Kazna Asker: On the frontline of politicising fashion
Emerging designer and Central Saint Martins MA graduate Kazna Asker utilises fashion as a vehicle for political activism
Kazna Asker decidedly burst into the fashion industry as a designer to watch when she (without realising) presented the first ever MA final collection at Central st Martins to involve hijabs. The collection, entitled ‘Watered by one water’, eventually won her the debut talent prize in association with the Fashion trust Arabia. The 26 year old designer chose to use this platform, not to advertise her own work, but to raise a plea for donations for the people affected by Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
Just a year later, Asker presented her final collection at London Fashion Week. ‘Watered by one water,’ was framed by the way humans all drink the same water: ‘it’s just knowing that we are all equal and watered by one water’, the British Fashion Council New Gen member says, ‘recognising how your privilege affects those who don’t have access to the same water as you, and your responsibility to provide and share your water with those who need it.’
Asker printed out posters around her local community as a part of her collection, featuring the questions: What are you fighting for? Who inspired you today? What does ‘community’ mean to you? Which resulted in posters riddled with hand written answers and anecdotes from the public.
“I printed [the responses] on the back of collection to showcase the voices behind the members of the community in places where we are not usually represented.”
The collection was a concoction between modern and traditional Islamic garments from her Yemeni heritage, such as a jilbab, abaya and a thobe, with British streetwear influences sewed in throughout. Awarding her the FTA award, which the judges described as ‘a new sneak peak at the clothing of the future, a symptom of humanity that is increasingly embracing migration and cultural mixes.’
Asker’s work comments on the congregation of Yemeni immigrants in her home town community – Sheffield. With the garments ranging from £30-250 on her website, a collision of technical sportswear with Palestinian and Yemeni embroidery allows her to embrace the values of community which fuels Asker’s designing DNA.
Born in Liverpool, with family from Yemen and growing up in Bungreave, a small town in Sheffield, meant Asker was surrounded by community from a young age. ‘It was very natural for me to design for women wearing hijabs as it’s all I ever grew up around.’ Bungreave has a population of 2,500 Yemeni’s, so family and community quite literally become a forefront for Asker’s designing process; even some featured as models for her collections.
‘I love seeing my grandma in her traditional abaya and my cousin in his tracksuits, my sisters in their maxi skirts and my brother in his hoodies. I’m super inspired by the different generations of clothing and how the people in my community interpret our culture.’
Alongside the collection, Asker presented a short film, namely ‘Fight for me, Sheffield,’ which features teachers, local business owners, counsellors, activists and families that ‘continue to fight for the city everyday’. Filmed and edited entirely by Asker, she notes the film as a highlight of her career thus far, explaining how ‘interviewing key figures in my community who I grew up around and presenting their stories on a big platform like London Fashion Week was really wholesome for me’, the designer says.
‘I was able to bring my Grandma’s living room to LFW, everyone sat on the floor, drinking Yemeni tea, whilst laughing and crying at a film about Sheffield and everyone that fights for the city.’
Being a fashion designer in the creative industry comes with a wider choice, the privilege of having the capabilities to non-verbally present a wider message is sometimes overlooked by brands. For Asker, this isn’t just a choice, politicising her work is an intrinsic element of her practice: ‘I find it hard to work in the fashion world because it’s kind of superficial, the values of community and charity don’t really mix,’ she says, ‘I always try to take it right now, I’m just fighting for everything sincere.’
‘Creating a voice for the voiceless,’ as she puts it, becomes a mantra that transcends the realms of Asker’s designs, as she circles back to charity in every sense of the word.
‘Being Yemeni, activism is in our blood, Yemen is currently facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis,’ she explains, ‘my parents always encouraged me and my siblings to prioritise charity, the activism element is really natural to us.’
The designer has raised over £20,000 for refugee charities in Palestine and Yemen. Co-ordinating fundraisers for her local Yemeni communities and even speaking at Sheffield council meetings in defence of non-white teachers (which can be seen in her film, as she bounces back at the council, expressing that ‘there isn’t any diversity in this room, I brought the diversity with me.’)
‘Community, to me, is more of an action and I think it's just the pure act of selflessness to make sure your neighbour is always ok’
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is an issue naturally close to Asker’s heart, meaning her clothes become fuelled with activism. The crisis is ongoing and complex, a conflict spanning over 8 years between a rebel group labelled the Houthis, and a Saudi Arabian led government. Yemen has not only been declared as the most dangerous place in the world to live, but as an extension of the war, the economic depreciation has meant the basic necessities are too expensive for most civilians to buy. Not only this, but an estimated three children lose their lives everyday, amounting to over 80% of Yemen’s population being in need (which is 21.2 million people, twice the population of London.)
For Kazna, she urged the need for creatives to echo her efforts of activism: ‘There is no need to keep going higher and chase money and accolades, when the people you represent are right next to you,’ she says, ‘you can build sideways to protect them.’
New work is certainly something Kazna is working towards, despite her reluctance to share the intricate details, she did mention that Sheffield will persevere as the muse it consistently prevails to be. ‘I am trying to create a new body of work that continues to represent my world – hopefully more collaborations with my local community of Sheffield, I just want to continue working with the people who inspire me and always bring my city on the journey.’
‘I hope that my words are sincere, my decision making is sincere, my designs are sincere, my values are sincere, my prayers are sincere – it’s a conscious fight.’
Watch ‘Fight for me Sheffield’ here:
Imagery courtesy of Kazna Asker
Words by Freya Goodchild-Bridge
