Street-wear is a personal voice for both the brand as well as the clients wearing it. The beauty of this fashion genre does not revolve around intricate details and hand-made embroidery; on the contrary, its true charm is attributed to the art of simplicity and sincerity.
Bassam Emam is a young businessman who decided to help his generation wear their ideas on their sleeves. His brand “Zang” is a combination of art, fashion, and, most importantly, street glam.
Daily News Egypt met with Emam to discuss his vision in the fashion world.
(Photo from Instagram)
Why did you establish Zang?
Zang started when I was shopping in a retail store simply looking for a hoodie that could be comfortable and affordable. However, everything I could find was either over-priced or not of the best quality; even worse, their designs were not flattering enough.
Right then, I thought to myself: why don’t I create my own hoodies? Then, I thought, why don’t I add a graphic print to them? The loop went on and on until I decided not to settle for what is available but instead to create my own themes and designs. I went to school of applied arts to choose promising artists who would help implement my vision, and we started researching street-wear.
After our first research, we discovered that it was way bigger than what we had in mind. Street-wear is not just about the garments; it is a complete lifestyle that represents the end-users’ interests and experience. Each design is not only a picture; our designers spend days developing concepts and sketches before producing the final piece of art that gets printed on the actual garment to communicate a certain vibe.
What makes your brand different?
We have a creative department and everything we do is absolutely original. Our logo is a chameleon because, just like chameleons change their colours, we change our theme every season. This diversity and progress keeps people waiting for what is coming up since we never repeat the same ideas and themes.
We also care a lot about the quality factor. We constantly work on improving our quality and we will never stop working on it until we become the best of the best. We care a lot about the details because we are currently working on establishing a solid lifestyle concept, not just a brand. Street-wear is a cultural representative that includes endless details.
How does your manufacturing process work?
In the beginning, we used to purchase the fabric, work hand-in-hand with the factory, then finally cut it, and send it to the printing factory. However, we later changed that process to control and enhance our quality further. Now, we deal with a supplier that outsources textiles and we give him the specifics that we need in terms of texture and quality.
(Photo from Instagram)
Who is your target audience?
Anyone who wants to wear something fashionable and comfortable. My clients do not exert any effort to look good and yet effortlessly follow all the latest trends. Zang is a collection of designs and ideas that expresses the youth; our team is very young in age and spirit, which is evident in our themes and concepts as we never tackle any old-fashioned ideas.
Tell us about your latest collection.
Our winter collection was divided into two categories: “Wicked” and “Limited Edition”. The limited edition’s design is Zang’s typography, which should help people understand the brand further. Its gold colour communicates the brand’s feel, which is cool and unique.
“Wicked” has a diversity of illustrations that reinterpret iconic cartoon characters with a wicked and slick persona. We chose specific characters and decided to modify them with our art. We gave them wicked personalities that are far from their usual nature.
What is next for Zang?
We have a vision and a mission. Our mission is to prove ourselves in Egypt and to help people understand the meaning of street-wear by raising awareness regarding the lifestyle behind garments. People should understand that street-wear is anything that is comfortable and stylish with evident identity and vibe.
Any street-wear brand should give its consumer a tangible vibe. For example, “Defend Paris” is one of the most famous brands in the world and it is mainly built on political and patriotic concepts since it always carries the same slogan, “Defend Paris”.
Our style revolves around art as we aim to create art with cultural backgrounds: hip hop, pop culture, skateboarding, etc.
