February 24, 2026 |
Kazna Asker knows how to make clothes with soul. The British-Yemeni designer, who showed on the London Fashion Week calendar as part of the BFC’s NewGen programme, turned the 180 Studios showspace into a tangerine-drenched exploration of heritage, craft and culture. Inspired by the various countries she travelled to throughout 2025, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe and India, the emerging talent was impacted by discovering pockets of Yemeni communities she didn’t know existed. In turn, Asker found her version of home – in the fabrics, in the food, in the faces that coloured these groups. For AW26, she wanted to honour that feeling, exploring the cultural connectivity between Yemen and the rest of the Middle East.
Titled Hour of The Sunset, the offering wove threads of different cultures together like a rich tapestry. Rooted in Asker’s established codes, which fuse traditional silhouettes with elements of street and sportswear, some pieces had obvious nods to specific places, while others were more metaphorical. Kaftans crafted from two contrasting materials represented “unity across distance”, while iridescent gold satin, purchased by Asker’s father in Saudi Arabia, and black satin sourced from a market in Egypt, acted as more tangible references. Models wore mashadas, traditional headscarves worn by Yemeni men, whilst others wore headgear crafted in collaboration with British milliner Lucy Barlow that emulated the tall madhalla, a traditional, conical straw hat worn by Yemeni women.
Every aspect of it, from the clothes to the models stood atop tables covered by delicately embroidered cloth, to the fact that attendees keeping Ramadan were invited to break the fast with Asker and her team on a feast of Iraqi and Palestinian snacks, was brimming with pride. Not only were the pieces, glistening and intricately embroidered, beautiful to observe, Asker’s pride in her heritage was also powerful. It was a fashion week highlight that came from the heart.
Photography by Sandra Nagal.
