane and punched leather - that somehow represented the beginning of a quest for innovation. This collection represents for me the beginning of a radical journey that I will devote myself to throughout the length of my career. I tend to always rebel, yet I never forget to pay homage to the traditionally tailored pieces that never fail to fascinate me.
What are your future plans?
Farida Khan: I have been encouraged to go onto further studies at European fashion schools and I am seriously looking at this option for career development. I would then settle down in Paris. I dream about working with Raf Simons one day! The Academy of Art University has provided me with excellent training. I am confident I can use this foundation to further enhance my career path.
All images by Randy Brooke/WireImage
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