Walking through New York Fashion Week presentations and showrooms, you start to get a feel of what most brands and designers are used to working with. There are hot buzzwords. Inspiration and creativity seem to be center stage in most runway shows and showrooms. However, as I made my way up North from Madison Square Park to The Prince George Ballroom in the Flatiron District, I found myself in a different sort of environment, the kind where the designer of the collection about to walk down the runway also served as the DJ. From the clothes to the tunes to the ideology, Rayan Alami had a hand in every aspect of his New York Fashion Week debut. After seeing designer after designer with the same philosophies throughout New York, Alami embodied the name of his debut collection at Fashion Week, “I am Different.”
Using music and culture to blend a unique style
New York Fashion Week is essentially an opportunity to blend art and fashion into one and tell a story through sartorial expression. While designers find inspiration in all walks of life, Alami uses his multicultured heritage and his love of music to blend a style truly unique in the industry. When I sat down with him after his show, I asked how he brought culture to his work.
“In various ways,” Alami says. “I incorporate a lot of the music. I produce all of this music. Of course, in music, there is a lot of culture that flourishes. There are a lot of fabrics from Morroco, like Morrocan denim and Italian leather. And also the ways the models use the clothes and walk in them. All these aspects of culture and harmony come into play to work harmoniously. It is just like the set as a DJ, you pull all of these cultures and sounds to make them work harmoniously together.
Global influence and multiculturalism
The trick for Alami is to take culture from everywhere he has been and bring it into his work. He doesn’t simply use his own Moroccan and Brazilian heritage but wants something relatable to almost anyone in the audience. What we got was a collection that fits in anywhere in the world.
“This brand is a person that is multicultured. The goal of this brand is to be able to identify itself in as much culture as possible. We have Morrocan culture and also Italian. In Japanese silhouettes, and more to come. We want to include French as the brand develops more.” As the brand builds for more looks throughout more fashion weeks in the future, you can expect to see more cultures from around the world represented in new and different ways.
Finding the balance between fitting in and standing out
At the end of the day, we all fight the same battle with our style of expression: We want to fit in, but we want to be seen. Finding that balance between standing out and catching the attention of all those around us comes with the unfortunate side effect of not fitting in with those around us. Of course, there are ways to take your subtle style that fits in and elevate it to stand out, but most guys will often lose themselves in the endeavor. But Alami works to strike that balance and knows how to do both without losing himself in the journey.
“Keeping to your values,” he says about how he accomplishes the goal. “Your core values always close to you is the most important thing. You’re going to have to adapt yourself as you go through your life. A lot of people lose themselves during this process and forget who they are. I think it is very important to keep those core values and adapt yourself to be successful in whatever you do. I knew my inclinations and what I was good at and stuck to those. My parents educated me from their two cultures, and I never forgot those values and never forgot where I came from.”
Whether you are battling with yourself to stand out while still fitting in, trying to find a brand that can represent you and your culture no matter which walk of life from which you originate, or you are simply looking for a new and exciting brand destined to jump to larger stages in future New York Fashion Weeks, Authentic Roz will give you what you need. And, of course, Alami won’t send you out the door without some new original music along with your new sartorial inspiration.
