Meet Assil Skaiky: The Sustainable Fashion Designer Creating Glamorous Pieces From Unwanted Clothing
Assil Skaiky is not your ordinary fashion designer. As her work continues to gain traction in the UK, she joined The Davi Magazine to discuss 'Moustadaam', her sustainable clothing brand set to launch in September 2023, the challenges she has faced as a designer, empowering words for those wanting to take the plunge into the industry and everything in between.
Assil, thanks for joining The Davi Magazine. What inspired you to create Moustadaam, the sustainable clothing brand?
Moustadaam’s idea came about when I learnt about the damage fast fashion is causing. It gave me the knowledge of how to do the opposite: creating glamorous bespoke pieces from unwanted clothing.
Growing up, was there anything else you wanted to become? Was being a Fashion Designer and Stylist always the end goal?
At university, I dropped out of dentistry (which was my father’s dream for me) and took Fashion Design instead. I always knew this was the only industry I belonged to. After some time, I took a styling diploma and fast forward to now, I am both a Designer and Stylist.
Sustainability is clearly one of the biggest problems in the fashion industry, which is where Moustadaam comes in. How does ‘Moustadaam’ differ from other fashion brands?
Moustadaam differs from other fashion brands because
"once a piece is made, it is uniquely tailored to the client and will not exist again."
Maybe in a similar colour way or style, however, only if the client enquires about the exact same piece previously as I do not re-create the same concept twice.
How interesting... Are there any designers you look up to?
I adore Schiaparelli’s work. I am very inspired by the corsets and the usage of gold and textiles in her work.
We're hugely inspired by the bold, surrealist style of Schiaparelli, too and can only imagine the challenges she experienced especially after World War II. On the topic of challenges, what are some of the challenges you’ve faced in the fashion industry and how have you managed to overcome them?
The Fashion industry has many challenges, the biggest struggle for me was finding internships/work experience with designers that paid. For a graduate, if they work unpaid it doesn't make sense to live in London while paying for a full-time life.
"I had to learn by myself and do as many part-time internships as possible jumping from one designer to another."
Moreover, Universities let you go without providing the right industry connections, therefore, there were times I struggled to make it.
Do you have any advice for those wanting to take the plunge into the fashion industry to start their entrepreneurial adventure?
I would say fashion is one of the hardest industries, so if you’re looking to get into it, you have to be willing to do unpaid work, work extremely hard and be a people person because it’s not just about your skills, it’s a whole package of communication, motivation, hard work and endless creative thoughts.
A whole package, indeed! Where do you see Moustadaam 20 years from now?
In 20 years, I see Moustadaam in Harrods, Selfridges, on billboards in Piccadilly and at London Fashion Week.
We can only see Moustadaam continuously flourishing and doing all of the above, too! At the Davi Magazine, we love to ask our guests, if you had an opportunity to speak with your younger self to save yourself heartache and pain, what would you tell yourself and why?
If I had to give my younger self some advice I would say to save some money for the projects/ideas you might have separately to general savings because as a creative your ideas constantly change and you may need extra cash fast whether it’s paying for a show that could give you good exposure or extra marketing.
Moustadaam launches in September, 2024.
