The Quality Makers: Zain Ahmad of Rastah

Originally from Pakistan, the founder of Rastah, Zain Ahmad, is what we’d call a global citizen. He grew up across London, Toronto, Vancouver and Lahore, eventually making his way back to the homeland, which is where he started his business back in 2018. As a creative director, Zain has always had a passion for storytelling and design, stemming from a deeply personal perspective. Each piece narrates a story — tales of experiences, reflections, and resilience in a world that underestimates the skill of a Pakistani designer.

Zain considers Rastah not just a fashion house, but a movement. Rooted in the rich tapestry of South Asian artisanship and legacy, the brand aims to reshape perceptions through the intimate lens of fashion. Challenging stereotypes and redefining what it means to be "Made in Pakistan," Rastah is on a relentless journey to alter global narratives and transcend boundaries. Their collections are not an ode to the past, but a celebration of the complexities of the present. Read more about Zain’s unique and unexpected journey in the interview below.

What led to your love for storytelling and design?

My grandmother started a furniture business in Pakistan, so I was always exposed to arts, crafts and artisanship, from a very young age onwards. During a trip my friends and I took to LA, we went to this streetwear boutique. As I was looking at their intricately designed pieces, I noticed many of them were manufactured in South Asia. It hit me at that moment: these countries doing the manufacturing for some of the best brands out there, are never at the forefront of those conversations. They’re never given the chance to speak from a brand perspective. For example, some of the best footballs in the world are made in Pakistan, for brands like Nike and Adidas, but most people wouldn’t even think to include us in the dialogue. I really wanted to shift that narrative and thus change how the world looks at Pakistan. 

I then did a study abroad semester in Rome, and remember being really inspired by the city, its history, the culture and the storytelling elements that live and breathe in that space. I eventually went back to Pakistan, sampled a few pieces but didn't really know what I was doing. I don't have a fashion degree. I didn't even know the difference between a knit and a weave, or a digital print and a screen print. But I continued to throw myself into the depths of this very chaotic world of manufacturing and design. Slowly, step by step, Rastah was born.

Can you introduce Rastah? I’d also love to hear about the name.

In Urdu, the word ‘rastah’ means path or journey. It was actually my mother’s suggestion. She reminded me that I always wanted to carve out my own path in life. I was a very rebellious child and I come from a very conservative household. I was always told I have to become a doctor, a lawyer or an accountant, but here I am running a fashion business. 

What led you to the fashion world & how did you develop your own sense of style?

Initially, it was a love for textiles. I loved the look and feel of textiles – always wondering how they’d been made. I very organically married that with my love for storytelling, hence the pillars that make up Rastah today. Even to this day, the way I design my collections is first by writing them out, then by sketching them out. The collection that we're coming out with in the fall was first written in prose, but then I turned it into a screenplay, and now we might be making a short film. That’s really how I communicate with my team – I write something, give it to them to read, then we all do our research, and eventually I come up with sketches that get shared with the design team. It's a very collaborative process. 

I want to hear more about how you’re showcasing South Asian artisanship through Rastah.

Collaborating and finding these craftspeople was very hard, in particular on the printing and weaving side, because a lot of these forms of craft are dying in the country due to modes of mass production that are taking over. Craftspeople are losing their livelihoods, particularly because they've never had the opportunity to connect with a larger international market that is willing to pay a premium for their services. So that was the first hurdle: finding craftspeople that A. would be willing to trust us and B. would be willing to work with us in a very collaborative, long term manner. I ended up going to a lot of crafts trade shows, but most of them weren't willing to work with us. 

I then found Mr. Assalam, who is a fourth generation block printer. He was making tablecloths, cushion covers , etc, but I wanted him to block print on T-shirts and hoodies. He immediately said he didn’t know how to do that. We made some samples which were absolute shit, but then we kept iterating on those, and they ended up being part of our second collection. 

My grandmother knew a lot of handweavers that were weaving fabric for her upholstery fabrications. We connected with them, sampled, built that very important sense of trust, and slowly expanded our network of crafts people. As we continued, we got into artisanal embroidery as well. Hand embroiderers in Pakistan actually make a decent amount of money as that craft is very closely tied to the bridal and traditional clothing industry. That industry is incredibly popular across South Asia, so they can demand a pretty penny for their services. They're one end of the spectrum that is still sustaining itself, but then a lot of others are sidelined. 

Now, many years later, we're producing very elaborate collections, but my goal has always been to reinterpret craft in a very contemporary way, using traditional techniques in very non-traditional means, to come out with something that's very unique. For example, if my handweaver is making a traditional kind of fabric with a certain weave, we might change things about the warp and the weft, maybe use a yarn, or a dyed fabric instead, to switch things up. For them, it's a bit uncomfortable at the start, but as we go on, they embrace it and end up enjoying trying something new. The technique is still very traditional, but the outcome of it is very non-conventional.

Tell me more about your design and creation process. Where do you pull your inspiration from?

My design process is a way for me to convey my feelings with the world without having to be overtly vulnerable. Writing and designing are personal ways for me to share my feelings whilst maintaining a safe space. For example, volume 9 or 10 was inspired by the juxtaposition of love and fear, and how they coexist. I drew inspiration from the song and dance between those two emotions. Most of my creativity comes from very personal experiences.

I love how you’re shifting and reclaiming the narrative around ‘Made in Pakistan.’ What kind of feedback have you gotten from the South Asian community in terms of the work that you're doing? 

The feedback has been incredible. I feel that South Asians internationally are still living in a very post-colonial hangover. Our independence is quite new and I don’t feel like we’re entirely liberated from that colonial mindset. Many from our community feel like there aren’t international brands that make them feel sexy, bougie or luxurious, whilst still representing or celebrating their culture. There were not many brands, at least when we started, that were South Asian, contemporary, had a luxurious feel and still embraced cultural pride. Many of our customers have expressed that they’re so proud to wear a hoodie that says “Made in Pakistan” on the front or on the back, rather than on a tiny label on the inside of a sweater. It's very liberating to hear those stories.

What would you say differentiates you from others in the industry? 

Most of the brands that are making big waves are coming out of India. What Rastah does differently is that we’re very eclectic and surrealistic with our designs. There's an element of madness to our pieces, where compositions aren't symmetrical and everything seems a bit wild. A lot of the other South Asian brands are much more put together, they’re proper. We're really going against the grain by operating outside of the confinements of the traditional fashion industry. We've been direct to consumers from the start, we don't stock anywhere, and we don’t plan to. Most brands operate in a rather exploitative way, where buyers and stores don’t treat their designers well. There's no independence or ownership there, and we're seeing a lot of designers go bankrupt. 

Rastah is in control of its own destiny. I typically don't like to design with a certain kind of audience in mind. I design for myself and for the story. There is a particular kind of customer that exists in our ecosystem, and out of the South Asians, it’s those that are living abroad, well traveled and experimental with their style. They're looking for pieces that resonate their own non-traditional tastes. 

What do you hope that people will take away from your brand when engaging with it?

I hope that people are able to connect with their own inner story. I hope they realize that each piece was made with a lot of love and intention, and that there’s a personal narrative behind it. Our vision is really to make this one of the biggest brands out of Asia. We’re coming out with sneakers soon, and we want to get into leather goods, accessories, and even perfumes and fragrances in the near future. We’re much more than just a fashion house. I like to call Rastah a movement, and I hope others notice that. 

‍Find your own path through Rastah’s unique designs.