Excerpts:

"I met Zille Huma in the summer of 2019. We were co-habitants in the original and last remaining women’s-only tenant building in New York City. At the time, I was working at an organization examining the correlations between fashion and human rights. Zille was working on her debut collection after graduating with her Masters of Fine Arts in Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design in New York City.Our love for all things fashion, especially our dedication to ethical and slow fashion, brought us together instantly. What made our friendship special was not the late-night strolls to the Hudson or all the dal chawal (lentils and rice) meals we shared at Taco Mahal; it was a belief in each other; we had dreams, and I believed Zille would accomplish all hers and more. Zille also entertained my world-domination fantasies. We were two Pakistani women running around the city chasing our dreams together. Since that summer, I witnessed Zille’s debut collection, which was incredibly sexy in juxtaposition to her modest demeanor. The collection was also featured in Vogue. Afterward, Zille returned to Lahore to launch her own brand Xile. I had the opportunity to pick her brain about her upcoming collection."

"Xile, as a label, brings together cultures and identities believed as impossible to co-exist. Zille Huma, through her lived experiences and craft, has taken a sledgehammer to the social constructs rejecting duality. Xile is a nuanced and intricate celebration of shared identity. 

Read full interview at Modest here

View Zille Huma's work here