Every once in a while in a fashion designer’s lifetime, there’s a need for a refresh. A pause. For Emirati designer Nasser Mohammad Al Midfa, it came a year after he released his second collection for his edgy menswear label Naz Cannon.
Early in 2012, Al Midfa decided to put the brakes on his fledgling label, despite having earned praise for his dark and sometimes androgynous take on fashion, and travel the world.
“There were so many things going on in my life. I had many personal issues and decided I needed a break,” says the Sharjah-born designer.
Al Midfa travelled to 23 countries in the ensuing months, including eight times to Tokyo, his favourite city. He also worked hard on himself, he says, and lost a whopping 85kgs in the process.
And now that he’s back to his first love, he says the much-needed breather has given him a fresh perspective and many inspirations.
For the brand new Naz Cannon, Al Midfa returns to his limited palette of blacks and whites, but with a much more refined silhouette. Using predominantly jersey, each item from his 15-piece collection, he says, is relatable to the other.
“Previously, it was more random. Now, they have a structured feel, and they flow… more like a story,” he says.
Inspired by futuristic gladiators, Al Midfa says every piece in the collection has a bit of him. “They are clothes I would wear. Maybe not here in the UAE, but somewhere in Europe, and definitely Tokyo,” he says, laughing.
He says he’s also decided to bypass the retailers this time and sell items directly through social media.
“Local retailers are hungry tigers,” he says. “They have really little interest in helping local designers. It’s all about maximising their profits. They’d gladly buy from designers abroad where the label gets all the profit from the sale. But when it comes to local designers, they double the price, and that discourages potential customers.”
Pieces from Naz Cannon’s collection range from Dh300 to Dh850 and are available by order only, delivered within four working days in the UAE.
A Sharjah government employee, Al Midfa says his day job continues to support his full-time passion. And with designers such as John Galliano, Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens and Alexander McQueen as his inspirations, he says he is well aware his designs are not for everyone.
“We don’t have any designers, especially Emirati, do this kind of thing here,” he says. “But that’s why it’s so much fun.”
