Running With Scissors!
One student shows us his Gaga!
They say, only great minds can afford simple style, but that’s not the case of Signor Jester (pronounced sen-yor, as in Mr. in Italian!)! In fact, he’s what we call the complication of fashion, the disease of style and whatever lies underneath leather masks in mid-night allies! So words of simplicity, minimalism and toned down-under dressed don't really cut it for him! So who's queuing down freak-town?
I met with Signor few days before he got back to London, with few mutual friends. Shy as a bird and buzzing around like a bee! He gives away all the wrong impressions! Sitting by himself, channeling through his BB, giving short-cut answers when he’s asked and keeping one tone through the whole night. More tellingly, he strikes off weird, but he grows on you over immediately… Right off again, we met with him the very next day for the shoot, discussing his feature and the layout, his petite best gal and designer Farah Hourani tags along for moral support in ripped leggings and a razor sharp bob! “Black is her color! You’ll rarely see her in other colors than black!” Signor says. Farah felt like chilling, so we slipped into a quiet corner in Jabal Amman’s pub ‘Albums 101’ getting on by ordering something fizzy, eyeing the comers and the goers, keeping our eyes on the pool table and commenting on each other’s outfits.
An hour later, and an entirely different Signor emerged! He finally got loose when he saw us talking vigorously about street style and vintage shops. In person, he’s much less bold, but he got that attitude that is hard to miss in his unaffected outwear! He simply doesn't care! Messier than most and a bit un-earnest! Tussling around in an over sized Gianfranco Ferrè leather jacket which he doesn’t mind, a steal right from his father’s closet “I mean it was hanging there! He wore it once and he doesn’t appreciate a Ferrè! Someone had to do something!” he says. On his hands sits a silver spandex studded finger-ripped hand gloves, designed by his friend Farah, and was worn in the shoot.
I met with Signor few days before he got back to London, with few mutual friends. Shy as a bird and buzzing around like a bee! He gives away all the wrong impressions! Sitting by himself, channeling through his BB, giving short-cut answers when he’s asked and keeping one tone through the whole night. More tellingly, he strikes off weird, but he grows on you over immediately… Right off again, we met with him the very next day for the shoot, discussing his feature and the layout, his petite best gal and designer Farah Hourani tags along for moral support in ripped leggings and a razor sharp bob! “Black is her color! You’ll rarely see her in other colors than black!” Signor says. Farah felt like chilling, so we slipped into a quiet corner in Jabal Amman’s pub ‘Albums 101’ getting on by ordering something fizzy, eyeing the comers and the goers, keeping our eyes on the pool table and commenting on each other’s outfits.
An hour later, and an entirely different Signor emerged! He finally got loose when he saw us talking vigorously about street style and vintage shops. In person, he’s much less bold, but he got that attitude that is hard to miss in his unaffected outwear! He simply doesn't care! Messier than most and a bit un-earnest! Tussling around in an over sized Gianfranco Ferrè leather jacket which he doesn’t mind, a steal right from his father’s closet “I mean it was hanging there! He wore it once and he doesn’t appreciate a Ferrè! Someone had to do something!” he says. On his hands sits a silver spandex studded finger-ripped hand gloves, designed by his friend Farah, and was worn in the shoot.
The 3 of us sat in admiration of each other's work; Farah has already passed the 'beginners' test. Her breakthrough has sought its peak last October for her first cover-feature spread in the Jordanian edition of U magazine, with her famous 'Jordanian hatta, off the shoulder, tulle ruffled top. The two get a along so well, she agrees on something and he'll sit in silence waiting for someone else to disagree to team up with! She's a coltish-case and he's a gold-locked quirky-cool, but they giggle a lot, throwing sentences with 'do you remember when…' and 'what about the time that…', as far as we know, they're fashion-opposites, but the ultimate BFFs. “He was so shy! It was awkward at the beginning, but he soon opened up to me and my family!” Farah said. And even though they agree to disagree, they often spend so much time together brain storming and supporting each other’s designs "Two women I can’t live without, the lovely creature Farah, and my dearest friend Sofia! I cherish them both!" Signor says. “In college we didn’t like each other at first… but then we started to hang out more and share our crazy ideas, wearing our outfits to city centers and clubs. We got along just well”.
(Main pic, up: Sheer Body suite made of stretchy fabric; jacket made out of wool, and took 2 days to complete. Pic, up-right: White jacket made of denim fabric and other materials to stiffen the shoulders, took a day to compelete it. Second pic under: 10 Inches Genuine Leather Heel-Less shoes, took 2 months to craft. Pic, right: A sneak peek into Signor’s new Project, a page from his sketchbook that discusses nudity, lesbianism and death!
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Mohammad, is which the real name behind his fashion-name ‘Signor Jester’ cover, studies fashion and designs in the London College of Fashion where he creates influencing mistakes! And when I asked him who is Signor Jester, he replied: “A fearless creature that eats art and bleed fashion!” which is a one given jesting! “It’s not something that would make any difference, Signor Jester is who I am and what people call me now” he says. He’s the buffoon at medieval courts, emphasizing on the word jester… moreover, what made him go that far? "Fashion ate my heart from a very young age; I used to sit behind the desk for hours pretending that I’m doing my school homework but instead I was drawing garments! So after I graduated from high school my father asked me if I would like to do a Fashion course! And here I am bleeding Fashion!" he says.
"Fashion has no limit, the only limits in life are those that you set yourself... sexuality or masculinity shouldn't matter anymore, just release your inner fierceness!"
Now, a 19-year old fashion design student on the way to reach the ‘Haus of Gaga’, believing the most fulfilling part of his study is “Challenging yourself” as he puts it, Signor plays with scissors running! And what he designs, whether in his dorm room in London or his space in Jordan, are haunting trends, miss-judged and over whelmed pieces, they go against the fashion-norm and exceed what meets the eye! He always comes up with something you’ll eventually wear to a Grace Jones concert after party! "It's eccentric, free and avant-garde… I mean I would wear my snake-leather horns and hit a bar!" you’ll love it. Latex, ripped jersey, and chains are few of what gather in one of Jester’s designs. We're talking about a person who fuels his mind with dark atmospheres, pop music, and some Macarons! "Tradition is very important when it comes to a designer's inspiration, but I don’t refer to it, I would rather create a future image instead of repeating the same thing hundreds of artists did before me! Probably I will change my mind a couple of years from now! But right now I’m inspired by The Future!" he says, he totally comes off misleading, just as his designs, sensing the Gaga, the Rihanna… so how important is masculinity in fashion menswear these days? "Well, menswear is continuously changing every year, it's becoming more interesting and more free I should say. Fashion has no limit; the only limits in life are those that you set yourself! So sexuality or masculinity shouldn’t matter anymore, just release your inner fierceness!" he says, keeping a reminder that he doesn't design for men, only out going crazy outfitters, who're mostly women, and a Gaga solider indeed.
But here he is, steering the conversation into odd places, and did I mention how shy he is? He keeps quiet so well, but he knows when to interrupt, conjuring up a golden glaze. Yet, there’s a clash of backgrounds, Jordan isn’t ready to undergo such statements, and he knows that well. But lesbianism, S&M and see through body suits are few of what adds on to his inspirations, after all he is in his erogenous zone! So how does he carry Jordan with him? "I do take the good stuff from Jordan! But what I do has nothing to do with who you are? Or where you come from? It’s about having individuality and be who ever you want to be!" he says "I just finished my first collection which took me four months to complete and I’m shooting it this week in London. I’m already working on my second project which is inspired by nudity and death! I will express my ideas more into it by doing fashion installations and videos, and new artsy imagery."
For now, Signor is sticking to his own methods, adding and subtracting his artfully crafted ‘put-togethers’, and alongthe way, living the London, the Jordan… and most likely finding him in the exhibitions or hustling around boutiques. And as we’re driving back with Kelis’s tunes playing in the car, I finally asked him what was his plans for Halloween, since he was traveling to London the very next day, meeting a crazed weekend with so much anticipated parties, he smiled, “Every day is Halloween!” he replied, we laughed, knowing exactly what he meant! Never sounding more jester! So Jordanian!
But here he is, steering the conversation into odd places, and did I mention how shy he is? He keeps quiet so well, but he knows when to interrupt, conjuring up a golden glaze. Yet, there’s a clash of backgrounds, Jordan isn’t ready to undergo such statements, and he knows that well. But lesbianism, S&M and see through body suits are few of what adds on to his inspirations, after all he is in his erogenous zone! So how does he carry Jordan with him? "I do take the good stuff from Jordan! But what I do has nothing to do with who you are? Or where you come from? It’s about having individuality and be who ever you want to be!" he says "I just finished my first collection which took me four months to complete and I’m shooting it this week in London. I’m already working on my second project which is inspired by nudity and death! I will express my ideas more into it by doing fashion installations and videos, and new artsy imagery."
For now, Signor is sticking to his own methods, adding and subtracting his artfully crafted ‘put-togethers’, and alongthe way, living the London, the Jordan… and most likely finding him in the exhibitions or hustling around boutiques. And as we’re driving back with Kelis’s tunes playing in the car, I finally asked him what was his plans for Halloween, since he was traveling to London the very next day, meeting a crazed weekend with so much anticipated parties, he smiled, “Every day is Halloween!” he replied, we laughed, knowing exactly what he meant! Never sounding more jester! So Jordanian!
(Gaga inspired. Main feature pictures: Sliver latex studded finger-ripped gloves, and leather chained and feather shoulder pieces both designed by Farah Hourani. Chained-leather mask with holes in them (also worn on the cover), studded hat, and arm-lees Hitler glasses worn with chains, all designed by Signor Jester. Vintage round and armed, double sunglasses worn in the last picture is Jester's own, bought from a thrift shop in London.)