Arif Ali
Q. Which interest do you love the most and why?
A: I think it's gonna have to be a healthy balance of industrial design and fashion. I grew up in downtown Montreal so I was always subject to the concrete jungle and hustle and bustle of the inner city. It also happens to be where people go to shop and show off so Fashion has always been something I payed attention to whether I wanted to or not.
However the industrial design aspect came about as I grew older and started to appreciate clever design. Like a table that had an extra slide out compartment for drinks at my friend’s place. Like these little things make me go “oh that is so neat, why didn’t I think of it”. I really like clever things, things that you don’t notice at first but go “oooooh” when you see how it works.
Q. What triggered your interest for design?
A: I wasn’t always into design actually, it started as an interest in engineering because I was always someone who liked science, like physics and what not. But as time passed, I realized that engineering was a lot of maintenance work and that’s not what I want to do. I rather make stuff so designing, making prototypes, tweaking things post creation really caught my eye. After doing much more research I figured out that there was indeed a type of design that was not restrictive in terms what I can make, that being industrial design.
That is how it started, but as time passed that interest got further cemented due to me surrounding myself with other designers/ aspiring designers as well as changing the type of media I consume to more design conscious media (primarily talking about social media).
Q. Why do you value techwear more in your wardrobe?
A: I feel like tech wear is the apex of what clothing can do/be. No detail is left untouched. From the material, to the fine hardware like zippers and bias tapping, tech wear covers it all and pushes the limit of what clothing can do. Obviously Acronym by Errolson Hugh remains to be at the apex of the tech wear world but there is also the fact that there is so much variety and range of technicality in tech wear.
Like if you like more simple and minimal things and don’t need 1000 pockets then you go for stuff like Arc’Teryx or Nike ACG, but if you want the best of the best, you go for Acronym without a doubt.
As for why I value it so much, it may seem a bit odd but once you have a taste of the full functionality, it’s nearly impossible to go back. Like it’s like taking the red pill in the matrix, there is no returning to ignorance after you’ve tried it.
Q. Did comics & anime characters have an impact on your daily inspiration when it came to design and even styling yourself?
A: Oh Definitely. I am heavily inspired by anime and comic book characters, even video game characters at times and it shows once you know what the source is. A lot of my fits are inspired off things like Samurai Champloo with the very loose and open clothes that flow with the wind, kinda like Mugen’s top from the anime, other times it’m replicating the theme more than the fit. Some notable sources of inspirations are Devil May Cry, Spiderman 2099, Venom, Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, Mugen from Samurai Champloo.
There isn’t really a profound reason other than I have an attachment to these characters or to the aspects that these characters represent. At the end of the day, these characters were thought up by someone, they are in essence an idea, that idea is what inspires most of my fits. In my Acronym I feel like a bushido, in my Rick Owens I feel like a gun slinger, it’s these kind of feelings that I look for in my fits and anime and comic book characters are the best source of inspiration because they can be a bushido or a gunslinger.
Q. Why did you choose these outfits? Do they describe a bit of who you are?
A: These outfits are in essence my range of comfort. You will see that they are predominantly black and that isn’t because I hate colour or anything, but rather I find that colours don’t speak as loud as a silhouette. That is the focal point of my fits, and you can see it in the silhouette. I typically start with the pants and build my way from there, because I have big thighs I have no choice but to start there, hence why I refer to a certain fit by the pants.
These fits do describe me in a way. The Acronym one showcases my interest in the world of design, technical gear and technology as a whole. The Rick Owens shows off my affinity for subtlety, things that can be summed up to “if you know, you know”. The ACG one showcases how I don’t take myself to serious and still try to have fun with things and that I am not ashamed of what I may like, whether it be anime or trying to dress up like I’m the protagonist of an anime/comic book.