“As a southerner, there is this pattern of behavior where if you’re different, you’re kind of “buried,” and people will blame their problems on you.”
A Discussion With Myah Hasbany About Their Award Winning Alien Collection
Each year, Central Saint Martins’ graduation fashion shows are an exciting display of fresh ideas and talent. The prestigious school boasts an extraordinary alumni, including John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, and Phoebe Philo, just to name a few. This year, Myah Hasbany had all eyes on their UFO crash landing collection. Their swollen experimental knitwear floated to out-of-this-world heights, earning them the L’Oreal Professionnel Young Talent Award. I sat down with Hasbany to discuss their CSM BA collection, self-reflection on feeling alienated in the South, Erykah Badu, and the importance of body inclusivity.
image courtesy of Myah Hasbany
Chance Goode: Hey, Myah. I wanted to talk to you about your recent Central Saint Martins’ graduate collection, for which you won the L’Oreal Professionnel Young Talent Award. Congratulations.
Myah Hasbany: Thank you so much!
CG: What was the story behind the collection?
MH: It was inspired by this “true story” from this town in Texas. The way they tell this story is that a UFO crashed into a windmill, and it killed the alien inside the craft. The townspeople decided the best thing for them to do would be to give this alien a Christian burial and pretend the whole thing never happened. You can visit Aurora, Texas, where they have a headstone with a little UFO on it. It’s somewhat debated whether or not this happened.
I decided to take that story and think about it as an allegory for the way that people are treated in the South when they’re different. As a southerner, there is this pattern of behavior where if you’re different, you’re kind of “buried,” and people will blame their problems on you. I wanted to imagine the consequences of burying this alien that they didn’t understand. The pieces slowly transform from relatively normal to more alien and crazy as they progress, showing the transition of these townspeople turning into alien creatures.
CG: I was born in the South. I know all about how Southerners can look at you if you are queer, weird, or different. You’re right, they do look at you as if you are an alien, so I love the meaning behind it.
MH: Oh, thank you!
image courtesy of Myah Hasbany
CG: I enjoyed the Dior New Look silhouettes, which were styled with three-legged heels. How did you make those?
MH: You know, I spent months trying to find a factory that would make them, and nobody wanted to do it. So, I ordered a bunch of shoes from AliExpress, and they were literally so cheap that you could rip them apart. I ripped a bunch of these cheap shoes and glued them together and put putty on top to smooth it over. If you look at them closely, they’re pretty DIY. But from a distance, they look fabulous.
Photo of Erykah Badu by Rich Polk
CG: Amazing! Are you a dancer?
MH: Oh no! Of course not. All the dancers were in the window, like What the hell is this? I think they were pretty pissed that we got a solo.
CG: You have to do what you have to do, and you stole the attention. It was bold, and it paid off.
MH: I look back on that and realize that a lot of my career came from that one random decision. I have to give my high school self credit for going and doing that.
CG: Since you are based in London now, do you plan on showing at London Fashion Week?
MH: I think so. I’m going to show early next year. I’m just trying to figure out how to afford it.
CG: Do you have any plans for this next collection?
MH: That’s where I’m at now. The last collection was particularly interesting because it was all I thought about since I was fourteen. My whole life was about getting into CSM, and what my show was gonna be, and stressing about that. A lot of those ideas were things that I’d thought about for years. I’m excited to develop beyond the structure of a university.
I also want to continue my vision of inclusive casting. We’ve seen a significant decline in inclusive casting over the last two years. It feels like my body is literally going out of fashion, which is insane to see. I’m going to have a big focus on creating inclusive pieces and continuing the world I built in that first collection.
image courtesy of Myah Hasbany
CG: You’re right, body inclusion on the runway has totally disappeared. I hate that it’s a trendy thing because it shouldn’t be. Your pieces create such large silhouettes that anybody could be under them.
MH: I ended up casting a lot of mid-sized and plus-size people in my show, but I don’t want that to be the focus. I just want that to happen to be part of it. When you look at shows where there’s inclusive casting, it’s like one girl in an oversized coat, and I’m like, ‘Why did you put her in such a bad look?’ It’s really meaningful when they’re just there, not just a token plus-size model.
image courtesy of Myah Hasbany
CG: Last question, who’s your current crush?
MH: That’s a good question. This is random, but I’ve been listening to The Beach Boys a lot, so I’m going to say Brian Wilson. Music has become a really big inspiration for me. I was looking at a lot of film scores when I was doing my collection. The way he understands sound and lyricism is something that I’ve recently become obsessed with. If you’ve ever listened to The Beach Boys’ vocals without the backing tracks, it’s one of the most euphoric, heavenly sounds you’ll ever hear.