Aysha's All on the Line on Sundance Channel Sneak Peek

Aysha on Sundace Channel

I am so delighted to share with you that on Friday, Dec 16th at 9:30pm I will be featured on the critically-acclaimed series, All On The Line with Joe Zee.  'Fashion's most approachable ambassador' and creative director of ELLE Magazine, Joe Zee, offered me tough love and essentially put me through a six-week fashion boot camp!

For the final presentation, I created a Spring 2012 capsule collection inspired by my heritage fusing eastern and western cultures to  create sexy, flirty silhouettes with couture craftsmanship.

After all was said and done, this was a life changing experience.  I don't want to give away the show, so you will just have to tune in!

 Aysha 

Wearing Aysha Saeed is like taking a trip around the world….

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a trip. I could barely contain myself when I would tell friends that I was spending almost two weeks in South Africa. I could actually see a sense of glee as their faces lit up.


So why did I choose to visit South Africa? That’s a question I was asked both in NYC and in South Africa. Simply put, I came here seeking inspiration for my brand, particularly for the Spring 2011 collection. After all, a fashion designer needs to see and discover new places in order to design; so traveling to exotic locales is a vital part of my job description….tough job, right?

Now returning on my long flight back to New York from Johannesburg, I decided to summarize this trip into a blog post, but am having difficulty doing so because there is so much I want to share with you. But I can say this much: the trip was everything I had imagined and then some. For instance, as we were descending into Cape Town, the landscape took my breath away; the sight of Table Top Mountain was breathtaking in the early morning hours. As the plane touched the tarmac, I found myself saying out loud, ‘This is Africa.’ Crazy as it may sound, I found myself saying this statement quite a few times for the next two weeks because I never thought I would come here.

In a just two short weeks I covered a lot of ground; I had to, I was on a mission. It started with my exploration of Cape Town. My first impression of this costal city was that I’m in a typical European city till I really started to discover it. Like so many other parts of Africa, it was beautiful beyond compare, with a color and serenity I’ve never seen in Europe or Asia, let alone here at home. Our guide drove us to the Cape of Good Hope, the southern most tip of Africa, that mysterious place that the 15th century Portuguese explorers passed at their peril; would they fall off the earth, which was after all flat!?

OK, back to my seeking inspiration…. Well, it was not difficult to discover just how African women inspired me. No, not so much by their sense of fashion, but by their decorum, the way they carried themselves, their zest for life. On my second day in Cape Town, I visited District Six, a village called Lagos, a poverty-stricken area with houses of tin, no running water, dirt roads, outdoor latrines, etc. But instead of sad faces, I saw a vibrant community with hustle and bustle, kids playing their games and singing African chants; or perhaps songs; women busy doing household chorus or working to earn a living, weather be it burning off hair of sheep heads (which seems to be high in demand as people were queuing to buy them), or working at a pottery workshop making cups/plates painted with bright African colors to sell to tourists.

I did get the feeling that women run the show here, which may explain why, every few blocks I saw hair salons (more like a square tin box with windows cut out and spray-painted signs denoting ‘Women’s Salon.’) These women work hard, and, at the same time, want to look good --- my kind of woman. Of course I found them inspirational. All women everywhere want to look their best, regardless of the circumstances.

South African hospitality was both welcoming and touching. It all began from the amazing hotel where I stayed, called appropriately enough, One & Only Hotel, in Cape Town. It may well be the only ‘six star’ hotel in Africa, and yes, it did live up to its reputation. In most things luxury is found in the details, and there were plenty of luxurious details that One & Only offered that made me feel I was definitely residing in a ‘six star hotel. For example, I had a ‘Pillow Menu’ placed on my night stand, and a choice of over a half-dozen different types of pillows! I did not order anything from the Pillow Menu, but it did put a smile on my face---and maybe that was the point of it all. But it did get me thinking that I need to start offering our customers a ‘pillow menu.’ Of course I don’t mean this literally. I want to offer my customers a service and details in my garments that will add a tinge of super luxury into our brand, details that can only surprise and delight because they’re unexpected, and will therefore ‘put a smile’ on their faces, too, and make them feel they’re wearing a six star brand, but at a coach price. And what are these details? Stay tuned, the wheels are churning!

For me, an African safari was thrilling and super fun. As an animal lover, I loved seeing wild animals roaming freely; it was a sight to behold. Although the African landscape was dry and brittle, I found their colors beautiful beyond compare, and those colors have stayed in my mind long after the event itself. I’m thinking of fabrics that would look best in the colors and contrasts of African earth.

The glistening taupe-colored skin of lions napping under a tree set off still more color schemes in my mind. Because it had not rained for a while, the grass was brittle to its core, but yet there were patches where green grass was peaking through with black dust surrounding it. When I asked our guide about the prevalence of black dust, he explained that in order to make new grass grow in dry seasons, old grass must be burned off completely (which explained black dust); and only then could fresh grass poke through…which was in a shade of teal green. Hmmm. Mix black with teal green and experiment until you come up with just the right color scheme. That was worth a mental note.

Well, to sum it up, my South African trip did not inspire me to do a literal Spring 2011 Collection, which should properly consist of safari jackets, animal prints, etc. Many designers have followed their instincts with African-inspired collections. So instead, in my collection, I intend to explore my own personal take of South Africa….a land of people, just like everywhere else, making it in their own way; only they seem happier than people elsewhere. Perhaps that’s because their land is breathtaking, and, after so many years, their land now officially belongs to them.

So upon my return, I quickly adjusted my Spring 2011 Collection mood board to incorporate inspirations I garnered from South Africa. And so here they are, or will be: the collection will reflect the strength of South African women and their balancing acts of survival, and, at the same time, doing what they can to stay beautiful. It’s a balancing act they seem to have perfected. As for the collection’s color pallet, it will reflect the earthy tones of the African plains. And to bring a rich color into the spring styles, I am looking to diamonds from Kimberly. So there will be plenty of color in the shades of yellow, pink, and blue, reflecting these precious stone found in South Africa; and maybe a touch of green to reference the vast South African plains and that valuable stone’s aura of luxury. Simply put, Spring 2011 will be a rich, vibrant, alluring - yet practical - collection. And let’s not forget my version of ‘pillow menu’…be sure to watch for these details.

Well, there you have it; now you need to be a little patient and keep an eye out for our Spring 2011 Collection. I am certain when you wear it, you will say, wearing Aysha Saeed is like taking a trip around the world….


Aysha

….trade in my Gucci heals for a shoe called sneakers?

With all my crazy travels I sometimes forget how much fun and beauty lay in our own backyard. When I say backyard I am referring to the two- to-three-hour drive (depending on traffic and the time of the week and time of the year) to ‘The Hamptons’, our city’s backyard.

So when a dear friend, Carolyn, invited me for the weekend to her house in the Hamptons, I was happy to go.

Said I to my self, ‘This sure beats hopping across the Atlantic’, which I usually end up doing when I want to get away. And best part of the deal was I didn’t even have to drive. Linda, also a weekend guest, was kind enough to offer me a ride. How could a girl say ‘no’ to all this.

Our girls’ weekend could not have been more perfect, great weather, a short walk to the beach, fun company and plenty of wine, champagne and cheese. And most importantly I left my problems at the office…for a change.

There was one of course, ‘stress full’ aspect to the weekend….working out. I have reached that point in life when I must work out; however, the very thought of it can ruin my perfectly good day –weekend. I’m told that once you fit it into your workout routine, you’ll actually get to enjoy it. Yeah right! In case you’re wondering, I haven’t gained weight or lost height; but I do need to ‘tone up’, as they say. You see in my line of work, I need to fit into a size-two dress; after all, I am my brand’s fit model (the person who tries on dresses to ensure a perfect fit when styles go into production).

So Linda and I set off for a long hike/walk. I must say I did well --- I did not faint, quit or complain the entire time. And to further challenge myself, on Sunday morning I almost went to a Yoga class with Carolyn. For me the operative work is almost, because, in the past, the thought going to Yoga class would have never entered my mind. Unfortunately, I overslept, and Carolyn went without me. She told me she ran into (no, not literally) Zen lovers such as Donna Karan and Russell Simmons. So, from that I concluded that Yoga is good for the mind, body, social scene, and, yes, business.

On the drive home, I also concluded that life right now is somewhat crazy, and can be improved by ‘working out.’ So I’m on a mission to tone up, build stamina, and calm my mind and soul. All this is very important to bring balance to ones life. Otherwise all this crazy can get to you.

Ok, so does that mean I am ready to trade in my Gucci heals for a shoe called sneakers?

Aysha