My Africa
The Massai warriors’ culture and traditional costumes from East Africa specifically living in Kenya and Tanzania inspired an upcoming designer’s first collection
The African culture and traditional clothing is full of vibrancy and color that is admirable and hard to miss.
The Massai warriors’ culture and traditional costumes from East Africa specifically living in Kenya and Tanzania inspired an upcoming designer’s first collection.
Sara Hermez, a graduating senior at Parsons the New School of Design in New York City who has been living in the U.S for five and a half years has created an incredible collection called “My Africa.”
The indigenous African ethnic group’s use of color in their clothing and accessories which have significant meanings stimulated the gifted designer.
The young designer knitted strips of multicolor chiffon to make a collection that took her an entire school year to put together; one of the dresses alone took Hermez a month and a half to knit. The whole collection was hand painted and handmade.
Hermez also made the accessories of the collection herself. She used colorful strips of elastic, plastics, leather cording, fringes and feather.
When it comes to inspiration the designer says, “I do not take inspiration from the work of designers but I respect and love a range of different designers.”
“From the deconstructionism of Martin Margiela, the complications of Yohgi amamoto, to the simplicity and luxurious fabrics of Jil Sander, and the different plays in texture and color in Dries Van Noten.” These are some of the designers Hermez loves.
The blossoming designer has one of her dresses from her first collection in the window display of one of the biggest prestigious department stores in the world; Saks Fifth Avenue.
So far, Hermez is her best customer; she wears the clothes she creates. She even wore an outfit from her collection on the opening of her school’s exhibit, where three pieces from her first collection are displayed among the top 40 collections of her class. “It’s really comfortable and easy to make,” Hermez said about the harem skirt she created and loves to wear.
“My mom said I should sell my collection, but I don’t know if I can let go,” Hermez said movingly as she took me on a tour in the exhibit.
The talented designer will also participate in the Underground Runway, a fashion show that will take place in Parsons on May 28 with 27 other Parsons designers.
The young talent was born and raised in the Middle East and has loved to draw since she was a little girl, which helped her in her sketches when she enrolled in Parsons. “They teach you a lot at Parsons but you still have to have some talent” in drawing. “You should see my sketches before I came to Parsons,” the upcoming artist said proud of her achievements.
The talented artist has other interests in life that she’d like to pursue along with fashion such as politics, traveling and writing. After she graduates this month, she will be traveling to Tibet on a school trip, and who knows maybe she’ll come back with a collection inspired by the Delhi Lama and the monk community, which is rich with culture and color!
