Zeina is an extraordinary human being.
A young fashion designer.
A creator.
And someone whose way of seeing the world had been shaped across different places, different realities, and entirely different emotional geographies.
Because some people grow up in one place.
And some people quietly collect worlds.
Zeina belongs to the second category.
Her inner world, perspective and creative language have been formed through movement — through different cultures, different people, different understandings of beauty, identity and belonging.
And perhaps this is precisely what makes her vision feel so particular.
Layered.
Thoughtful.
Deeply observant.
In Those Talks, Zeina speaks about identity, cultural contrast, creativity, finding yourself while constantly moving, and the strange beauty of belonging to multiple places while simultaneously fully belonging to none.
Because perhaps home is not always geographical.
Sometimes it quietly becomes perspective.
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When did you first become aware that living between cultures shaped who you are?
ZEINA
I would say probably during my second year of studying fashion design, that was the first time I started noticing what I actually like, why I like it, starting growing closer to my roots rather than trying to cover them up. I started making active choices based on what I actually like and what feels personal to me. Mainly when I went back for summer break and looked through my grandma’s stash of jewelry, I started noticing and being drawn to pieces I never really liked before or had any interest in.
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Do you feel like identity is something we choose, inherit, or accidentally build over time?
ZEINA
I think it's what we accept. You could “inherit” something or grow up somewhere and feel like you don't truly belong, or that it doesn't hold any meaning to you. I think identity is what we choose to accept and take in from what we’ve been through.
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Have you ever felt “too much” of one culture in one space and “not enough” in another?
ZEINA
Definitely, there was always an issue of being too white for the Arabs and too Arab for white people, and I think it’s something anyone who has left their home country goes through. It’s very rare to find a place where you completely fit in and feel accepted while trying to maintain a strong personal identity, but that is sometimes the beauty in it: creating your own world everywhere you go rather than blending in.
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How do you visually represent something as abstract as cultural memory or belonging?
ZEINA
Being represented through simple hints, as simple as a word, a song, a silhouette—anything that makes the target audience feel seen, and enough to make outsiders intrigued or interested.
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Are there symbols, colors, aesthetics, or references you unconsciously return to in your work?
ZEINA
I’m constantly using dusty, black, neutral colors, not sure why. I have just always felt drawn to them and found them easier to work with.
I always find myself going back to Egypt for inspiration. Every single collection I have designed so far was, in some way, inspired by something in Egypt, from everyday sights like the buildings there up until history. I see the streets there completely differently now than before because I view it as an opportunity to create. I’m always taking in inspiration whenever I’m there. I just think it’s so rich and packed with culture.
I also always go back to making garments with hoods. I’m always adding hoods on all my clothes. I think it’s just me unconsciously creating what I grew up missing. As a hijabi, it wasn't always the easiest trying to find my style. I had to put in extra effort to find clothes that represent my style and align with my religious beliefs. I wanna be able to create a space where people don't have to choose between those two things and make it possible to pursue them both.
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Do you think visual art can communicate cultural displacement better than words sometimes?
ZEINA
For sure, I think images evoke feelings that words can't. An image instantly brings up a memory or a feeling; your brain always tries to relate any memory you have to the visual input you’re taking in. Any visual input instantly drives you to feel a certain emotion. Visual art can hold so much information and connotations. Even a single image can mean so many things, depending on who's looking at it and what they've been through in their life.
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Do you think identity becomes stronger or more fragmented when you exist between worlds?
ZEINA
In my experience, it grew stronger throughout the periods where I lived in an Arab country. I was desperate to connect with any culture that wasn't Arab, and I wanted to move away from it. It wasn't until I moved out that I felt the need to explore my identity and embrace it. I think when you're in an environment where you feel completely out of place, you desperately try to create one for yourself, so it was actually “not belonging” that pushed me to find an identity where I feel safe and seen. We often take living in one place or one world for granted because we never feel the need to find ourselves since you're constantly seeing “people like you,” so you never feel this sense of urgency to explore who you are.
