Behind The Seams: Zaid Farouki’s Conceptual Design World

For this episode of Behind the Seams, Palestinian-Jordanian fashion designer Zaid Farouki welcomes us into his Dubai-based atelier. The designer is best known for the hand-painted apparel released under his namesake fashion label, which he launched in 2015. Zaid has since spent his career accumulating a wealth of support as a designer, with recognitions from organisations like the Arab Fashion Council and Arab Fashion Week.

During our interview, Zaid reveals that his designs are a blend of modern techniques and time-honoured styles from the region. He noted how he’s specifically inspired by the brooches that appear in old family photographs and “historical photos that we find in this region.” Refreshed takes on this classic item appear in his ready-to-wear collections as glamorous accessories and as statement pieces on his garments.

References to traditional styles don’t start and end with brooches–they’re embedded into to DNA of Zaid’s fashion brand. The designer takes pride in creating a wide range of clothing for his devoted customers, including traditional headwear, burqas, and abayas that appear alongside dresses, suiting, and sweaters. Zaid’s collections aren’t confined to typical menswear and womenswear distinctions, offering a range of gender-neutral clothing too.

Zaid Farouki is, first and foremost, a creative talent, so much so that his design process is synonymous with the art of narrative building. Before he starts designing, he imagines a fictitious person who will wear the garment and proceeds to create a rich world for them, including the time period and location. This vision is oftentimes taken onto a canvas, where Zaid paints the tone and mood that the garment will capture. The thought processes behind each item are revealed in their artistic design details and are skillfully applied through techniques like embroidery and crystal application.

In this episode of Behind the Seams, Zaid pulls back the curtain on this interesting design process and shows us how it’s done firsthand. Enter Zaid Farouki’s atelier for yourself with a behind-the-scenes look in our short documentary below.