Editors Note: AfghanBuzz.com proudly presents one of the most well known and highly respected Afghan Designers whose currently domiciled in New York city. Despite a very busy schedule and a hectic lifestyle, Waleed Jan helped us put together this page. His drive and passion to help inspire talents within our small Afghan community irradiates from his enthusiasm to let us feature his profile. Sir, your sincere and humble personality, is a source of inspiration to many of us. Your ability to pursue your dreams, from mere fashion streets of France to fame & fortunes of New York is a story of success and courage.

This page is our way of Saying - Thank You for being a great role model !

Biography:

WALEED KHAIRZADA – Fashion Designer ( 2008 )

Waleed Khairzada was born in Kabul , Afghanistan . His father, Faiz Khairzada, served as the Deputy Minister of Culture of Afghanistan and the Director of the National Theater and Afghan Films, and his mother, Kamuran Emek Khairzada, was born in Istanbul and made her career as a Turkish diplomat. Growing up in the city of Kabul , with many artists, writers, poets and intellectuals passing through on a regular basis, gave Khairzada and his sister a great exposure to the arts, music and culture. The family emigrated to Seattle , Washington after the Soviet occupation , then moved to Northern New Jersey . Khairzada eventually settled in New York City, where he lives and works, and he remains deeply inspired by the richness of his Afghani heritage. Khairzada became interested in fashion at an early age, and his parents helped arrange for him to meet with Bill Blass at the age of 16. He subsequently attended fashion schools in New York and Paris , completing design internships at various fashion houses. His first job was at Harve Benard, where he remained for 15 years, ultimately in the role of Design Director. While at Harve Benard, Khairzada had the creative freedom to explore another passion, music, and he soon began working as a DJ for Susanne Bartsch. In addition, he collaborated on projects with other artists and fashion designers and reported for various fashion publications and websites. It was during these highly creative and productive years that Khairzada began to seriously consider opening his own design company. In 2004, with backing from an investor, he founded NAUM, a vehicle for merging futuristic technologies with luxury fashion. NAUM’s debut collection landed the cover of WWD and garnered raves from the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, Style.com, and many others. The label has been profiled in all the world’s leading fashion magazines, including W, Elle, Italian Vogue, Soma, Flaunt, O Oprah Winfrey, Sleek, Gotham, to name a few. NAUM also received the prestigious Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award in 206. In December 2006, Khairzada was offered the role of Creative Director at CYNTHIA STEFFE following the departure of the brand’s namesake designer. He brings a fresh approach to the feminine aesthetic of CYNTHIA STEFFE, one of America ’s leading contemporary fashion lines which has been featured in the pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, In Style, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure and many others, and has graced the cover of WWD numerous times. The clothing is available in the finest specialty stores worldwide. Jessica Biel, Drew Barrymore, Sophia Bush, Jennifer Hudson, Hillary Duff, Kristen Bell, Jessica Simpson, Debra Messing, Teri Hatcher and Natalie Morales are all fans of the collection.

Recent Work by Waleed Khairzada

Waleed Khairzada Creative Director @ Cynthia Steffe

Review by ELLE MAGAZINE:

A quick read of Naum's press notes confirmed that designers Waleed Khairzada and Julia Jentzsch are still focused on high-tech textiles: materials described included "antibacterial cotton" and a scary-sounding combination of wool and Lycra with a "paraffin temperature-control system." Those notes also indicated that the designers have let some color into their somber, futuristic world—purple, green, and "Yves Klein blue," to be precise. Despite that welcome dash of levity, however, black was the basis of the designers' second outing, which had a Donna Karan/Thierry Mugler eighties feel. Khairzada and Jentzsch are less interested in trends than in clothes that work, via fabric technology and quality construction. But their fall collection also works in another way, with a range of office-friendly pieces. A white cotton shirt worn under a gabardine dress updated Karan's "easy pieces" ideal, and color made suits look both feminine and professional. Khairzada and Jentzsch are talented tailors, but at times the severity of their clothes verges on Blade Runner territory (all those leather inserts on the inner arm). Pleated pants were overly voluminous, but two draped jersey dresses showed a softer side to Naum, a label still forging its identity.

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