LookOut Magazine has interviewed the Syrian fashion Designer Manal Ajaj at the Jasmine Alphabetical fashion show presented in Berlin. The show told the story the Middle East. The designer known for her impressive designs creates a synthesis of arts and culture with the rich cultural heritage of her home county with eighteen fancy dresses that illustrate the eighteen eras of Syrian history.
Born in Damascus, the city of Jasmines, she was affected by its culture and deeply loved its art and heritage. Her passion for the city of Jasmines is clearly visible in her designs and exhibitions. The unfortunate events in Syria took a large toll on her. Her designs now clearly view her aims at clarifying her country’s current position through a return to the past and present pulse of building a better future.
LOOKOUT: Where do you find the inspiration to create your collections?
MANAL AJAJ: The combination of sunlight and old stones. To be more precise, I found the inspiration on the idea of the sun shining on an old stone. I feel that every day the sun shines a hope of ongoing life is born. In other hand old stones reminds me of the past. My collection has a relation between the past and the future, represented by those two items.
LO: What does fashion mean to you as a fashion designer?
M.A.: To me, fashion is a reflection of my own personality. A fashion in a country represents the country internal values and competencies. To me fashion represents the unsaid thoughts of a society.
LO: What interests you about fashion? And what don’t you like about fashion?
M.A.: The interesting part in fashion is how it replaced war to represent different Eras in history. I made sure to present that part in my fashion show, as it is my biggest interest. People currently express their feelings, thoughts, and actions in fashion, which is peaceful and creative. But, the part I don’t appreciate about fashion is when it becomes the biggest indicators to some people while evaluating others. First impressions are great, still, people should be evaluated based on the type of thoughts they have. Sometimes fashion becomes the mask and evaluations become pre-estimated.
LO: Do you think social, economic and technical factors have affected fashion over the years?
M.A.: Yes, it affected it for sure. The positive thing is the pace of production, which leads to bigger collections and drastic changes through technology and the need for more economic approach to business. The negative thing is that it waived away the manual cravings, which used to differentiate people from each other.
LO: All of your projects are in one way or another related to a mix of cultures. What is it exactly that you find so interesting in each culture as a fashion designer?
M.A.: Since I am attached with my past and looking at the future, I love real things, those were created from each culture separately. The more you dig in each culture you will find endless interests.
I believe in positive vibes, having my base solid and related to real culture always generates the positive vibes to me to become more creative.
LO: What Manal Ajaj new collections bring to the fashion world?
M.A.: It brings one of its kind thematic show where fashion is attached to cultures across history.
LO: As a final note, apart from being a very well know fashion designer, what do you believe is the role (or even, the responsibility) of the contemporary fashion designer in society today?
M.A.: Their role and responsibility is to be creative but have the belonging to an identity, a signature or fingerprint that they can keep present. Best said: Innovate do not imitate.
