GLOBAL YOUNG TALENT 2021: OMAIA JALLAD | MAKING ORGANIC AND NATURAL ONE-OFF DESIGNS

With a huge inspiration by making one off designs that act as a tangible documentation of an intangible narrative, Omaia Jallad is a sustainable designer from Central Saint Martins. She likes to call her designs ‘metaphorical ruins’ that document the past in the present. Omaia who strongly believes that the time where an objects goes through its decaying phase lives outside the human culture and ignores our existence was recently featured in the March issue of the Harper’s Bazaar UK. We had a chance to understand better her approach towards fashion.

What inspired you to get into designing accessories and create one-off designs?

Ever since I got into the design filed, I have made it a mission to document a narrative through every piece I make. I believe accessories is a tangible documentation of an intangible narrative, where my main goal is to use my pieces as a way to narrate a story, where the person holding them ponders over what they are and where they come from. By creating one off designs, I am allowing every piece to have an authentic background, and thus resonating with the wearer on a more personal level, where the piece becomes unique only to the owner. I think accessories are a way to translate stories through a wearable and moveable object, becoming a conversation starter and a way to carry a story with you at all times.

As concept of decay has long been the biggest inspiration in your work, what is it about decay and ruins that is most alluring?

I have always been intrigued with the concept of decay and ruins as a natural documentation of the passage of time. I am fascinated with the change of the aesthetic of an object as it decays, and how nature takes its course, and I as a designer have no control over it. It is a beautiful process that we may not always pay attention to, and yet it is still alluring. It all has to do with time, and our constant yearning for experience of it that goes beyond regular human experience. The time where an objects goes through its decaying phase lives outside the human culture and ignores our existence. Yet, in reality even humans are constantly decaying, where according to Shakespeare “And so, from hour to hour we ripe and ripe, and then, from hour to hour we rot and rot, and thereby hangs a tale”. That is beauty to me.

“I have always been intrigued with the concept of decay and ruins as a natural documentation of the passage of time. I am fascinated with the change of the aesthetic of an object as it decays, and how nature takes its course, and I as a designer have no control over it.”

Could you share more thoughts about your time and experience at Central Saint Martins with us?

Doing my BA Textile Design course at Central Saint Martins has been a wonderful journey, and one that has shaped me as a designer today. It was very hands-on, where we never stopped working. There were some projects where we stayed all day and all night in the studio, and despite the exhaustion we went through, it was definitely the most exciting phase in my life. It taught me a lot about myself, where it unlocked a creative side of me that I have never explored; encouraging me to be more and more experimental with my work. I remember coming in with heaps and heaps of materials, trying to find a way to manipulate them into my designs, there was no beginning and no end to our creativity, and that is something I will hold very dear to my heart.

“I remember coming in with heaps and heaps of materials, trying to find a way to manipulate them into my designs, there was no beginning and no end to our creativity, and that is something I will hold very dear to my heart.”

You call your designs ‘metaphorical ruins’, could you share more about your design philosophy?

When it comes to my design philosophy, I would say my main goal is to create works of art that act as a moveable book, or a metaphorical ruin, which stand the test of time, and remain a documentation of a timeless past, in the present. I usually begin my design process by thinking of a concept that has inspired me, merging different angles together, to narrate an interesting story that is only represented through my work. I also give a lot of focus to my experimentation phase to figure out the best techniques and processes for my designs. I aim to have a reason behind every single step I do, and that is to create a meaningful “ruin” or an object that has a story to tell every step of its way, from design to production. That is the key to my designs. Balancing the manmade with the organic is crucial to my work. Through the manmade part of my designs, I aim to create a ruin, that is a remnant of, and a portal to the past, juxtaposing with the natural part of my designs, which will decay and change in time, acting as a concrete reminder of the passage of time, which becomes a doorway to the future, where the blurred lines between the manmade and the organic embody a set of temporal and historic paradoxes.

How do you balance sustaining old and tradition crafts techniques as well as finding a way to merge the manmade and organic to create a contrast in your work?

The way I look at sustainability goes beyond just the materials I use, where I believe it is also important to recycle old concepts and techniques from the past in a fast-paced, technologically-oriented present. I love mixing different techniques together; weather its knitting on a machine or by hand, and merging them with elements that come from nature. I believe this gives my pieces another dimension, and a different perspective to look at. Alongside, I believe that through the perseverance of memories, I am being sustainable in my use of concept, which acts as my social responsibly to keep a permanent documentation to the things that may seem temporary. Therefore, I try to create harmony between the different elements in my designs, making them feel complete. It is through that, that my concept is brought to life. I am a huge fan of contrasting thicknesses, colours, and materials in my work, as it it gives the work more depth and detail.

“The way I look at sustainability goes beyond just the materials I use, where I believe it is also important to recycle old concepts and techniques from the past in a fast-paced, technologically-oriented present.”

Discover Omaia Jallad's full collection

Words by Katarzyna Korcz