Rad Hourani - Interview w/ SSENSE

"Rad Hourani is the first unisex designer ever invited by La Chambre Syndicale de La Haute Couture in Paris to show a couture collection. In 2006, he relocated to Paris to devote himself completely to designing. Since then, Hourani has built up two successful lines: RAD by Rad Hourani (ready-to-wear) and Rad Hourani (haute couture). And yet, for all these accomplishments, Hourani is gentle and generous; never dragooning or demanding. He’s an observer who listens intently and responds with sensitivity and the quiet confidence of an artist who believes in his work.

Every piece is designed and drawn exclusively by Hourani himself. Agnostic with respect to a wearer’s gender, he knows precisely how a perfectly constructed garment will feel in use. For him, design is synaesthesis: when he sketches a design on the page he feels it on his body. Although he prefers and respects silence, his speaking voice is warm, simultaneously intellectual and sensual, enveloping the listener in his point of view. SSENSE caught up with him just weeks after showing his collection at Paris’ Haute Couture Fashion Week. In the process, we discovered why his designs transcend the typical — the man himself is extraordinary.”