Since I first was able to hold a needle and thread, I have been making clothes. It started off as doll clothes, then when I was twelve I made my first human-sized shirt. My first shot at the runway came in 2013 when I tried out and made it into the Eastern Michigan University fashion week show. After the show was over I was approached by people in the industry who wanted my work shown on their runway, and I have been doing runway shows all over Michigan ever since. By the time I graduated college in April of 2015, I had been involved in ten plus shows, including one at the Detroit Institute of Arts. My passion for design can only be matched by my desire to make a positive influence in the world, and I credit this drive to the way I grew up.
I was born in Michigan in 1994 to my mother, a local, and my father, a Syrian immigrant who came here to study engineering. Their two completely different backgrounds combined together granted me the childhood that made me who I am today. Through my father's job, the family was blessed with many opportunities to travel. We lived in Belgium for two years, and Japan for four. In between we visited France, Germany, England, and Syria, numerous times. My experiences while in different countries has given me a global perspective. I grew to love the diversity offered by the world and all of its people. As a result, love, acceptance, and lifting up others are concepts I feel very strongly about, and knew I needed to pass on to younger generations.
My degree of choice was Art Education. Art as a subject is very flexible, and can be used to explore aspects of oneself. For children facing bullying, racism, or confusion about their gender/sexuality, it can be very therapeutic and healing. If my art classroom can provide that service, then I have done my job right. My diverse upbringing helps me connect and empathize with people from all walks of life. Social justice campaigns for racial relations and the LGBT community drew my attention for that very reason.
The goal is to bring my two passions together -design and humanitarian work- to create a business built on values and to produce solutions for social problems. It would be a dream come true, if through manufacturing and partnerships with companies, my brand could donate a portion of profits to benefit a variety of causes.
My brand advocates that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like, you have the right to feel beautiful and empowered. You do not have to be what society tells you to be.
Forge your own identity, and rebel against the system!
I was born in Michigan in 1994 to my mother, a local, and my father, a Syrian immigrant who came here to study engineering. Their two completely different backgrounds combined together granted me the childhood that made me who I am today. Through my father's job, the family was blessed with many opportunities to travel. We lived in Belgium for two years, and Japan for four. In between we visited France, Germany, England, and Syria, numerous times. My experiences while in different countries has given me a global perspective. I grew to love the diversity offered by the world and all of its people. As a result, love, acceptance, and lifting up others are concepts I feel very strongly about, and knew I needed to pass on to younger generations.
My degree of choice was Art Education. Art as a subject is very flexible, and can be used to explore aspects of oneself. For children facing bullying, racism, or confusion about their gender/sexuality, it can be very therapeutic and healing. If my art classroom can provide that service, then I have done my job right. My diverse upbringing helps me connect and empathize with people from all walks of life. Social justice campaigns for racial relations and the LGBT community drew my attention for that very reason.
The goal is to bring my two passions together -design and humanitarian work- to create a business built on values and to produce solutions for social problems. It would be a dream come true, if through manufacturing and partnerships with companies, my brand could donate a portion of profits to benefit a variety of causes.
My brand advocates that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like, you have the right to feel beautiful and empowered. You do not have to be what society tells you to be.
Forge your own identity, and rebel against the system!