Zaid Affas is offering women a new definition of luxury. We sit down with the LA-based designer to find out more about starting his own label, his design philosophy and the woman that inspires him.
By Natalie Trevis
A monochromatic palette highlights exaggerated, dynamic silhouettes – an oversized funnel neck or broad shoulder - while unexpected flashes of silver and burnt gold provide a shimmering highlight: Zaid Affas’ AW15 collection is pure modern luxury for a bold, confident woman. ‘She’s not looking for attention, she demands attention, it just happens. It’s a woman with confidence, a strong woman. It’s a woman who desires luxury, but real luxury, not to show people but for herself.’ These are clothes with longevity – a new and elevated version of the wardrobe essential. Affas is crystal clear on the independent, intellectual woman that is his muse. From his studio in LA, with daylight streaming in through the industrial windows behind him, Zaid is on a creative mission to bring his version of softly spoken luxury to the party.
Filtering throughout Affas’ collection of structured, minimalist clothing is a focus on the delight of line, form and silhouette over embellishment or thematic concepts (it’s not about 'Maharajah mixed with 1970s clubbing’ he tells us with a smile). AW15, his third collection, bursts with twisted tailoring: a sharp-shouldered coat reveals delicate gathering at the back, while half caped sleeves add an origami-like amplification at the elbows of sleek outerwear. Calm and clean, funnel necklines (countered here and there by extreme plunges) and subtle draping have woven their way through Zaid’s designs since his debut. Every piece could make a seamless transition into your wardrobe right this instant. ‘I’ve always wanted to do something in the arts, but I was originally into architecture. I went to Saint Martins to do painting and sculpture.’ Affas found himself interacting with students from other disciplines, working collaboratively on fashion projects, and ultimately switched disciplines. ‘It’s nice because you get exposed to another medium and I thought, wow, that’s also for me.’
A life in design always beckoned: His father an architect from Iraq who allowed the young Zaid to accompany him to work to watch and learn, and his mother a tastemaker in all things creative. ‘My mother always really had discipline in how to dress and how to present herself. To be elegant and chic was really important to her and that has stuck with me’, says Affas, who was born in Kuwait and spent the latter part of his childhood in London. Stints at Ralph Lauren, BCBG Max Azria and Ports 1961 in the US have followed, giving Affas a full-circle insight into the myriad world of running a fashion label. ‘I think for any designer, no matter how conceptual you are or how commercial, understanding branding and how to build an image is really important…how to make a customer get excited and feel they want to buy into something.’ Measured and with all the benefit of his hard-won experience, Affas’ line emerges virtually fully formed - he has navigated many of the traps of inconsistency and conflicting ideas that he identifies as being all too easy for rising designers to fall into.
Patience is truly a virtue and by biding his time Affas has discovered his own voice as a designer while recognising that slow and steady growth as a new brand is key. Creatively, his roots are never far from the surface - purity of design, and consistency without complacency, remain a driving force behind Affas’ work. ‘I am deliberately trying to seek out a signature but I do want it to develop…I am still very influenced by architecture and materials and construction. I wanted to go to the basics of design.’ Of course the Middle East remains infinitely relevant for Affas too. ‘As an Arabic designer, this is my aesthetic. I think historically a lot of people view Middle Eastern designers as very Middle Eastern in their approach to design, lots of gowns and embellishments, but I don’t think that’s the case any more…People are recognising this kind of design.’
These clothes might be our new essentials but they are anything but simplistic. Eloquent and sophisticated and a little futuristic, Affas has tapped into a luxury mindset we all aspire to, which values timeless quality over quantity. A lot of planning, a dash of risk and a generous helping of old-school creativity make Zaid Affas one to watch. ‘Of course you have to work and make it happen but you can’t be afraid to try. Ever. That’s the high.’
