What are we fighting for? That’s the question underlying the work of designer Kazna Asker. A pioneer since her early days, Asker started making waves in the Central Saint Martins MA show at London Fashion Week back in 2022, when she presented the first-ever hijab collection on the CSM catwalk. It was a statement that proclaimed Asker as both a designer and a change-maker – and she’s been exactly that ever since. She protests, she fundraises, she makes films, and she designs clothes that connect her multi-cultural background and influences. And according to her Autumn/Winter 2024 collection, she plans to keep blazing her own trail.

In a dimly lit, incense-infused living room, a space with a lived-in, homely feel, as henna artists drew on hands and models sprawled over stacked Middle East-patterned cushions, Asker presented a show of art, passion and activism in the early Sunday hours. The spectacle was taken in by a communal crowd with friends and family — a refreshing departure from the typical curated guest lists of influencers and celebs.

Asker and her peers in the NEWGEN programme – The British Fashion Council’s support initiative for emerging designers – are refining their distinct brand signatures. “In my last collection, the silhouettes and shapes leaned towards traditional Yemeni styles. This time, I’ve infused more streetwear elements into the coats and jackets,” she says, bridging her British and Yemeni roots.

Her clothes fuse sporty, waterproof fabrics with Middle Eastern accents for a signature style that, in her own words, is “clothing inspired by the cultural nuances between intergenerational dressing as a second-generation immigrant.” A floor-length, steel-blue puffer coat, crafted from surplus sportswear fabrics, visually mirrors the modest silhouette of the abaya. Reflecting Kazna Asker’s wide-spanning cross-cultural influences, the coat merges athleisure elements — such as a relaxed fit, black piping, cargo pockets, and elasticated cuffs — with intricately interwoven Middle Eastern geometric patterns printed on silk organza. A floor-trailing nylon cargo skirt incorporates similar paneling techniques. It features an accentuated waist in the form of a red and white keffiyeh — a traditional headdress — draped across it.

Asker merges two very different worlds – Sheffield and Yemen — and explains that her AW24 collection “combines modest, traditional Yemeni dress of thobes, abayas, hijabs, jilbabs and chadors with streetwear synonymous with the North of England.” Despite not being the first designer to present a collection around reworked tracksuits, her intergenerational energy makes it soar.

Focusing on “the space between different generations of immigrants” can be difficult. “Some immigrants I know have told me that when they go back home, to the heart of their heritage, they don’t feel like they belong.”

Midway through the presentation, a woman approaches the crowd wearing a graphic t-shirt reading “What are we fighting for?”. Revealing herself as Asker’s mother, she tells me that her daughter “wanted to bring her grandmother’s living room to London Fashion Week.” It turns out it is a whole family affair: her sister prompts guests to try traditional tea, her brother unveils himself as the man behind the multi-genre playlist, and her extended “family” models the looks. “For me, no one can wear clothes better than those who inspired them in the first place,” says Kazna. “My community members are my muses, so I would rather [have] them wearing the collection.”

Her deep connection with Sheffield-Yemeni community members predates her venturing into fashion. “Community fundraising came first, so combining fundraising and activism with fashion felt very natural,” she says. She’s raised more than £20,000 for charity in recent years and has continuously contributed to community fundraisers and volunteered to support refugees and immigrants, among other causes.

In a bid to make her MA collection designs more accessible, Asker started selling graphic t-shirts, modifying and evolving designs with slogans such as “Watered by one Water”. “My dad sold them in his shop, and began selling them to neighbouring corner shops, which ended up raising a lot of money,” Asker recalls. “I realised then the true scope of the impact my clothes can have, which triggered everything that followed.”

Her AW24 collection has a point to make. “What am I fighting for? I’m fighting for solidarity, togetherness and selflessness,” she declares. All of which feel more urgent than ever in Britain’s increasingly divisive society. “With everything happening in the world right now, I think it’s important that we come together. My goal is to continue storytelling, especially stories of untold voices through fashion, film and photography.”

“Everything is interconnected, fashion doesn’t exist on its own,” she proclaims, reflecting on her multidisciplinary approach and looking to her purpose-driven future. “I’d love to re-imagine a more sincere fashion world.”