Fast Fashion Killed Creativity? With Sandra Rizk

In this episode of Ask The Hood, Reema sits down with Sandra Rizk, founder of SCULPTOR FOUNDATION, to unpack the reality behind fast fashion, copy culture, and the loss of creativity in today’s industry.

From the “Shein effect” to overconsumption, sustainability, Arab futurism, and identity in fashion, this conversation goes beyond clothes. Together, they explore what happens when trends move faster than meaning, why every store suddenly feels the same, and how independent designers, communities, and creatives are paying the price.

This episode is about more than fashion. It’s about identity, power, creativity, and the future of self-expression in a world built on speed.

Is fast fashion killing originality… or are we all part of the cycle?

بهالحلقة من Ask The Hood، قعدنا أنا و Sandra Rizk مؤسسة SCULPTOR FOUNDATION نحكي عن الـ fast fashion، ليش كل البراندات صاروا يشبهوا بعض، وإذا عنجد السرعة والترندات عم يقتلوا الإبداع.

حكينا عن الـ Shein effect، النسخ، الاستدامة، والـ overconsumption… وكمان عن شو يعني تكون creative عربي اليوم وتحاول تعمل شي عنده معنى بهالindustry.

حلقة شوي fashion، شوي identity crisis، وشوي “ليش عم نشتري كل هالقد؟”

ويمكن أهم سؤال:
هل بعد في originality بعالم الموضة… أو كل شي صار copy paste؟

Transcript

intro

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello! Welcome back to Ask the Hold Anarina. Oh maybe. Mana Leon Sandra Razet founded a Cloctor Foundation. Clubter Foundation, Mishba brandy space, creativity zilarub, and the other thing is that we have to be able to do that. So hi Sandra. Hi Do you like this? Do you like the intro?

SPEAKER_02 1:05

I love the intro. I love the intro.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Let's talk.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Let's do it. Okay, guys. Uh Abil Membellish be Sandra. I know Sandra's my mouth bad center.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

And she is one of the most iconic people that I know in Beirut. Piom pyom pyom pyom. She is she is her.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

She is.

unknown 1:35

She is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

So uh Sarah Sandra, she's the first person that I'm hosting asked the hood belieb.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Ah, what?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Oh my god. I was stressed now. God knows.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Let's dig into it. Uh Saraha Sandra, she's the um how I can talk too about fashion. Yeah, boy. So Sandra, let's start. Yeah. Fashion. Clubter foundation.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Alright. Ma anno samune after her. Literally. I never knew that.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Crazy.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Fun fact. My Tata's Tata litter is what? I'm gonna check. Thank you for telling me.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

Hello, if you have a reset.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Yeah, Teta Loris.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

Go go get the air for us. Okay, that's so cute. Damn. Alright. So

who's sandra?

SPEAKER_02 3:18

who is Sandra? Okay. Who's Sandra? Outside of fashion, of course. Okay. So um so outside of fashion, I would like to describe myself as a collector, and not of like physical things, but no, yes. I love collecting you know moments and questions, and you know, basically I love observing. I observe people a lot, how they sit, how they talk, uh how they speak, how they feel safe, and I notice you know silence and how much silence can change a room. I'm a Libra! So I'm very curious about psychology, music, memories, and fashion is just a language I chose to express myself and translate all of these questions I have in a visit like into something visible. So basically, I don't separate life from work. Um, but in a black is an I see it's something beautiful because I hate the kill me to work, you know? Yeah, and what I everything I do is out of these questions. So basically, my whole life is just research, and I love that.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Okay, yeah. So this is Sandra.

SPEAKER_02 4:40

This is Sandura Zamura.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

She's a collector of everything in life. What is Sculptor Foundation? That's like the research of Sculptor Foundation, everything, there's a lot of things political can I say so fashion could be political.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

So la has teaching uh what a Vallashlah is Sadly, clothing decides access.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

So sometimes you don't have a seat on the table because of how on how you look and what you're wearing.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

True.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

So fashion is political. Fashion is a language by itself. People think I have something specific I want to express. It can be a message, it can be your identity, it can be whatever it whatever you want, but whether you like it or not, as well, it's it's you're giving a message out there. You're gonna find you're gonna define this person walking past by you because of how what they're wearing. Fashion is political, it has a power. It you know, you know, it's not that whether you like it or not, it's gonna give out a message.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Do you think that with genocide, the war it's the language fashion?

SPEAKER_02 6:42

There was an interview. There was an interview and sit less than I think she was Indian, she was wearing a traditional sari that was passed down from her grandma.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

And she was interviewing live on TV someone, and because of the colours of her sari, he directly assumed to which political uh party she's with.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

No way.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

So Arifti no facts. In a checkered way, al-Kafi Brasik. You know, it's everything is related.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

Literally. You know the hidden messages.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

Let's go back to kings and queens and in the medieval eras, you know, the only person who was allowed to wear purple was the king.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

The only person was allowed to wear I think it was the uh most expensive colour. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Purple was invented in Lebanon. Oh no.

unknown 8:13

Ah, I never knew that.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

Tunisians.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Alright.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

Hello. Soundation's Clopter Foundation. Can you please tell us what is Sculptor Foundation and what the moment made you create Sclopter Foundation?

SPEAKER_02 8:37

So the moment it's related to when I realized the power of fashion, basically.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

Aimata Kenit?

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Uh that was in 2014.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

I was 14. And something in Loranged. It's a very strong, powerful message, as we said. But to get more into it, you know, more research, more and more and more and more. As I said also previously, you know, I'm all about questioning and seeing and observing. Fashion, the industry. The fashion industry is so chaotic. The fashion industry is the number one most polluted industry in the world. Okay, transportation combined, yeah, air, uh, metros, buses, train, no, no, no, no, bad akhra. This made me like question more and more and more and more. And then uh you know, it wasn't just one dramatic situation that made me like think about scotter. It's like a bunch of research that I've done. And no one can live without something. But most of the identity is so important. This is what made me like get into fashion. And I chose it as a language for me to translate these messages. My wife has said I had a calling. Yeah. It was like a calling, you know, and oh my god, maybe that was that's what a lumbaur brasik, but the hell mishli, ala akid, but you know, the more you raise awareness, the more maybe we can have make a change. True. And the first step I personally took is that I stopped buying anything fast fashion.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

I mata akhmary fast fashion. 14?

SPEAKER_02 10:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

Bro, you were a kid. I was a kid. There's a kid with the ifta business and a bus with the bea. You had a vision, a mission, everything in your head already.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

And sculptor started in 2016.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Um sculptor because can it be Florence or Hatal Museum, like the Statue of David or Kal Harakit? There was the tour guide who was talking about Michelangelo and he said a quote word per word, but the basic context of it was that Michelangelo can he never saw, he never sketched before doing a statue. He always saw the person inside of it and he sculpted it to let it free.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

What?

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Fa I was like, damn, this is not just what a sculptor is, this is what artists are in general. True. You know, like you want the message itself to be free. So you you know, kilohat under their own mediums or how to get it. So this is how sculptor, I chose sculptor as a as a name of the brand.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

So you're a storyteller, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

We have a lot. As I said, the fashion industry is the first post-polluted industry in the world. So, we saw all the shapes, all the colours. So, you know, we have so Anna, I'm I'm not I'm not selling you clothes, I'm selling you messages. So that's the thing. And I have something for sculptor is arthake. It's our personal uh code, it's a mixture of Latin, Phoenician, and Arabic typographies together because this is Liban, this is how we talk. Um combining all of these, I created our own code, Ismo arthake. Um translated the art of talking for people, for people, for the foreigners, uh and uh you can see arthake in my pieces and in where we are living in such a fast paced life, generation talking about it. I want to force people to take a moment and decode what I'm saying. Uh, it's either in our artworks, in the blog, uh website coming soon. And the pieces, actual pieces where we do that. Like if we saw Tara, she's a Palestinian-Italian singer, uh, for her Miami uh festival outfit. Literally her pants were they had stripes all over with the attack code, and if someone took the time and deciphered them, there was seven affirmations.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Yeah. She's actually wearing her affirmations.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Oh wow! I'm not gonna buff her that she's interesting. Why was it important for you to create a space for Arab creators or like customers or like for Arabs in general? They inspired by our region.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

I think that's the best compliment.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Like an Asian, it looks like a Middle Eastern person made them. I think you also have the cherubna thing. Yeah, that's the um uh you create a space for people to like to wear your your to to talk about their stories. It's a lot. It's it's it's a space, it's like literally girlhood and asthmahood. Yes, with fashion.

SPEAKER_05 15:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

So um tell us you know how you start doing something because you suffered from it. Yeah. So you want to try to solve it, but then if it's here, something bigger than it is. Basically hexar. And no behind the scenes, so like office bit, whatever. I've moved 26 times. Uh one more time more than my age. Which is crazy. And I've never felt seen. In Italy, Italy, and then k tirab in general, khust in these industries. And you will find them, but they're basically in meds, engineering or something, which is not wrong, but being me, you know, like studying fashion, and I really wanted fashion. Yeah, I studied fashion in Milano.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

Um so yeah, you know, literally can train station, but I wanted a community so bad, because you know, a ballad map in a rare language, okay, we're still in the Mediterranean, but you know, still there's differences, yeah. You starve, you're thirsty to talk to someone that you can relate to, that you can maybe build something together, to collab on things, to be creative together, you know, to translate all of these questions you both have in your minds, no, you can't. And the things you felt for you know took for granted because I talk about this in my episode.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

It's it's hard. It's not true.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

Take it for granted that it's gonna be baladic.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

I started doing Cherufna because this is something I wanted. Cherrafna is a docuseries that we have um made from it's our community of sculptor. Uh Sculptor Foundation is a fashion house, but it's more than that, it's community-based, and it's as we said, as we talked about everything, our stories and concepts translated into clothes because you know in tahal ampt the outfit because you feel like you are the fighter at this moment.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

True.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

Because we have an outfit that's about the fighter collection. For example, like that's an example. So Charafna is our little docuseries where we interview Arab artists around the world um and their spaces and how do they interact with their space in order to create a borderless community of all these creative beings out there. So, whether you are an emerging artist or an established artist, we want you. Please join the community. Talk about your story. And now hala, when the website will finish very soon. So uh yeah, hala. And on the website, we're gonna have a specific section for Chadrafna. So if you're for example, going now to Canada, let's say, you can go to the website Canada and you're gonna have all the artists and their contact in order if you wanna like collab together. No, you know, if you wanna so heck it, and we're creating a borderless community.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

Do you ever feel like the fashion industry wanted a version of Arab identity instead of the real one?

SPEAKER_02 19:34

Yes. Wow explained. There's a fascination with the visual poetry, uh, embroidery, calligraphy, nostalgia, but discomfort when the conversation includes history, anger, or contradictions. Sometimes the industry wants symbolism without the reality itself, aesthetics without an agency. So no, I think I don't want to elaborate more than that. Like respond so easily because this is this is this is my life goal. I mean you know, this is what I'm working towards. Uh they just want the aesthetic without the real conversation behind it.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

People love taking us in the mood board true, true in films, in movies, and fashion, accessories, by the way, a lot.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

A lot.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

Okay, last question be aware. What parts of your identity shaped your design language the most? I'm so excited when I wrote this question. I know guys, I mean I'm uh I know episode Sandra is guys, I don't know what Sandrayati We were in and all my friends. And I don't know Sandra, I just know your name. That's my hiatus. She's bold full on accessories from head to toe, makeup on point, lip red lipsticks, I guess. Can I be few?

SPEAKER_03 21:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

Outfit to kimono flowy hair can be. I think it's up to a canet. A kid. Yeah. Halla. Mamisky fan, it was Dina Saifkin. But she's a main character of the moment. And I'm not going to be a little bit. I don't know. Who is she, guys? Bro, too much of Tassandra, but literally main character moment. I I love I love. What part of your identity shaped your design language the most?

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Right. Okay. So living between worlds shaped everything. So I know the feeling of being both visible but at the same time misunderstood at the same time created a constant tension. And my work comes from that. Softness mixed with resistance, vulnerability mixed with strength. I design from this emotional duality rather than designing based on trans.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

Okay. So you don't have anything that it's trend until you have um Al Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 23:30

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Into your your clothes or it's clapped to uh Timeless capsule. Ah made the ool. I'm serious. I'm serious. Someone who loves fashion, loves you know you can see it in guys Sandra Jabatli and Shwatki So Anjara Mbehki, you don't have any it's timeless. Thank you. You know the pants in the pants that you gave me be sculpture. I can lit is a dirbalier. I can give it to my kids.

SPEAKER_02 24:13

Please.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Lifty. And no, it's it's time this time. I swear.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

I swear.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Exactly. Even the fabric, by the way.

unknown 24:35

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 24:36

Wow.

unknown 24:44

Fabrics.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

Fabrics. Why have actually a series what the fibre? Where I'm talking basal fabrics. And fibers. Okay. So from the raw, raw, raw material, starting from that, it's something very important. And I feel this should be taught in school for kids in kindergarten. Because it's a good idea. Two curtains, ma'am. It's something very, very, very crucial to understand, and every single person on earth should know these. Because whether you like it or not, life is also something more spiritual. Everything is about frequencies in life. And a human body itself has a constant frequential.

unknown 25:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

And a human body fully naked, is half frequency, which is I think 111 hertz. Don't based your facts on me. But if you wear polyester, your frequency is bins.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Really?

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

Why?

SPEAKER_02 26:13

Because it's uh it's synthetic based out of oil. And it has very low frequencies. Oh. Yes. If you wear cotton, it remains the same. If you wear linen.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

But Skyman is giving energy.

SPEAKER_02 26:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:34

And El-Buslam has hali in all. I'm the queen of the summer.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

There's a medical study if you don't, if you're not a like frequency believer, which is judging my hood. I'm not judging. I'm raising awareness.

SPEAKER_06 26:56

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Not everyone is born with all the information. True. At some point we're all ignorant. True. Anyway, so there was a medical study. Chef, okay. No soon they wore polyester underwear, no satene cotton underwear. The polyester people have polyester underwear. So infertile.

SPEAKER_06 27:23

Oh.

unknown 27:23

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 27:24

How delicate. You see how much fibers affect you?

SPEAKER_01 27:30

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Arrest my case! Not me now going to my closet and literally I have polyester.

SPEAKER_02 27:38

Yeah, thank you. Please do that. I did that in 2016.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Oh my god. Yep. Okay. Hello, I let me know your story. Last year. A little bit of stuff about Sculptor Foundation. I still wanna know exactly Sculptor Foundation. It is a brand or a movement. Wait. That's a belmate. Okay. I know for a fact you're gonna say it's both.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Duh.

unknown 28:24

True.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

But I'm gonna I'm gonna put it on a more business mind. I don't know if it's gonna sound shitty or not, but I'm gonna say it anyway.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

Joe.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

Okay, your items they're not cheap at all. Like for not for everyone. But at the same time, okay, I'm talking about. But at the same time, movement should be for everyone.

SPEAKER_02 28:57

Elaborate on this contradiction. So yes, we are creating a safe platform for dialogue using you know with sculptor. And I am using and our main thing for sculpture foundation is it being a fashion label. But I am not everything we make is in-house.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

The fabrics we use are either dead stock fabric from uh suffering fashion shops in Lebanon. Uh that from this collection now that we're gonna sell first. Kilil fabrics that I'm using are from the shops during uh badl az mebadl harmless. These shops were literally screaming for help. And it this is when I decided okay, so this created very limited pieces.

SPEAKER_06 30:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 30:18

And the fact that we are doing everything in-house, so we're gonna factor t-shirt we have in-house tailor.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 30:31

We do everything, all the prototypes, all the fabric manipulation, uh, sewing, cutting, everything studio. Okay. So everything has a price. And the tailors have their own price. You know what I'm saying? And the thing is it's literally you're buying art.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 31:02

This is why my prices are what they are. This is why it's a high-end luxury fashion brand.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

So it is a high-end luxury brand.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 31:13

Because I'm not here to mass produce.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

Okay. I'm here for a mass product.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

Understand and want to be part of it and want to actually wear what they think and what they truly feel like they are.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

When we talk about when when mass-produce or like fast fashion, like uh this this these terms. Literally I said with the But can be a fashion designer be a fast fashion.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

A designer like me do mass production as dick. Of course they can. So, you know, true.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

True, true, true.

SPEAKER_02 32:32

Anna, knowing my values, believing in them, and trying as much as I can to prioritize them, I decided to take my brand to this direction. We've seen everything. A kid.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

Okay. But something you believe in.

SPEAKER_02 32:53

I believe in it, and I hope one day that's the mainstream. I hope. Let's just start.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

I hope, but at the same time, I don't want it to happen. I know it's gonna sound bad. So it's accessible to everyone. But at the same time, Sculpture Foundation, Salima Azza, I'm Indianese designers. Our Sarah's bag, ow, my favourites, nightcomers, um, but it's a wow. But I don't know. It's a black pants. But I'll demonstrate, by the way. Just saying.

SPEAKER_02 34:10

I don't want it to be a trend. It's not giving access for the new designers to bloom. Had the mainstream.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

Okay, that's when we're talking about the the the episode.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:30

You said something. I was like, okay, we're gonna put it on the question because I really want to know. Masan Zara, for example, fashion shows and they take the ideas of the designers and they do it as a fashion.

SPEAKER_00 34:47

Cheaper. Cheaper.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

Yeah. Where's the copyright? What's happening? How this is legal. Is it legal or ethical unethical?

SPEAKER_02 35:00

It's just unethical.

SPEAKER_01 35:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 35:02

It's a msajlina al hidl outfit as a patent company to sue if you copied it.

SPEAKER_01 35:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

But say it's an actual job. So basically that's their job. They go, they study what's new because you know the majority of the population is not the clients of these big brands that we know and love, like Prada, you know, like Gucci, whatever. So in order to hamsal ala mistru fast fashion, they try to replicate what the actual people want, and you know whether you like it or not, whatever you wear gives a message. So they wanna give the message and know they are with Prada or with Gucci or with whatever. And they wear what those fashion fashion provide, you know, copying what the others did. It's not illegal, but obviously it's it kills it kills the designer that actually made this, you know, it kills originality, it kills the creativity. The designer will ekhe's gonna just feel anger and frustration and what the fuck? What the fuck? I'll add thinking of this collection, doing my research, going, data research, and ten times more cheaper. The fuck go get something else. It kills it kills the designers, and it and this is what's stopping new designers to bloom as well, other than the fact that in fast fashion, powerful. They're everywhere. They're everywhere, everywhere you go. There's maujudin.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

Do you think luxury brands are fast fashion? Like Prada?

SPEAKER_02 37:08

They're not fast fashion, they're just massive produced. We're talking about their couture part. No, I'm talking like they're ready to ready, yeah. They're ready to wear, eh, they're massive produced. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

So it's the same, same. What does Arab futurism mean to you?

SPEAKER_02 37:34

It's basically imagining ourselves beyond the survival narratives. It's placing Arabs identity, Arab identity, future in a future where we are innovators, we are dreamers, we're storytellers, and not only subjects of nostalgia and conflict. And it's basically us reclaiming our imagination, you know, reclaiming we just have to twist the narratives.

SPEAKER_01 38:22

Stereotypes are the time. Type my favorite question.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

Do you feel art designers are sometimes forced to explain themselves to the West?

SPEAKER_02 38:40

Always. Always, always, always. We've been culturally colonized a lot, and this is the main reason why we have to always explain and talk. Um and it you design a collection, okay, but you know, you always have to contextualize history, politics, and you know, and your identity in order for it to be understood. But France or Italy, have their story, have their history, have their identity, have seen their pop culture, have she. So, okay, I'm not sure. Yeah, yeah. You know, us la we're not internationally known. Um sadly, but now I've now we're feeling the change. It's been a couple of years, yeah. It's been two to three years, akhtarke, where we are taking back a seat in the international table.

SPEAKER_01 39:54

What I think that the Lebanese designers they'll know they're known actually. They're known?

SPEAKER_03 40:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:05

Anna when I did, where's my book? My graph project. Fashion is the representation of personality for a purpose. And this simple definition of fashion. Most people understand the meaning of fashion, but do not usually think about the three main parts of fashion. This is the introduction, by the way. Fashion is a way to show an idea. The idea is your personality. People's personality change depending on what they are doing to understand fashion better. It's a good idea to start with an idea of personality. In other words, fashion is someone's own story through threads and fabrics.

SPEAKER_02 40:52

It's actually a caliber.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

So uh Kina and how fast fashion they're copying designers.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 41:02

But when was the first time you noticed that? Well about shuffle, like unreal.

SPEAKER_02 41:07

Um la yeah, as I said, you know at 14, well had a kid for 14, 15, 16, it was my research phase in life. But I show you know the brands that I admire, like Alexander McQueen, um, Octav San Prada, Vivian Westwood, uh Balmau, Nananao, Ninye. But then I think it was in 2016 when HM and Balmain did the collab. I guess. One L T wait, what? Le Shuf? Mahomet. But then Rashad and Wait V Osa Sambisir, and no, basically it's all algorithm. Fast fashion they they they they they buy and the datas to know what people like, what people don't like in order to do things. And that's why even between the fast fashion brands, similarities.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Nothing.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

No, temu, tatau.

SPEAKER_01 42:15

Like itimo, I love their home decoration.

SPEAKER_02 42:20

Okay. When we're talking product design as well. I know. This orange iconic lamp.

SPEAKER_01 42:26

I think we only left somewhere.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

It's uh Italian brand that made it.

SPEAKER_01 42:36

Oh for seven dollars.

SPEAKER_02 42:37

And all the chops, you know, those those brands they study really well the customer. That's why marketing is so important. Because you know, basically it's all algorithm at the end of the day. True. You know? Yeah. So everything becomes difficult. So I had so much time to do my own thing. Ukamina, please. You buy fast fashion because of the budget. There's so many other ways to get stuff without encouraging fast fashion. You can thrift, you can take the outfits of your mother, you can take outfits from the brother's friends. Literally, I'm not sure if you're not going to be able to get a little but we want like a new clothes. Zamya and get statement pieces that will take you far away. And it's a headed top and Zara. Zara halla manamitiz Zara from the nineties.

SPEAKER_01 44:09

No.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Zara from the nineties, it can stay with you till now. Because the quality and the way they were iconic by the way. They were different. They were different. They didn't have social media back then to copy things, you know. And to understand their customers and to the na na na. Nowadays, you buy a t-shirt from Zara, le faratit. So I'm all halak and no fakirfiya.

SPEAKER_01 44:46

Do you think if this happened, the highball chance? InshaAllah it up.

SPEAKER_02 44:53

InshaAllah. You know, everyone has a different path. Why are we all copying each other's style? If everyone has a different path and a different life. But make it you. Make it you.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

Of course, yeah, salal. So people can do their own clothes and understand and stop doing this.

SPEAKER_02 45:40

Yeah it, yeah it. Yeah, it and yet we are losing, we are losing this art.

SPEAKER_01 45:49

True. Kill teta, they know how to do it.

SPEAKER_02 45:58

Because we're so we're so distracted with other things that happened. Your phone is a manu mac um. Your phone is always with you.

SPEAKER_01 46:11

So, electron!

SPEAKER_02 46:18

And no, we're so constantly distracted, and this is making us losing our identity. Let's say TikTok, okay? TikTok at the end of algorithm, and you're forgetting the other people that might maybe inspire you and give you more info. You know, I'm not uninterested, sadly, the new generation they're not tolerating other people. Because of that, because they're stuck in fakin and no uh, fakin'. Where's the debate with the other people's perspective? You shouldn't hate them, you shouldn't keep it. Listen to them. Have a debate, talk. Maybe they can inspire you, maybe you can inspire them.

SPEAKER_01 47:26

True.

SPEAKER_02 47:26

You know?

SPEAKER_01 47:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:28

Mark Yusuna.

SPEAKER_01 47:31

So why do you think source suddenly looks the same?

SPEAKER_02 47:34

Algorithm.

SPEAKER_01 47:35

Algorithm.

SPEAKER_02 47:39

Because they're collecting your data, they know what you like, and they're giving you what you like because they want to sell and want to make money. Punto.

SPEAKER_01 47:45

But it's how trends are trying to do it.

SPEAKER_02 47:50

This is this is yeah, this is this is normal. This is cycling, and it this is a cycle. Kilmar trend becomes 20 years before.

SPEAKER_01 48:11

It's Y2K.

SPEAKER_02 48:15

She starts on New Year. 2026 is the new 2016.

SPEAKER_01 48:19

So, we're going to be able to do that. The trend would trend abil trend. Does it make sense?

SPEAKER_02 49:03

The people who are ignoring the trends are creating something new, and that eventually will be the trend later on of the people who are doing something new now.

SPEAKER_01 49:12

Bira. What happens behind the scenes when a big brand copies something?

SPEAKER_02 49:20

Nothing is visible to the public.

SPEAKER_00 49:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 49:24

You know, you won't see it. But Anna, for example, I know someone who suffered from that. Uh, personally, that independent designer will just feel frustration and anger, and you know, they will obviously if they're gonna like take legal action, they will lose it because of you know, like it's it's you know, you know, the big, big man with the small machine, badu talia, badu heda. You know, obviously the big man with all the money and resources in the world is gonna win the case, you know. You know, there's and okay, if you're so healed in life, you might take it as you know a uh a nice uh it is a comp compliment.

SPEAKER_01 50:07

Compliment.

SPEAKER_02 50:08

Okay, a nice compliment. Bravo. But she and it might lead for that independent designer to lose a bit of motivation to continue.

SPEAKER_01 50:27

True.

SPEAKER_02 50:28

So nothing is visible to the public, what happens, yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:36

Oh no way designer to designer or like a fast fashion?

SPEAKER_02 50:41

No, design to designer.

SPEAKER_01 50:43

That's bad. And for me, it's sadder more.

SPEAKER_02 50:48

Because I took it as a compliment.

SPEAKER_01 50:50

Haters gonna hate.

SPEAKER_02 50:52

But you know, you gotta think and uh They're fans. At least an hadal ne facility.

SPEAKER_01 51:02

Two. You know are we addicted to cheap fashion?

SPEAKER_02 51:08

Sadly, in this fast-paced world, we are.

SPEAKER_01 51:12

Like it is, yani. Sadly, ana lahalla, ma'am. You're gonna judge me. I still buy fast fashion. Why? Why? Easier. It's full. But sometimes with the issue, with the top. It's not easier.

SPEAKER_02 51:40

It's cheap, it's easier.

SPEAKER_01 51:41

It's cheaper, but it's not easier. Thrift, you have to dig in. Oh, I'm not dick. Fast fashion, it's footy, you know, exactly. I love her stuff, but I'm not sure I'm gonna find my size or the thing that I'm gonna find. So and for me, it's not addicted, it's more of easier.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

Like if I was fashioned, it's it's been something they've been propaganding a lot. A lot. The fact that they have locations everywhere and super accessible and it's super heke, it's easy. No, no, no, those are things. Whether you like it or not, they played with our minds with these things. That may soon martial.

SPEAKER_01 52:52

It's easier.

SPEAKER_02 52:53

And if you're easier, but I love thrift.

SPEAKER_01 53:01

I love thrift. I love fashion.

SPEAKER_02 53:08

I love there's other ways to love thrift.

SPEAKER_01 53:13

I know, but again, if I'm having a last minute uh shopping, it's easier for me to do go to the mall.

SPEAKER_02 53:22

But I'm not gonna say, new outfit.

SPEAKER_01 53:28

I will stop this, and you know that. I know you stopped this.

SPEAKER_02 53:31

It's you stopped this, yeah. I'm still listening.

SPEAKER_01 53:36

I believe I was uh because it was I it's a therapy thing, and the only thing that I can control is buying stuff. So uh I was buying, buying, buying, buying, buying the whole time until my own. If I stopped, I was like, Rima, what the hell are you doing? You're not even wearing what you have. I watched a Netflix show. It's talking about a diagram. That scares the shit out of me if I stopped. If I had a new outfit.

SPEAKER_02 54:26

This brand itself. Not even an outfit. Oh my god, anything, but the hala, you know? Yeah, that's tough.

SPEAKER_01 54:54

Um no I'm I'm I'm free! You're free! Woo! You're free and sadly. It feels good by the way. I'm addicted to shopping. It was my three. Shopping is therapy for me. What taken? Halasbam sa calmasari, but for ishi, I'm gonna regret it after. But took me forever. Oh my god, it was hard. It is hard. It was so hard. It is hard. I just want to buy. Okay, I have a question.

SPEAKER_02 55:58

Wow, fashion police, EM Fashion TV, not e can be e entertainment.

SPEAKER_01 56:04

Do brands like Zara still design anything or just follow the internet?

SPEAKER_02 56:15

It's strategical design on Zara. As I said, they collect data, they their product is you basically, the customer.

SPEAKER_01 56:30

But they have uh touch anything. This is Zara. Okay, fruit.

SPEAKER_02 56:45

No they study what succeeds online and they do it because at the end, okay. Basically that's it. So this is about it's less about innovation but more about acceleration.

SPEAKER_01 57:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 57:03

Oh, hello.

SPEAKER_01 57:04

I love Rush. Oh, I'm a poet. Is fast fashion creative or just fast copying? Or do you think they're creative in the way they're copying?

SPEAKER_02 57:15

Yeah, basically. Their imagin imagination is based on copying. Sorry, come collection, 36. Who the fuck? Calm down. That's why it's easier, as you said right now, for you to go get this at their head. You know?

SPEAKER_01 58:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:10

Because they always have something new.

SPEAKER_01 58:13

Naturally. But the official daily China with fast fashion and Xin. But if you dig into the Chinese fashion, their own brands, iconic. Sure. You never been to bro.

SPEAKER_02 58:35

I've never been a well sentient China here.

SPEAKER_01 58:39

You're gonna love their fashion industry as a Chinese between each other, like the Chinese brands.

SPEAKER_02 58:46

They give us the crap and they have the best quality. Yeah, and that's why we outside of China have this mentality.

SPEAKER_01 58:54

I did this when they did their Chinese collection.

SPEAKER_02 59:01

I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

The whole collection is insane. As uh, there are a bottom stereotype Chinese China, fast fashion, doesn't it? As Chinese.

SPEAKER_02 59:15

Most of the fast fashion masha on, by the way, it's in Vietnam or in wherever. Hello.

SPEAKER_01 59:22

Even Vietnamese people. Wow. Their brands? Iconic. Their own brands.

SPEAKER_02 59:31

But that's you see, this is the thing. Awareness, awareness, mafia awareness. People are just ignorant. Sometimes it's a bliss. Sometimes it's a curse.

SPEAKER_01 59:48

True. That's why I'm going to Vietnam to show you guys.

SPEAKER_02 59:52

Yeah. Once you make your research, once you start taking your time to read more, have more awareness, we have to do this. Literally lay enough. Too much. Baby, calm down. Calm down.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:33

Okay. This is a very real question. Fal Nafred Sculpture Foundation, inshallah, inshallah, inshallah, inshallah, inshallah, inshallah. Hasi a lot of orders. A lot, I'm saying a lot of orders.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:47

InshaAllah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:48

Mahat has at some point produced.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:59

Maha am will aktual mean 10 pieces for each size.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:03

La' ad them worldwide.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:10

This is why I'm placing myself as a luxury brand because there's exclusivity in it.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:17

There's a limit.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:25

This is how it should be. That's not my goal.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:33

That's not my goal.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:34

Okay, I love this. I was telling you.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:40

Money might come, money might go. But at the end it's the message that's more we're focusing on.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:48

Okay, khalas na nihkam al Maudi Rafiha. Now we're talking about sustainability.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:58

Yeah, let's go. Let's do it. Drop them questions.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:02

So people say they care about sustainability, but they still shop fast fashion wife, aki Amy. I was just saying this.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:15

Intention and behavior. Intention and behavior don't always align.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:23

Sustainability forces you and asks you to slow down on consumerism. But but but slowness makes people uh feel very uncomfortable in a culture as we said that is now fast, very fast, very, very, very fast. Anal am illi ambatike shift garments. It's not for everyone. It takes strength to pause. That's why not everyone has the guts to meditate. True. Or to pray, by the way. Or to pray. It's the same. Meditation is praying.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:18

Praying is spiritual religion.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you might have the intention to be more sustainable, but sadly it takes a lot of.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:30

It's energy.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:31

It takes gut to say la ru Hayat Ru esan, yeah. But the focus is true. It's easier. Because we're so fast. Slow down. At the end, we're all gonna die. So like away. Enjoy. Take a deep breath. Live the moment.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:06

Take it globally, shop locally, slow down, you're doing fine. That's what is sustainability actually possible in fashion? I'm being I'm being so realistic.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:19

It might be unrealistic. Um but if you work it in a conscious way and take more responsibility, it it is achievable.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:41

In this case, progress is more important than purity. Okay, I love this. For example, sorry. A good way to start is take a moment if you're in Zara, if you're in whatever brand you want to go shop with, take a small moment and see the label care inside the t-shirt. Is it cotton? Is it linen? Is it polyester? Because when you throw it away, garment piles at least let it decompose. Start start here. You know? Start here.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:34

You think the labels?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:53

And the whole garment might be produced in another country. But the fact that the thing is. That's why Anna I'm with total transparency.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:16

Because we never do that. And that's Nope.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:19

And that's why Anna mussirra dal in-house production. Musirra, musirra, musirra. No.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:39

You have ethics. What is that stock and why is it important? Actually, what is that stock? I always like read it everywhere. Even when I was doing my research.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:56

Is unused fabric left behind basically in the production system? So Masalan.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:01

Talk about your thingy town sculpture.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:08

Yeah, that's a perfect example. So when you wanna do a t-shirt, let's say this t-shirt is whatever. Okay, let's let's let's take a very ma so example. But the anna meter ta amul t-shirt. To not waste shit and use it for something else. Anna I use it in my packaging or in those for the denims, for example. I use it to create ribbon and no, I I cut them into stripes, I sew them together, I have a ball of yarn, and I have people, I have them, I have them, I love them and I use it for my pants. The pants uh on the hem of the pants, I'll ajune, and you create a nice effect for the outfit. Uh or you can use it as the ribbon for packaging, or I sew an accessory, or the other, I sew them together into a big patchwork uh fabric, and I use it to wrap my product. You know?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:31

So that stock in big manufacturers is the the ones who didn't mahada is a mahada nanana. Sadly, they throw it away. Ubi piles of garments, while fabrics. So that's why I have, for example, one course of this, one abey of this, one nanan, because there's dead stock, there's no more of it. And I don't want to throw I don't want to lose them and throw them.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:03

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:05

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:05

So that's dead stock.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:08

Do you think overconsumption is a cultural problem now?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:13

You mentioned Masalan shopping addictions.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:16

Yeah. So I love fashion, so it was an addiction at some point. But then I've been through all the phases. I'm still going through all the phases.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:30

And that's normal. You're human at the end, we're all victims of social media, we're all victims of the propaganda, and it's very normal. So consumption becomes a way to cope. True. You know, that's the addiction in it. Emotionally, it fills a gap in your heart for a brief second, you know. True. So it allows buying, chain buying allows yourself to fill in and transform a bit to help, yeah. So it is a cultural problem. We gotta fit fix that void that you have. Instead of putting a very short-term plaster on it.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:19

Do you feel responsibility when representing Arab culture?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:30

Damn. No single designer can represent a culture, uh, but we can contribute you know truth truthful fragments of it. Okay. Um I I know I do feel responsible towards an honest representation, but I also come in, uh don't want the pressure of no misleading someone else's narrative.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:18

Misleading what?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:20

Libnian.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:22

Man do culture, man identity. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:40

True.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:41

Mitan al-Balad colonized us, Mitan Alf Shahle Saudi, na na na na. So we are just like di very, very diverse. We're ajad hub. But no, this is what I mean with you know, no single designer can truly represent a culture.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:03

What stories are missing from global fashion?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:12

We've been like culturally colonized a lot. And Libnan and Arab have been always on mood boards, and we've been told, yeah, others have told our stories. It's wrong, it's Orientalism basically. Um the stories that are missing are the stories told within the culture itself rather than external interpretations.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:41

Drop the mic Okay, so I'll able What does a healed our creative community look like?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:58

Where collaboration replaces scarcity scarcity, sorry, uh where artists don't feel they must compete for limited visibility and for where creativity is driven by curiosity instead of survival.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:26

I love this. You should have uh a line of product as survival. Survival minimum conosal nala echrel up ask the hood. It was I love it, it was so fun, it was so cute. Uh Hekina and fashion and creativity, identity, sustainability, environment, fabrics, fibers, uh can she? Can shear um can my trayar sadly give a piece of fabric that can change a lot and yeah she had a conversation with Faji and there is a hope if it comes to political environment, people, mental, everything. It's just a dress, a shirt, a dynamic, which is crazy. If you can actually kill Masan and the Fiki, but you have a powerful magic magical tool for people to stop buying one thing, and this one thing actually can change a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:10

Whatever is made with synthetic fiber.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:16

Which is 90% of everything. I don't care.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:25

Amori, thank you so much for having me. Um uh Sir Twitter toilet, and stress uh food hella, but no, thank you all Anjad. It's my first time talking and me being again you you're being you and me being uh interviewed and being who I am. I'm very honored and I'm honored to be your first like Lebanese Lebanese.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:54

It's going, it's going I love it. Thank you, thank you for the world. And guys, let us know if you think fast fashion and be like our creativity.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:07

Yeah, yeah, I would love to see other people's perspective on it.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:11

This is my question for the first time. Let's have a debate.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:14

Love you, love you.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:16

See you guys in the next episode.