Nadia Girach presents "One of my kind"

The Burberry Culture and Heritage award winner presents One Of My Kind. Exploring the intersection between Islam and Western Fashion

Nadia Girach is the artist and photographer whose latest project, 'One Of My Kind'  recently won the prestigious Burberry Culture and Heritage Award and snagged the runner's up prize for FACE's Excellence Award. The project is a captivating photo series that showcases the complex and often overlooked relationship between Islam and Western fashion. In the series, Girach explores the diverse styles and identities of young Muslim in the UK, highlighting the beauty and diversity of their fashion choices and how they express themselves through clothing. From African prints to South Asian embroidery, 'One Of My Kind' depicts how people of different races practice Islam, and how their unique cultural backgrounds influence their fashion choices. Girach's work is a testament to the power of art in creating understanding and breaking down barriers between different cultures and communities. In her first exclusive interview, Nadia Girach opens up about her creative process, inspirations, and what she hopes to achieve through her work.

What was the motivation behind this project and what is the project called?

The motivation behind this project was my own family coming from different cultures and ethnicities and their embracement of that. I feel very passionate about Muslim representation in particular and minority communities as I didn’t see many people like myself in my classroom doing projects on culture with a focus on faith. Being a Muslim is such a big part of my identity that I am proud of and always want to champion in my work so I would say that always informs the way I approach my projects. Another motivation I would say was also a conversation I had with someone who said to me ‘isn’t Islam just a brown person religion’ and from then I saw the misconceptions of my faith and made it my mission to showcase the variety of different cultures and fashions of the Islamic faith. The book focuses on the youth and how they have adopted this cultural attire but also the wholesome aspects of the ‘western culture’ and the fashions and modern brands and how they are willing to combine and embrace both religion and fashion to create this hybrid mix which sees something which has not existed previously. 

Where does your initial interest in fashion stem from?

My initial interest in fashion stems from the women in my family having fashion interests and sewing textiles background and seeing them sew and create their own clothes has sparked my own interest I have always been interested in what people wear and how people choose to wear certain pieces of clothing so to be able to embrace both faith and fashion is something I am so grateful I was able to explore within this project.

How did it feel to win Burberry's Culture and Heritage Award and runners up in FACE's excellence award?

It felt surreal never would I have imagined for my work to even be shortlisted amongst thousands of graduate work but to win it was a whole other feeling. I am so glad that given the platform and the right people the ideas and conceptions around something as specific as faith can win awards like this. The constant hard work and passion for my faith has paid off and it’s a really proud moment for not only me but to be able to make my family and grandma proud it makes what I do worth it.

What would you hope Muslims and non-Muslims take from your work?

I hope that all people can take away the message that what unites us is far greater than what divides us and that faith is not something that everyone will have and that’s okay but if I can showcase a small part of my world and my faith I hope that changes some preconceptions that people may have around Islam and faith in general. To also give the Muslim youth something they can relate to and representation within the realms of fashion. But above all I hope it informs people to embrace people as they are.