LONDON 鈥� Inside Myah Hasbany鈥檚 flat in the brutalist Barbican building hang racks heaving with the 23-year-old鈥檚 surreal, sculptural designs.
Knit hats resembling mutant bunnies adorn the coffee table, while a giant bulbous piece with balloons crafted of latex, tulle and feathers takes up the designer鈥檚 double bed. Other looks by Hasbany have been called out by stylists for a magazine shoot.
Hasbany, a Dallas native who uses they/them pronouns, is basking in the glow of nabbing top prize at June鈥檚 BA Fashion show at Central Saint Martins, the London art college from which they recently graduated. As the school brought the fashion world John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Zac Posen (among others), this award was no small feat. Especially since Hasbany had zero idea they would win.
鈥淚 was exhausted, and I was like, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go, let鈥檚 get everyone undressed. I鈥檝e gotta get home,鈥欌�� says the designer, who spent seven months working from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. to create their handmade pieces. 鈥淭hey said, 鈥楴o, you鈥檝e got to stay,鈥� so I figured I鈥檇 get third runner-up, and I鈥檓 cool with that. I wasn鈥檛 gunning for it; I just wanted to do my best. So when I did win, I was like, 鈥極K, that鈥檚 insane!鈥欌��
It鈥檚 easy to see why Hasbany鈥檚 work stood out, as they eschew traditional silhouettes to create their pieces. From the start, they focused on transcending size, designing oversized shapes that build another body on top of one鈥檚 own like a Matryoshka stacking doll, a concept they began to explore when interning at Maison Margiela last year.
鈥淭hey did prosthetic body parts to make some of the pieces, and I thought that鈥檚 really smart because it goes beyond padding,鈥� they explain. 鈥淏eing nonbinary and having gender dysphoria, it鈥檚 nice to explore the body away from my own body and illustrate that to other people. We can all kind of relate to feeling awkward and being uncomfortable in ourselves sometimes.鈥�
Hasbany has been exploring that idea since their earliest designs for R&B icon when they were still a Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts student. Initially studying visual art, they got into fashion as a sophomore and crocheted two forms for themself and a friend to wear to prom. Hearing that Badu was holding auditions for dancers, Hasbany and their friend decided it would be fun to try out wearing the work.
Hasbany recalls, 鈥淪he saw me as she was walking in, and it was so kismet. We just put some Aphex Twin on and were going to spin around and freestyle, but when the music cut, she was like, 鈥楴o, keep going!鈥欌��
The duo ended up with a solo dance in Badu鈥檚 birthday show and Hasbany went on to do pieces for the singer, including her 鈥溾�� for Billboard鈥檚 annual Women in Music event this year. Still, those early designs were no guarantee the self-taught Hasbany would make it into their only school of choice. They initially applied, only to be told not to waste their time.
鈥淭he CSM representative and teachers were telling me, 鈥業t鈥檚 not worth it, you鈥檙e not going to get in,鈥欌�� says Hasbany. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e the type of person that one person tells you don鈥檛 bother, and you鈥檙e like 鈥極K,鈥� you鈥檙e not going to get anywhere. So much of the industry is people telling you no. If you have the mentality of, 鈥楩--- you, I鈥檓 going to do that,鈥� then it actually does benefit you.鈥�
Accepted for an initial 鈥渇oundation鈥� year, Hasbany was rejected from continuing in one of four open spots in the course. But when a student dropped out, Hasbany seized their chance. Gleaning tailoring tips from fellow students, they filled sketchbook after sketchbook with ideas, focusing on knitwear. 鈥淚鈥檓 a highly anxious person,鈥� they say, 鈥渟o having the ability to work with my hands and be productive was really good.鈥�
Having thought about their winning collection since they were 14, Hasbany explored a concept based on Queer Time Theory. Without traditional markers such as getting married and having children, many queer lives are marked by nonlinear experience. Into the blender went the supposed 1897 UFO crash in Aurora, Texas, the 2009 balloon boy hoax and the feeling of living in Texas as an outsider.
Hasbany also incorporated references from the 1950s, which they say people mistakenly see 鈥渁s this perfect pristine time.鈥� The references included the dreamy skirts and jackets in pastels and grayscale that recall Christian Dior鈥檚 New Look. After winning the award, Hasbany heard from the House of Dior, which offered them a job under the visionary creative director Jonathan Anderson.
As Hasbany pondered the pros and cons of launching their own line versus joining an established house, they ultimately chose to accept the offer to be a junior couture designer in Paris.
鈥淨uite honestly, I never thought I鈥檇 be offered a position like this; it鈥檚 really surprising to me,鈥� they say. 鈥淏ut obviously, it鈥檚 an insane offer and a really exciting time to start. I want to take the time now to learn as much as I can, meet as many people as I can, and also develop as a person. I鈥檓 in it for the long game.鈥�
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