Looking Inward with Rastah

October 25, 2021

Pakistani brand Rastah was founded in 2018 by cousins Zain, Adnan, and Ismail Ahmad. The three envisioned a brand that would not only champion South Asian heritage but also that would inspire others to be the truest version of themselves. Through genderless pieces that exhibit traditional South Asian and Pakistani crafting methods, Rastah allows multi-hyphenate wearers’ personalities and identites to shine loudly and proudly.

Rastah’s latest limited edition “Volume VI” Collection aims to dismantle commonly believed stereotypes about what it means to be human, while also exploring the delicate balance between human emotions such as love and fear. The founders have labeled this iteration as their most intimate collection thus far, and they call on wearers to join them in that conveying of vulnerability.

Interview by Kayla Curtis-Evans
Photos Courtesy of Rastah

“Volume VI” includes an assortment of comfortable garments showcasing traditional hand-block printing and hand-woven recycled yarns. The collection launched October 17th, alongside an exclusive 3D NFT which will launch November 5th.

Read below for office’s full interview with Rastah’s co-founder and creative director, Zain Ahmad.

Rastah was founded by you and your cousins — when did you all decide you wanted to develop a streetwear label?

I graduated from the University of British Columbia and felt a disconnect with my surroundings in Vancouver. I knew there was more for me out there and fashion was a big interest. I had no formal education in the field, mind you. This is where I also saw a severe lack of representation for South Asians and Pakistanis in general within Western fashion markets. The connotations associated with these regions were always negative. On one of my trips back to Pakistan, I realized the potential of incorporating artisanship with streetwear and a contemporary design language. Nobody was doing it, and in fact, in the beginning, we were pretty much laughed off. Deep down I knew that we’d be paving way for a completely different segment of fashion in Pakistan and that’s exactly what’s happening now. Rastah has tons of imitators within Pakistan that only serve to solidify and validate everything that we’ve done so far. Ismail comes from a marketing background and back in 2018 when the idea was first conceived, I convinced him to join me in this venture. Adnan, having a strong business and finance-oriented background, joined us at the tail end of 2018 as well.

How does Rastah reinterpret South Asian heritage through the designs and collections you put out?

Each collection is strongly narrative-based. In the more recent collections, it has been focused on emotions and connecting with my inner self. These collections serve as a conversation piece with myself that I can then put out to the world in a safe way without having to disclose too much. The collections are actually designed with me writing out a few pages of how I feel and turning those pages into a story of sorts. Then comes the whole design process with the sketches and fabrication. I need to be able to feel what I feel and have it play out like a story. Heritage and artisanship serve as a medium for these conversations to take place. For example, we will sometimes use historical motifs and artisanal techniques, like block printing and hand weaving, in completely new ways. We recently made a jacket with a very contemporary silhouette using handwoven fabric that otherwise would only be used for throws and blankets, so a lot of stuff like that.

Why is it important to you to source and craft your pieces all in Pakistan?

Put simply, the world has a very bad image of “Made in Pakistan,” and we want to change that. We want “Made in Pakistan'' to stand just as tall. And being a Pakistani there’s a bit of nationalistic pride there as well. I feel like I owe it to my country, and more so to the craftsmen of this country, that deserve to be recognized.

What led to Rastah’s garments being genderless?

I've always felt clothing and fashion, in general, should be about having fun and expressing yourself. To me, playing within predetermined old-age rules just simply doesn’t make sense!

You’ve said that this collection is your most intimate so far, as it draws upon personal struggles with identity and relationships. How do you interpret your own identity and how does it translate into this collection?

The truth is that I haven't interpreted my own identity, and that's exactly what this collection is about — a sort of dance between love and fear, and what comes of it. The juxtaposition of the two, of sorts. What would that dance look like? How would it feel? This collection is not about answers; it's about asking the right questions, and being okay with imperfect answers.

What is the feeling you want this collection to evoke from the people wearing it?

A whole lot of self-reflection and a desire to look inward. I want people to understand why we do what we do — and to be okay with not having shit figured out. [I want people] to be okay with the person in the mirror at that very moment. Life’s an ever-changing process.

Can you tell me a bit more about the NFT that is launching along with this collection and where the will proceeds be donated?

The NFT is a digital art piece in collaboration with a Pakistan-based design studio called DMT Labs. It features a character wearing a piece of 1/1 Rastah clothing. Whoever wins the auction for the NFT also gets the 1/1 outfit and a portion of proceeds will go to artisans that work with Rastah.

What is your favorite piece from this collection and why?

Probably the recycled handwoven jacket. The colors depict a noise and the choice of yarn is textured as well. The idea was to create something that could exude feelings of layered complexity. The silk smocked top is also another favorite.

You’ve been labeled before as ‘the next generation of streetwear.’ Do you plan to continue creating in that lane in the future or will new collections delve into other types of fashion?

I actually am trying to move away from the streetwear label. That's what we were initially being described as by people so I decided to just run with it! However, if you really study the brand you can tell by the type of silhouettes we are creating that it's not just streetwear. Furthermore, as fashion continues to evolve, so do definitions of streetwear. Streetwear 20 years ago is very different from what it is now, and who knows what it will be 10 years from now! The intersection of luxury and streetwear is very interesting to me as well.

View photos from Rastah’s “Volume VI” collection below.

Fashion

Happy 424 Day!

Simon Rasmussen — What's going on?

Guillermo Andrade — Right now we're just setting everything up.

So, what are you doing, is it a party?

Well, I kind of felt universally forced, right? Because 4/24/24, I was just like, I don’t really have a choice here. The stars also just kind of aligned, so to be honest, I got this settlement that came with a bunch of clothes so I had this idea to give back to the kids who fuck with us by allowing them to buy our shit first. Not handing stuff out for free, but to do it in a way where we could skip the middleman of the industry, so to speak, and not allow clothes to disappear into the abyss of Farfetch or whatever else. So what we’re going to do is a sort of warehouse sale, which we’ve never done before so that was really exciting for me. I didn’t want to do just another warehouse sale, so it’s like a sample sale turns rager. We teamed up with Adidas and a couple of other sponsors, then drinks, DJs, and a performance.

Sick, I love it.

Yeah. My dream sample sale. Also, it’s not just hoodies and t-shirts here in there, it’s proper collections from the past three seasons. I’m also not picking and choosing, trying to make it accessible, like this was the only way I could afford to buy shit when I was a kid, bro. Sample sales were the thing I looked forward to the most.

I feel you. In New York, there's the annual CDG sale, which is when I used to cop all my CDG.

The only time I could afford Rick. I flew to New York once for a Rick sample sale and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I got invited. And it was mental. I still have those pieces. I will never sell them. Not even because I got 'em cheap. It was also just really fun. Even on the flight to New York, I was like, I can't believe I'm going to New York for a sample sale, what a fucking loser I am. But it was like the adult version of when I was a kid and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I'm 20-something and I'm still doing the thing I was doing in high school. So I hope we can create moments like that for kids here in LA.

Yeah. I love that. It’s important to connect with them; they’re essentially creating the brand. If you don't have them, good luck.

I mean, yeah. Fuck, bro. It's cool that we've been around for this long. I mean, it got a little rocky there for a second I think, for all of us. So coming out of it, tomorrow is a celebration. And it’s like an odd day of the week. It's a Wednesday, super random. And now that we've set it up, the homies are all like, Yo, I'm coming. I'm coming. Let me jump on stage, let me do this, and that's really what it's always been about. It's not some other strategy to get likes on the internet.

That’s how the best things happen, you just couldn’t help yourself. It was intuitive.

Yeah, it all came together in a really nice way.

Would you say that’s how 424 started as well? I remember we met in like 2010 on Fairfax and I was visiting with Rasmus…

Oh bro, it’s probably the time when I started the branch… do you remember Cecilia from Black Dakini? She’s the one that introduced me to CIFF and honestly, I didn’t even care what she was doing, I was just like, I’m coming, I’ll go with you. She said she’d give me half of her booth and I said, Awesome count me in. At the time, I had just gotten my green card and I wasn't allowed to ever leave America, so Copenhagen was one of the first cities I went to when I could finally travel. I mean, you see what we did at CIFF bro? It became our fucking hub for half a decade.

That was a moment for sure.

I remember the first account I got was Antonioli, and he came super gangster, being like, You're going to sell me these clothes. And I was like, bro, I didn't come to sell clothes. I'm just kind of catching a vibe with my homie and I made these things. And he's like, No, you're going to sell it to me. And then I was like, Oh my god that’s Claudio Antonioli. So then I went home, I googled wholesale, and figured that shit out. [laughs]

[Laughs]

Like you said, I couldn't help myself, but I didn't just make t-shirts and hoodies either. I was really on my Rick wave, so I made my version of the Rick things. It was that meets like The Boondock Saints, because I'm still a little bit of a Cali bro, sort of rock kid, but not really. I like hip-hop, but I like the way the rock stars look. I like the contrast. I thought it was cool. After that, I just never stopped.

It was clear to me when I first met you that you were onto your own thing in LA. It made a lot of sense, and it was so cool. It was before 424 was its own brand; you just had the store and this really cool curation.

It was all my shit, bro. I was very, very invested in sharing all of these things that I was finding from all over the world, like Astrid Anderson. She was one of those designers at the time, so important to 424. The connection to Copenhagen specifically for me was huge. I had a big fan base there. It was incredible. And then here in LA, we were sharing the things that we were a part of and finding; it was still the early days of Fear of God, Rhude, Martine Rose. A lot of these brands, we were the first store to ever sell it — we were selling Hood By Air on the West Coast.

You had Rick as well, I remember.

Oh yeah. It took me a long time. But I got Rick, bro. By the time I had to close the store on Fairfax, I already had a Raf Simons account. I had reached my ultimate dream. It was really all the stuff I wanted to wear at the time. It was dope. The best of the best.

We had an office magazine newsstand in there as well.

Oh yeah, we did! I came to visit the one you had, and I was like, Yo, I got to bring this whole fucking thing over here. But yeah, in LA, after two days people forget you exist, but everyone’s been super supportive. We’re all 10 years older now. We've been around forever at this point.

It can be dangerous to take those breaks when you’re figuring shit out, but there’s something very genuine to this comeback you’re having.

Thank you, thank you. We’ve been in and out of those fucking showrooms in Paris for long enough. I've been in and out of these factories for the past 10 years of my life. We had to figure something out. And I think now really diving in, being in Italy full time and being there to develop these products over time, I think that the whole thing just really shows the suppliers respect you more. The people who are making your goods understand why you're making them. And I think now I finally got to the place where I'm not making Italian things, I’m making my clothes, I'm making Cali-centric shit, but with that European technicality and execution. With this Fall / Winter collection, it clicked.

So what’s the vision for the next year? What are you manifesting?

I'm just fucking relentless, bro. This is the way I want to live my life. Now that we are more aligned, more prepared, and have more experience, moving forward it is just more of becoming a fully functioning company that can provide and create opportunities for all of the people around me. We’ve been operating just on instinct for a long time.

Sustaining a business is scary, trust me I know.

Scary as fuck, dog. I just opened a store next to Bottega, bro, and it’s like what am I even doing? You have to just believe in the thing you're doing more than anybody else.

100%, and it seems like that’s what you’re doing.

And fashion’s kind of a competitive sport, as much as people don’t think it is. We can reach a certain level without losing ourselves. My biggest ambition at the moment is to create something that, when you leave one of our neighbors you come into our place you don’t feel that the level has been sacrificed at all. And it’s not easy.

Definitely. I wish I could be there tomorrow.

Thank you, bro. 10 years now. You’ve always shown me so much love. We have to do a booth or have the office part of the next 424 day. Shit let’s do a 424 day in New York.

That would be sick. Let's do it. I'm here. Let’s catch up soon.

Next season’s right around the corner so I’ll see you in Paris.

Yes, see you in Paris and Happy 424 day!

Fashion

Luis De Javier's Puta Takeover

April 25, 2024

Last night with Luis De Javier, guests were overheard confirming this generation's most vital conundrum: “If I’m cunt, I can still be pussy.” “And if you’re pussy, you can still be cunt.” This sentiment echoed throughout the night as we celebrated De Javier’s first-ever streetwear collection, "Puta". We spent seven hours at Ella Funt at a dinner turned party that only he could’ve thrown (co-hosted by emcee). It was too dark for even the most aspiring-to-look-mysterious of us to wear sunglasses inside. Under the semi-oppressive flash of party photographers, we danced as much as the space would allow, drank tequila out of teacups and kissed each other on the cheeks with a vaguely European intimacy. “I’m doing streetwear!” De Javier could be heard exclaiming — whether it be in disbelief or excitement, we couldn’t tell you.

Words and photos by Izzy Capulong

The Spanish-born London-based designer has been well-loved for his genderless tailoring, latex mastery, and overall message of empowerment. Dressing everyone from ravers to A-listers, De Javier’s latest drop pushes his design repertoire to a new level. “While designing for my celebrity clientele and showcasing my creations on the runway has always been my dream,” he notes, “It’s equally important to me that my brand resonates with a wider, more diverse audience.” While this collection’s medium has shifted from corsets to sweatshirts, the classic LDJ avant-garde sensibilities remain. Bikinis and booty shorts are shamelessly emblazoned with “PUTA,” blazers are constructed with ample shoulder padding, and I had my eye on the cheekily-named “Faguette Bag.”

The Puta collection will be available exclusively on emcee.

Fashion

Nadia Lee Cohen Celebrates Paris Texas Launch at the Chateau

To celebrate the launch, Cohen and founder and creative director of Paris Texas, Annamaria Brivio hosted an intimate dinner at the Chateau Marmont pictured below. Arman Naféei entertained guests throughout the evening with a special playlist he curated for the occasion.