Can you share with us some insight onto Otkutyr.
My name is Razan Mussallam, I am the founder, creative director and in-house line designer of Otkutyr Fashion House. At a very young age, I was privileged to have a big family that encouraged self-expression by allowing me to create my own designs and dress myself. With my business background, coupled with my appreciation for fashion and everything locally made, I was able to construct a platform that could make a difference in our popular culture and document our identity. I decided to establish a platform for local talent and advocate for local production since 2011. Otkutyr has been investing in local talent and creating brands due to the huge gap there was in the local fashion scene for self-expression and local production. While studying at Dar Al-Hekma university in Jeddah, I established my first venture called Nirvana. It was a yoga space, spa, and a tailor shop in which we mostly catered around production. It sparked my childhood passion, which then led to me sponsoring one of the university’s fashion and art events. I have recently been asked to be a part of a fashion board in the fashion and design department, as well as start an internship program for the department’s students. After obtaining my bachelors, I started working in my family’s company. As for Otkutyr, it’s not just a brand: it’s a creative hub that helps launch designer brands and talent. The fashion house’s spectrum for talent varies between fashion designers, writers, artists, models and even musicians. We take a chance and invest, as well as mentor and guide. As for the in-house line itself; it’s been humbling to watch it evolve, as we’ve experimented with each small collection, having a set concept and feel from haute couture to loungewear.

Is there a story behind the brand’s name?.
It’s actually a play on words as I am dyslexic so it’s spelt phonetically, just like it’s pronounced “haute couture”. However, we don’t only produce haute couture, and we celebrate these techniques in everything we produce, from T-shirts to ball gowns. Moreover, we produce limited pieces of each design and even one of a kind stand out pieces. This is synonymous with our ethos of slow fashion and zero waste.

You are an all around creative mind what about the design process, how do you start working on a collection?
It’s a sort of cinematic process for me. It’s whatever emotional state I am in at the time. I’ll look at several samples for a long time and based on the feel of the colours; I build a story of a character and how this character could or would deal with a certain situation and through this simple process, I build a cohesive collection that tells a story of what my hero or alter ego would wear in certain cities and situations. How they would move, feel and then I begin to focus on what details should be concentrated on and accommodated, such as switching an outfit from day to night, for example.

Can you tell us more about the inspirations behind your brand and your upcoming AW/21-22 Collection showcased here in our pictures.
It’s a very dreamy collection, with lace on lace pieces that have tefta draped in crystals, and liquid organza for 19th century inspired dresses; from nighties and gentlemen shirts, everything can be layered and styled in whichever way