Who is Aliad Zoe?
My full name is Aryaija Aliad and my brand name is Aliad Zoe. I am a fashion lover, a sister and a collector of Barbie dolls, to be dressed.
What led you to pursue fashion?
I always wanted to do fashion. I have a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, it’s what family wanted to do. After working in IT for a while, I realised that I didn’t belong in that world. I saved up some money and quit my job last year to pursue fashion, my passion.
As a child, I loved making banana fibre dolls back in the village and made little dresses for them by hand. I’m really obsessed with fashion because I still do it; I collect Barbie dolls and make dresses for them. I have always been crafty and hands-on, so last year I joined Tesi Fashion School (Fatumah Asha’s school) and it has been the best decision I have ever made in my life.
How did this dress come about?
It is a school project actually. Last year we got an assignment at school to make a red carpet gown perfect for the ASFA’s, whose theme was ‘The Starz’. I didn’t want to make the typical gown, I wanted to create something fun, playful and a bit edgy. Even with the colour, I chose purple because I wanted something different, if it was red or black, that would be expected but that shade of purple is unusual.
It took about 70 meters of material that I used for that and spent about 4 days working on just the bottom of the dress. I love fabric manipulation and it’s the technique I used to make this gown.
What kind of brand do you want to have?
I honestly want an inclusive brand. I want to dress women that look like me and beyond because plus-size women don’t get to wear fun, stylish clothes. A lot of the options we have cater for smaller sizes. I’d like to be the person that has their back and design cool stuff for them. I’ll of course have ready-to-wear and evening wear.
Follow Aliad Zoe on Instagram here.
satisfashionug@gmail.com
