Creating garments for Erykah Badu is a starry-eyed dream for most young designers, but for Texas-born Myah Hasbany, it’s far from fantasy. “She actually went to my high school,” Hasbany says in our Zoom call, before going into the story of how they and the neo-soul legend met. “She wanted to audition dancers at my high school…So, me and my friend showed up in two of my massive, knit pieces.” Bumping into Badu in the corridors, they were invited to audition, shimmied their way through a “made-up dance routine”, got the dancing gig and have been in touch with the singer since, designing a number of her show looks over the years. A tale of serendipity but also unshakeable guts, the themes of Badu and Hasbany’s meet-cute echo the talent’s bold design language and creative ethos. Unperturbed by the expected norm, Hasbany also uses their creativity to convey necessary messages about body and gender dysmorphia and how to overcome them with confidence and acceptance.  

Growing up in a conservative state, Hasbany felt isolated from a young age, but this didn’t stop them from pursuing their practice. “Every time I’d make something people would ask ‘Why are you doing that?’ or ‘Why are you making that?’”, they explain. A tough environment to stay true to oneself, Hasbany nevertheless established their design language enough to earn a coveted spot at Central Saint Martins. “When I moved to London, no one ever questioned anything I was doing. They were like, ‘Yeah, you’re making like a giant, crochet [garment], that’s great’,” they note. “That was really freeing to me because I didn’t have to second guess myself, or question, ‘is this right’? People just kind of accepted it off the bat.”

The drive to push boundaries is part of Hasbany’s practice from conception to execution, with textile development forming a core tenet of their work. “The techniques, fabric and stitches have existed for such a long time, but I think there’s still so much room for innovation within it,” they explain. “I think there’s so much to explore so I really want to keep doing that.” Alongside this progressive drive is a desire to bring fashion’s focus back onto craftsmanship. “[With the pieces] you can physically see someone has taken the time to make something amazing and [that they] work with their hands. I think we’re losing that a bit in fashion. I want to centre that again. [It’s better when] you buy something that you can see someone has taken their time with and [that they have] invested time into the thing you’re buying.”

The more I talk to Hasbany, the more earnest they come across. Behind these confidently bulbous and slug-like creations is a designer who wants to use their talent to aid their own growth and self-esteem, often crafting pieces upon their own figure as opposed to a mannequin.. Speaking on how body and gender dysmorphia inform their work, Hasbany explains, “I think gender and body dysmorphia both come through simultaneously. When I first started, and [the pieces were formed from] a lot of the big networks, it was the idea of taking my body off and then putting it onto something else. Being able to see that, not on myself, was interesting.

“I think people had really interesting reactions to it like, ‘That’s crazy’, or ‘That’s really weird’”, they continue. “But I think it’s important sometimes to just kind of remove yourself [and] be able to get away. That comes back to making things for myself, making things on my body and making things for myself really helps me work through that. There just wasn’t that many clothes that really made me feel good about myself. So I think both of those really helped me to see myself, and to work through some of those feelings.”

With their upcoming graduate collection, Hasbany also hopes to reframe the politicisation of trans identities, something that holds great significance as a member of the community themselves. “People have this idea of trans identities, [that] it’s difficult and hard existence – which is definitely true – but I think there’s so many aspects to being trans which is so joyful and happy… Changing the perspective that people have, [and focusing on] trans existence being a joyful existence is really important. Casting is also a huge thing for me because there’s so few collections at Central Saint Martins that are body inclusive and diverse in the casting chain. I want to make that a big priority.”

When asked how they envision their brand evolving in the future, they respond, “I definitely want to continue what I’m doing now, but just make it more accessible to people. Because I’m still a student, I still have limited resources. I can’t produce that many pieces, and I can’t scale it up quite yet, but I’m really excited to do that in the future.

“I did a workshop with the Victoria and Albert Museum a couple of months ago, [and] I think seeing how diverse a group of people [museums] can reach [was fascinating],” they continue. “I think there’s kind of a barrier to entering into fashion sometimes, where some people will never get in [and] will never be exposed to it. Whereas, I think people are more open to hearing ideas and different perspectives in museums. So, I’d really like to use that as a means to educate people and expose people to trans identities.”

With their heart in the right place and a mind that is overflowing unmitigated creativity and passion, it seems that the world is Myah Hasbany’s plumply knitted and wonderfully swollen oyster.

Photography courtesy of Myah Hasbany.

@myahhasbany