We were lucky to catch up with Yaasmeen Ahmad recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Yaasmeen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

In life risk is necessary for ones survival and quality of life. Risk requires an element of knowing ones purpose and having a degree of faith. It is the thrill and fear of uncertainty that gives it its allure. Growing up in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, I’ve always been a very creative and expressive girl. However, being brought up in a home that nurtured and prioritized education and “college appealing” extra curriculars, my phases of story telling and songwriting were done in private and kept concealed. My career interests wavered and teeter tottered between the ambitious title of Editor in Chief at Vogue Magazine and studying the science of life to understand more about animals. As the oldest of five I’ve always felt a responsibility to my family to be a highly educated and productive member of society. To make my parents proud, science was the route of virtue. My inner essense would repel this reality in a way, it simply felt otherwise. I am captivated by creation and individuality at my core and i quietly gained the courage to pursue a life of freedom and purpose. I took the risk to understanding my own mind and my own soul.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Yaasmeen Ahmad. I am a woman born and raised in Philadelphia. Throughout my adolescence I have been in pursuit of self. Self acceptance, self discovery and self expression. I never quite felt like I fit in. Especially within my own family. I have always been a natural leader due to my position as first born of five children in my family and my desire to “do my own thing”. My quirks positioned me in a lane all on my own. I marveled my own self at my instinctual high self confidence however simultaneously repeating harsh words to myself day in and day out that I heard growing up. Comparing myself to my academic siblings, feeling like I was letting my parents down for not being a better student. I questioned my beauty and my intelligence. All whilst spending hours writing stories and songs and performing them fearlessly and with captivation amongst my siblings. I wasn’t sure if I were merely an entertainment source or a divine inspiration. Unaware of my gifts and almost unaccepting of them I stayed on a path that stifled me for many years because I was so unaware of its value, I began to define myself based on the negative words and actions that I began to indoctrinate. Today I am thirty years old, on the third day of 2023 and I am just now becoming aware of my true value. Let’s rewind to 2012 when I made the decision to pursue fashion design and to label myself a “designer”. In high school and my early college years I started to take an interest in personal style. I was inspired by my father and Rihanna during this time. Two fearlessly free thinking people who had an edge and great taste. Their fearless attitude gave me a green light to experiment with my own self expression and became known amongst my peers as having very interesting and unique style . I challenged myself to never repeat an outfit which forced me to get creative and resourceful. I started to dye clothes, cut them up, hand sew crude pockets onto sweatshirts, paint on them, did heat transfers etc. and saw that I was making creations that caused people to stop and stare. I began to create “wearable art” and in 2013 I sold my first “piece”. Two years later I made the decision to learn to sew. I no longer wanted to be limited by the garments that already existed and the ones that I had access to. I wanted to create something the world had not yet seen. Over the next few years I sought knowledge and mentorship within the fashion world. I studied at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and then traveled to London and studied briefly at Central St. Martins. My skills started to bloom and my unique aesthetic began to emerge. I fell in love with fabrics and textiles, from there, my style and my following began to grow. The Swazi brand was born.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission for the the Swazi brand is to challenge the way beauty is perceived. To open up a conversation and normalize natural features as their own standards of beauty by embracing ones flaws, culture, self esteem and confidence.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been wearing my own clothes in the streets and sparking up conversation abut what I do and that I am the designer behind the garments.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.houseofswazi.com
• Instagram: @theehouseofswazi
• Linkedin: Yaasmeen Ahmad

Image Credits
TAN KIMONO- @boujeemustard PURPLE KIMONO/PALE BLUE BELL SLEEVE/CUTOUT- Jordan Prather WHITE OMBRE- Brihem J.