Hijabtrendz Exclusive: Nzinga Knight
January 26th, 2009
Nzinga Knight is a 27 year old fashion designer based in New York. She started down the fashion path after studying fine arts, graphic design, and art history and ended up working for Marc Jacobs for a period of time.
What’s unique about her is that she has moved on to form her own company and is designing fashion that incorporates women of all backgrounds.
Knight studied fashion at Pratt Institute School for Art and Design where she received her BFA. While studying there she received the CFDA award for design excellence
Knight said being a fashion designer suited her in a holistic way and it was a natural career path.
“I realized that I could create a synergy with what I had learned as a fine artist and my fine art sensibilities with fashion design and that I could create something that would be very relative to my life and enhance the lives of others. So it was a good move.”
Knight is a Muslim woman in a field that needs more women who understand fashion and modesty. But to some, fashion and modesty don’t mix. Knight said that shouldn’t be the case.
“Firstly, God is beautiful and loves beauty. I’m a Muslim woman who is in the fashion industry and there is never anything to reconcile. It’s a synergy. To me the best artists and designers bring who they are as an individual and who they are as an artist into their work, they create something out of those realities. Obviously I don’t agree with the people who say that Muslim women shouldn’t care about fashion.”
The fashion that Knight designs is for women who are seeking fashionable clothing that is modest and exquisite.
“I, like every designer begin with a certain woman in mind. She may often time be like myself, a Muslim, sometimes she is not. I believe that the desire to be modest is a basic part of human nature and is good for all women.”
Knight said that within her designs she is acknowledging that many women want eveningwear that looks good but also covers more than typical eveningwear designs.
“They may want something like a long sleeve, or a design that doesn’t show their cleavage, maybe they want a longer dress.”
According to Knight, a lot of eveningwear exploits women and exposes women beyond their comfort level.
“With most of eveningwear being about sex appeal as opposed to elegance, most women are just choosing from their current options. There are lots of dignified, smart, talented, and beautiful women exposing their private parts in public in the name of fashion. To me, women are smarter than exposing cleavage to a bunch of strangers. Women should be beautified, not exposed. So, I am about dignifying and beautifying women and giving them a beautiful option of modest high-end American eveningwear. I’m very pro-women, and pro-femininity.”
What is it that inspires Knight’s designs? She says it’s a variety of things from colors and shapes, to movement and lines. Knight said there is visual stimulation everywhere and when it’s used well can inspire any design.
One such inspiration was a book called Abu Musa’s Women Neighbors that Knight said she loved for its style and content.
“I imagined this 15th century Moroccan court woman from the book but with a modern twist. I like to choose a particular woman fictional or real as my muse, so Samaa (a character from the book) was my muse.”
Muslim women across the globe who wear hijab have become more creative with the way they dress. But sometimes it can be a little distracting. Knight said it’s because no designer has ever made clothing with a hijabi in mind (expect jilbabs and abayas).
“Muslim women basically never cross the minds of designers. So this is where her fashion problems start, at the beginning of a design sketch. My main observation of the Muslim woman is that she does not have it easy with modern fashion. Though there are lots of stylish Muslim women out there, there simply are not enough options for proper stylish clothing, which is why there are a lot of fashion disasters going on.”
Very few designers create styles that are modest, stylish and relevant. And Knight said she sees a lot of filling in the gaps, and trying to create a stylish look with immodest clothing.
“A dress becomes a shirt, a shirt goes under the dress, and then pants go under the dress. Suddenly there are a bunch of Muslims wearing the layered bohemian look when her goal was to express her style while being chic and modest, not layered.”
She said it’s not the Muslim woman’s fault because she’s just working with what she has.
“Some are more successful than others. But when a woman’s fashion problems are actually caused by lack of consideration on a designer’s part, a fashion problem is very hard to resolve.”
Above: Mannequins showcasing Knight’s designs from her recent show “Fashioning Islam in America”.
For Muslim women who are confused and aren’t sure how to put together a decent outfit. Knight said the key is to finding a focal point.
“Once you’ve decided what the focus is of your outfit then let everything else that you put on be the supporting cast and compliment that. That’s just because of the way our eyes work. We need something to focus on. Also I think that a woman should think of the image or look she wants to have and then style herself accordingly. Really take an objective look at your physical characteristics. Then decide what will look good on you.
Above: More pictures from “Fashioning Islam in America”.
She can use magazines and catalogs to help her get ideas. I think she should also start choosing colors that look good on her, and clothing that is age appropriate.”
Fashion design has permeated the media with shows like Project Runway. And it seems every where you turn something fashion related pops up. But how competitive is the fashion world? And how does Knight handle it? She said it’s not as cutthroat as it seems on television.
“When we see a show like Project Runway it’s a competition but the designers are never all creating the same thing, so judging their designs will be mostly subjective. Everything that goes into a design is going to be a matter of personal choice.”
Knight’s career has begun to blossom and she says she’s excited about what is to come.
“I have many goals and am very driven. I pray to stay strong, focused and grateful and continue to have the love and support of friends and family and continue to build strong relationships. As the collection moves on everything will expand. The main goal is to always be better than before: reach more people, be very profitable and all while having complete integrity. I would also like to, in the near future, be married and have a healthy balance between family life, spirituality and career.”
To read more about Nzinga Knight check out her website.
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Really cool story! I’d never heard of this designer. It’s awesome to have such an accomplished designer that Muslim AND wears hijab. Thanks for the post!
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