WRG!QuickPix: Eastern Wonderland
Down the Rabbit hole...in velvets, paisleys and pearls
Photographer: Jessica Jean Adendorff
Designer and Model: Zakkiyyah “Zak” Obaray
Innovation is a rare sight to come upon in art. So often, the inspirations of today have been conceptualised at the feet of the past. Which is not to say that reinventions are not innovative nor inspirational all on their own. The ability to cast out common, cast in novelty, and mould a unique look from different references is unique, resulting in just that; inimitable creations...the kind that only artists can pull off.
An “Eastern Alice meets Wonderland” take on fashion through the delicate velvets, hand cut and hand sewn flowers is one such adventure into an era in fashion that is full of possibility. The era of the “Young Designer”. There haven't been many in our time, most notable being the incomparable Christian Siriano who would be the first to attest to pushing boundaries and playing with colour and fabrics.
Young designer Zakkiyyah “Zak” Obaray plays double dutch as both the model but, more importantly, as the designer of these dreamy looks. Hers is a medley of inspiration, in the case of some of the pieces in this shoot, say, the sari, Manish Malhotra and Elie Saab, would be singled out as pivotal. These pieces showcase the raw talent of the next generation of designers and gives every fashionista something to look forward to out there in the “big bad” world of commercialisation.
Obaray believes in paying heed to a singular focal point, to create the identity of the garment. In this case, that distinct signature was the combination of fabrics.
A sari in midnight velvet with hand made flowers and pearls, whilst paisley prints were the chosen stand out pieces for the lining to create a myriad of colour on the mint green and fuchsia shimmering sari. With each piece being a separate and part of different collections, the depth of creativity within this new era of young designers is definitely not hindered by steadfast rules of antique creations.
For more from our new Trends Editor, Zakkiyyah Obaray, stay tuned to WRG!Trends - you know how we do, only the freshest, the best and the sassiest please and Zak has this in bucket loads...and a good dose of talent to back that up.
Words Compiled by: Sam "Aimee" Remani
Photographer: Jessica Jean
Designer and Model: Zakkiyah "Zak" Obaray
Location: Botanical Gardens, Hatfield Pretoria, South Africa.
