“Making things I don’t want to buy” is the caption of Elias Faizi’s latest Instagram reel. In it, the young designer rips references from a Chrome Hearts bag, replacing the brand’s signature cross motifs with Islamic calligraphy scrawled across black leather. Now viral, the bag has been listed on his online store, along with various other pieces: some with similar Islamic motifs, others cut, washed, and heavily (heavily) distressed.

This is the kind of rough, DIY approach he’s taken ever since he got his first sewing kit back in 2020. “I had just graduated from high school, and there were a lot of clothes I wanted, but I had no money and no way of getting them. I couldn’t buy Dior straight out of the aisle, so I was just kind of trying to make the designs myself,” he says, calling on the way to his Alameda studio, just outside Oakland.

While he eventually chose to study a Sociology degree at UCLA, he continued to work on fashion projects. He connected with a loose network of young designers, many of whom, like him, were self-taught and working outside of the formal fashion industry. He and his friends, including Kyle Cole, the founder of Ends Repair, began experimenting with distressed denim, reconstructed garments and archive references drawn from Japanese labels such as Undercover and Kapital.

“We found a really good niche copying and reworking those styles,” explains Faizi, recalling a whole series based on Undercover denim, back when prices of the originals were peaking at $10,000 on Grailed. From there, the designer moved into making balaclavas, oversized fur backpacks, and an expanding collection of handmade pieces produced entirely in his studio.

As those fabric scraps and ongoing experiments fill the background of his Zoom frame, we speak to the designer about his DIY beginnings, where he pulls his references from, and his relationship with posting online.

Can you recall an early interest in fashion?

Elias Faizi: One of my friends in high school was selling distressed denim back in like 2015, and at the time, it seemed like the coolest thing in the world to me. I had no clue how to do it, and every time I tried, I’d mess it up. Eventually, figuring that out is what helped me start making Undercover-style denim later on. Shout out to that guy.

Do you think not having formal training actually helped you creatively?

Elias Faizi: Definitely. We don’t follow this formal process that can limit people. If we’re making something with the illusion of detail, maybe the construction isn’t perfect, but visually it gives the effect we want. A lot of people limit themselves because something didn’t come out perfectly. They think they can’t sell it or show it. But if you like looking at it, if it inspires you, then why not make it? I’ve done a lot of projects where I only like one segment of it, and I never finish the whole thing, but I still keep them because there’s something in there I connect with.

Did you have a grail piece growing up?

Elias Faizi: Honestly, I didn’t really get into clothes until I was around 17, so I was super late. Most of my grails are older pieces. I don’t really see newer things as grails yet because they haven’t stood the test of time. A lot of stuff right now feels trendy, and that’s something I want to avoid in my own work. I want to make things that visually last. Older Margiela and Raf Simons pieces are definitely grails to me.

You wake up tomorrow, and the fashion industry has disappeared. What are you retraining as?

Elias Faizi: When I was a kid, I wanted to play soccer, but I don’t think I could just sub out into that. Honestly, I dream to not work.

What are you working on right now?

Elias Faizi: I just finished a bunch of orders for the bags I’ve been making. I never really did a proper release. One of my recent videos just happened to do really well, so now I want to properly promote the bags and let people know they’re available.

Eventually, I want to build small collections, but I don’t like releasing too many things at once. Since I make every single item myself, if I suddenly got loads of orders, I wouldn’t be able to handle it all.

Do you really make every order yourself?

Elias Faizi: Yeah. I like that I’m touching every piece and making sure everything is exactly how I want it. I’ve had people try to help me before, but I get anxious watching them work because it’s not exactly how I’d do it. I need to either find a manufacturer I really trust or learn to let people help more.

That’s a lot of studio time. What tracks do you listen to while creating?

Elias Faizi: It changes constantly. Sometimes I listen to classical music because it’s calming and puts me into this creative mindset where I feel like I’m in rich, old France or something. Then I’ll switch to rap. I listen to a lot of Lucki. After a while, it all starts sounding the same, though, so eventually I’ll just put a movie on. Usually, every studio session ends with a movie playing.

Do you have a mantra you live by creatively?

Elias Faizi: Don’t take it too seriously. Whenever I take making things too seriously, I stop enjoying it, and the work gets worse. It starts feeling like survival instead of creativity. I’m very prone to overwhelming myself, so I try to keep everything as low-stress as possible.

When do you feel most creative?

Elias Faizi: It hits me randomly. Sometimes it’ll be at the worst possible moment, when I have no way of jotting the idea down. I’ll be hiking, and just think: shit, I need to remember this.

What’s your relationship with the internet and posting your work online?

Elias Faizi: I’m trying to get better at it. Everyone around me says that’s my biggest drawback. I spend all this time making things, and then I’ll post once and disappear. I don’t really like being perceived too much. It gets overwhelming when loads of people are commenting on you – but I’m trying.

Is there anyone you’d love to see wearing your designs?

Elias Faizi: If I could get Lamine Yamal into some clothes, that would be insane.

Head here to shop all of Elias Faizi’s designs