GREATEST: Marwa Atik
A first generation Syrian-American designer making stylish headwear for hijabi women.
“Hi, I have about two bars right now. Just a heads up,” Marwa Atik said as she cracked a grin, and then froze. The Zanzibar Archipelago, where Atik called into our Skype interview, is best enjoyed off the grid—not that anyone would object to a lucent coastline and Stone Town’s cobbled maze as a replacement for a 5-by-5 inch screen. While on vacation with friends, partly to celebrate the approaching 10-year mark of her wearable oeuvre Vela, Atik spent an hour indoors weathering technical difficulties to talk through what’s been happening in the brand space–and in her brain space–since 2009.
A first-generation Syrian-American, born and raised in LA, Atik founded her handmade head scarf company at age 18, creating stylish headwear for hijabi women who sensed a lack in the mainstream offering. Since funneling her creative perspective into the market, Atik has become a spokeswoman and contemporary doyenne of modest, forward-thinking personal style. She’s fresh and grounded, a rarity in today’s sea of influencers.
How do you marry advocacy with a for-profit business? I’m sure you’re familiar with how sticky that can become.
There’s a fine line between being an advocate and using a cause as a marketing tool. You have to be very careful and sensitive in what you’re advocating for, whether it’s just offering information or whether it’s a call to action. Whenever we do choose to advocate, we a) try to implement it within our collection, b) communicate why we’re doing so. For example, what does this print mean? In the case of the Damasq print in our last collection, we explained this traditional Syrian inlay artwork (sadef) and how it’s nearly a lost art due to the civil war that is happening there. It’s paying tribute to that tradition. We partnered with an organization who coordinated those specific products to be packaged by refugee women in Canada. We also created a postcard that is sent with every product. When people receive the product, they receive a little more information about the history of Syria and what this art actually means. Finally, a part of the proceeds were donated to Access California, which is a local nonprofit organization that organizes workshops for refugees, to help get them on their feet. They offer classes, training, workshops. We wanted to make sure that we advocate through all steps, from A to Z.
In your opinion, what was the most significant hurdle in turning the Vela concept into an action plan?
At the end of the day, your product is what your consumers are going to hold value to. You can have the perfect marketing strategy and the perfect logo, but if your quality doesn’t testify to all those things, you’ll have a low return on investment. The biggest challenge was finding a manufacturer and a factory where I was able to customize the fabrics and design. Starting out, I would have to sit with pattern-makers for hours because they were not familiar with head scarves and their design in general.
How do you define sustainable growth?
I think what worked for us was being transparent from the beginning. People loved how we were very honest in our journey and our process. They were really rooting for this 18-year-old female who is a minority living in LA trying to find her dream within the fashion industry and seeing where she fits. Not only that, but turning a quality about her that is often misconceived, and turning that into something that is powerful and beautiful.
Another valuable tool is just basic supply-and-demand forecasting. It’s taking the right steps to invest in your inventory. You never want to get too carried away at the beginning or grow too fast, because that leaves room for mistakes. In this industry, people just want things at the snap of a finger, and you need to just trust the process. Mistakes are going to happen! You might as well make them when you’re small and take a couple minor hits. In these terms, I define sustainable growth as keeping steady. It’s not about working harder–it’s about working smarter.
What do you see as the future of head scarves in their technical iterations? Do you think that’s something you’ll explore within Vela?
I’ve always been a checks over stripes girl. I’m pretty loyal to Nike, and I think that Nike, hands down, has developed the best Dri-FIT fabric to create their hijab. Down the line, I would love to get into some type of activewear collaboration. So far, I kind of have to give it up to Nike. They seem to be doing an amazing job. However, me being a designer and wearing the hijab, I can always see room for improvement. Whenever I go shopping, I’m always, in my mind, altering the clothing. Like, ‘Oh, I love that top, but I wish the hemline was this way. If only they took out that button,’ and so on. I’m always trying to alter things!
People loved how we were very honest in our journey and our process. They were really rooting for this 18-year-old female who is a minority living in LA trying to find her dream within the fashion industry and seeing where she fits.
What comprises your mental checklist when saying yes or no to brand partnerships?
I have no problem saying no to brands that I don’t feel are a representation of me, or those that I wouldn’t organically use. I think that my community across Instagram and YouTube value my product choices because they know I’m authentic about it. Word is bond, so I’m really careful about how I do things, because I wouldn’t want to mislead anyone.
What was your earliest memory of movement?
I remember climbing trees and arm-wrestling with my uncle. Every night when my dad came home from work, our living room turned into a playground. Jumping, wrestling, climbing. It was more body movement than technical sport, I’d say!
Growing up, I was a tomboy. I’m one of five, and my brothers are closer in age with me than with my sisters. So I always wrestled and played sports with them. I always wanted to beat them. So that motivation to not quit started at a very early age.
You integrate a lot of sportswear into your wardrobe. Is that as much an aesthetic choice as a functional choice?
It’s definitely aesthetic, aligned with my childhood roots as a tomboy. Growing up, I was always the least ‘girly’ person in my family. So when I thought baggy pants looked cool as a kid, I had to wear capris from the Gap because it was the thing to do. It wasn’t until I grew up and found my own stride until I began embracing that.
To really engage with causes, you need to do the following: inform people of the facts, find a trusted organization to donate to, call your local senator and demand they speak up against injustices
Marwa Atik
Sneakers. Let’s get quantitative for a second. How many pairs do you own? Do you resell to buy, like a catch-and-release? Are you precious about certain sneakers?
Oh, man. I wish I was the type to keep my sneakers clean, but no matter how hard I try, they’ll always show their marks. I don’t resell to buy—I kind of give them as hand-me-downs. I’m pretty sure I’m my niece’s favorite aunt because of it.
I like to invest in the right sneakers, as they are a representation of me, but I also love sneaker collabs. Any time a collaboration happens, I’m all about it.
Color—what’s giving you a vibe right now?
A soft red-orange and dark teal. Vibes.
You’re active on a few platforms—notably YouTube, Twitter and Instagram—and I’m always curious as to how people compartmentalize their multi-platform involvements.
Layering—what’s your process? Do you start with the same piece every time, or does it just depend?
I’m not sure if this comes from experience with wearing the hijab, but the first skill after wearing the hijab is creating modest looks to fit one’s lifestyle. For me, a trick that I like to do is look at lengths and seeing where certain pieces begin and end. If I’m layering two tops, I like to make sure they have the same hemline length. This offers for a cleaner, minimal look, and it’s easier on the eyes. If I have a certain statement piece, like a hijab, I like to layer other complementing colors. If my statement piece is an oversized jacket, I try to make everything else minimal so it stands out.
There’s a lot of ‘empty’ advocacy that occurs on social media. By contrast, how do you view social media as a tool for mobilization?
I see a lot of people just reposting things that they see other people post. I think people can easily read through that once they see what you post about and how you explain certain topics. With social media, you’re able to reach people so quickly. For example, it played such a pivotal role in the Arab uprising. To really engage with causes, you need to do the following: inform people of the facts, find a trusted organization to donate to, call your local senator and demand they speak up against injustices. Get a group of people to do the same exact thing that you do!
Raising awareness is just the first step; action items need to follow it. It’s important to look at advocacy as a daily habit and not a token or checkmark of your image on social media.