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Egyptian Designer Mohamad Kojak on How His Home Country Inspires Him

Photographed by Ämr Ezzeldinn for Vogue Arabia December 2019

It’s Mohanad Kojak‘s birthday. The founder and creator of Kojak Studio, the breakthrough designer is known for his out-of-the-box approach with fashion that blurs the lines between couture and ready-to-wear. The Egyptian designer was the youngest participant of Project Runway Middle East as well as alumni of the 10th season of Fashion Forward Dubai.

Kojak who describes himself as a self-taught designer, shared with Vogue.me his creative process and spoke about his Egyptian heritage. “I mainly get inspired by human relations and personal experiences. Living in a country like Egypt, with its rich culture, generates a lot of inspiration in that regard. There are always issues and topics to discuss that come out of society, topics that might concern or stir up society, and this is my source of inspiration. I always keep these issues in mind and put them into consideration, whether to break them or give into them. The worst thing to do is to ignore them – you just can’t.”

“I admire and respect all people in my designs, women, and men, as I do have some designs for men as well. My designs don’t focus on always showing much skin, that’s not why they’re considered bold or daring – it’s the cuts, the silhouettes, the details, the concepts. I make sure that I put the Egyptian and Arab society that I live in into consideration, where a lot of women choose to wear modestly. They, too, should be allowed – are allowed – to express themselves in fashion and be edgy.”

In the December 2019 issue of our magazine, Injy El Mokkaddem, Raya Abi Rached, and Nelly Karim became the designer’s muses

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