How Afghan-Australian Designer Mariam Seddiq Weaves Female Empowerment Into Her Designs
“It’s important for a piece to make you feel empowered, strong, and sensual, which is why all my designs and women are strong and sophisticated”
For emerging Australian designer Mariam Seddiq, the past year has been one of learning, spending lockdown working on her fine art alongside creating her new offering – Collection Cerulean – that is heavily inspired by “optimism” and “new love”, she tells Bazaar. On the back of Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW) where she showed her 2022 collection, the Sydney-born-and-raised creative speaks to us about how she hopes her clothes can act as an empowering voice for women of similar heritage.
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia (HBA): Congratulations on your Resort 2022 show. What was your inspiration for this collection?
Mariam Seddiq (MS): After a year like no other, Collection Cerulean marks the emergence from a global dystopian mood; a creative explosion directly inspired by the vibrant Australian landscape, new love, and our inherent optimism. While in lockdown I spent a lot of my time doing fine-art painting, so when I was creating this collection, I introduced a lot of these colours into the pieces – which although very different from my previous monochromatic designs – reflect my joyous mood in 2021.
HBA: Mariam Seddiq is prêt-à-couture – can you tell us more about this approach?
MS: There are two facets to the business: prêt-à-couture and ready-to-wear. The ready-to-wear pieces can be customised to your measurements and then crafted with the couture finishes. Then we have the custom, couture pieces, which is a collaboration between the client and myself. I hear about the client and their wants and needs and then design the piece accordingly.
HBA: What story are you telling about the women who wear your designs?
MS: The Mariam Seddiq woman is fiercely unique, bold and strong. Whether she’s choosing from ready-to-wear or couture, which are all breaking away from the traditional, mainstream bridal aesthetic that you see everywhere, or choosing from our bespoke eveningwear which sculpts to the woman’s silhouette like chic and sexy art. I tell all my clients: ‘Art, but make it sexy.’
HBA: How do you go about creating your garments?
MS: When I make each piece, I have a sense of empowerment that I want to portray. It’s the natural way I design without even thinking because I want each woman to look sexy and romantic but feel strong and empowered. That’s why each piece has hard and soft elements to balance each other. I have such a connection to the women of my country, and because I was privileged to be born here, I feel like I’m the voice for them.
HBA: What are you hopes for the future with Mariam Seddiq?
MS: From the beginning, we’ve danced to the beat of our own drum and created on our terms. We hope to continue growing the business in a stable and consistent way and ultimately continue to empower women.
HBA: Where do you stand on plus-size offerings?
MS: We embrace all sizes with our custom-made offerings. All our pieces, both bridal and ready-to-wear, have the option to be custom-made and tailored ensuring women and men of all shapes and sizes feel sexy in Mariam Seddiq.
HBA: What’s your sustainability plan for the future?
MS: All Mariam Seddiq pieces are handcrafted locally in the atelier. We use only the highest quality materials and don’t mass-produce anything to ensure zero waste, with all the offcuts being reused so nothing goes in the bin. For the AAFW Cerulean Collection, something unique was done: the colours came from hand-dyeing using natural ingredients such as turmeric, avocado and hibiscus, which is a process I hope to continue in the future.
HBA: In past collections you’ve been known to draw inspiration from your heritage. What is it about the Afghan culture and background that inspires you?
MS: Like I said before, the oppression of women. It’s important for a Mariam Seddiq piece to make you feel empowered, strong and sensual, which is why all my designs and women are strong and sophisticated.
HBA: You also design beautiful and bold fashion jewellery. Where did that journey start?
MS: It started with my obsession with sculpture and art. Having a background in accessories, buying and retail, it was only fitting to start a line that made it easy for women to style their hand-crafted Mariam Seddiq piece with innovative jewellery. All jewellery worn in the AAFW 21/22 show was hand-carved and finished by my partner and sculpture artist Joseph Harb.
HBA: Which Mariam Seddiq pieces do you feel will resonate with the Middle Eastern shopper?
MS: We have a strong list of Middle Eastern clients, and they are exactly what the Mariam Seddiq woman is: bold and strong. These clients continue to inspire my work.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s September 2021 issue. Lead image Photography by Liana Hardy