GAGE SHOWCASES: MEDEAN

Spring has swiftly arrived, as seen by the clashing contrast between those who are overly dressed for the weather and those who are underdressed; considering London’s sunny weather exists only for cosmetic purposes the majority of the time. A slew of cardigans and bombers are draped on the chairs of the ever-so-opulent Cafe Concerto. I’m greeted by Mehdi Alhoussawi, a young creative who captures London’s burgeoning artistic scene. Sporting a classic black bomber jacket, along with black joggers and the quintessential white Air Force 1s.

Mehdi has been involved in a number of projects in his creative career such as working as a photographer for Yung Magazine and more recently, Fashion Trust Arabia. Aside from photography, he has done multiple styling jobs for start-up brands, and creatively directs his own photography. Having recently graduated from the prestigious University Of the Arts London’s very own London College of Fashion, we discuss how graduating has affected his journey in the industry, shining a light on one of London’s brightest emerging creatives and his aspirations for the future.

Mehdi Alhoussawi for Fashion Trust Arabia speaks to GAGE.

“Leaving university felt like I was finally free, like a baby bird pushed out of the nest and I was finally on my first flight. But reality comes crashing down fast. You’re so open-minded, so excited for all the possibilities, but life shows (you) that’s not the reality of how the industry works.” he replies.

“I have never struggled more in my life than now finding a suitable job. Especially when you already have experience so you’re looking to not take a step backwards but keep elevating, but those opportunities are not showing themselves just yet.” Further highlighting the difficulties of finding your stride as a young creative in the fashion industry and even more so outside of the protective bubble of university.

‘When asked how the cost of living crisis has affected him as a former university student who is self-reliant, he explains “With the cost of living crisis, as a creative that’s not a nepo-baby, how do you even have enough money to invest in projects, styling, set designs, even feeding your models on set, or hiring a studio when you’re struggling to pay your rent?” However, Mehdi tries not to allow things he has little control over to get in the way of what he sees for himself in the future and reminds himself that resilience is key. He explains “Sometimes you’ll have two weeks full of tough days where things aren’t going to plan, and that’s normal but it’s about reminding yourself that even though this went wrong, it doesn’t mean anything in the bigger picture. You can get lost in that doubt and second guess yourself but it’s like, ‘No, you’re that girl.” Don’t ever forget that, it might take a moment but it will come” he says in a contrasting manner.

Before Mehdi had even discovered the creative fashion industry, he never once saw it as something of interest, let alone a viable career path. One thing he did, however, was take pride in his appearance. “I’ve always cared way too much about how I look, the silhouettes I’m carrying, wearing baggy trousers with skinnier tops way before it was a thing.”

“My friends were studying fashion and I used to think it was so cool, and then they stood there and looked at me and went ‘Why don’t you do it?’ You’re like the most fashionable person we know?” And that was the beginning of what my life has become now. If it wasn’t for them saying that to me, who knows, I wouldn’t have been a photographer, creative director and soon-to-be brand owner”

“My uniqueness is what makes me beautiful, my uniqueness is what makes me special, my uniqueness is what makes me powerful and it’s what brought me to the place I am today.“ Living larger than life in his queerness, he incorporates this exuberant, main-character energy into his upcoming brand MEDEAN.

He refers to MEDEAN as a much-needed love letter to Arabian queers. “This demographic of queer Arabs who are so scared, especially from the culture we come from, what do we have? What safe space is directly for us? So that’s where my brand comes into play”. MEDEAN is being created with the purpose to unite queer Arabs and place them in a representable foothold in fashion culture, although still in early production it’ll be interesting to follow this versatile, talented individual and see what direction he takes with his vision.

Photography by Shiraz Sulaimann. Keep up to date with MEDEAN’s production. @mmedeann