Meet Nadiya Sharif, a fashion design graduate from the University for the Creative Arts. Nadiya’s award winning collection is a celebration of her personal heritage as an immigrant woman living in London. Read more about her work below!
How do you feel about winning an award at GFW21?
I'm thrilled and honoured that GFW has recognised and valued my work. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I'm extremely grateful to my tutors who nominated me for The culture and heritage award, as well as the lovely judges who understood my concept and my journey. Growing up, I struggled to be understood, and now I feel like I've finally expressed a part of myself that I was ashamed of, and it's gotten me a win
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
In my three years at university, I've learnt that our darkest moments may lead to our brightest days. I've learnt to manage stress and utilise it as a source of motivation to keep going. Just when I thought my creativity couldn't get much better, COVID-19 taught me how to deal with creative blocks, be patient, resilient, and more understanding, all of which helped me open many doors of creativity. My biggest takeaway from University is that fashion is so complex and problem-solving is the key to being a successful designer.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
Self-reflection was the starting point for my final project; I began to reflect on myself and my personal development journey. Only through looking at my culture, heritage, and path that moulded me into the person, I am today. I'm a Somali immigrant who was born in Kenya, grew up in Yemen, and now lives in London. This is the tale of many immigrants like me. Immigration and self-love are at the heart of my final project. As an immigrant, I didn't feel safe, and I want to use my position to educate and raise awareness for others who are suffering in silence. I knew from the beginning of my concept that I want to amplify the voices of the unheard.
What form does your FMP take?
My final year project it’s in garments, we got to make two outfits from our collection. We also did portfolio and sketchbook work and was featured in our final year fashion film with images.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
This collection used different weights of materials with a rich tonal palette to invoke the landscape, tactile texture and mood of Yemen. After creating my own prints I sent them to Contrado to get them printed, I used Velvet Fever Poly Satin and Florence Power Net. For the rest of the collection, I sourced most of my fabrics from Goldhawk road. I mainly used suiting and shirting fabrics such as luxury merino wool and gabardine, twill and Poplin.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
The evolution of my initial idea was simply that it grew stronger and I became more emotionally attached to it than I had been previously. I realised how much my past has influenced how I see myself and carry myself, so I used that to push my concept and narrative even further.
Somalia was an oral country, poetry is treasured in my culture. It was used to protect our Heritage from colonizers and Is seen as a luxury gift. I wanted to incorporate this into my collection to add meaning to luxury. I discovered that I am more than a designer; I am a designer with a voice and emotions who can bring hope and a touch of luxury into people's lives.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
My project's message is to accept yourself, your culture, and your Heritage, no matter how rejected you may feel. The message is to recognise, love and protect immigrant children who have nowhere to call home. It's about learning to love, accept, and value our differences. I hope that this collection will spark conversation on modest fashion, immigration, and the representation of black Muslim women.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I would love to bring change and understanding to the modest Fashion industry, I feel like we see the same repetitive dresses gowns and simply always labelled boring, I want to introduce contemporary concepts, I want to challenge existing stereotypes about Modesty and I believe my collection challenges the stereotypes. With the creation of the Hijab bodysuit and the use of see-through fabrics which can be layered. The modest fashion industry is a big market but because of the stigma that is attached to it, I feel like it has not reached people beyond the Muslim community.
Now that you have finished your degree, what's your plan?
Now that I finished, my plan is to start my own luxury brand called NUXURIA I feel like there isn’t a brand out there that caters for the modest fashion industry that uses contemporary and modern ideas. My way of being sustainable is making sure my garments have more of an emotional connection with my consumers so they keep them for a very long time. I want to use poetry as a means of the new luxury and use it to tackle fast fashion and spread awareness about immigration and the struggles of ethnic minorities. I’ve always said I'm the designer with the voice of the unheard.