Nadia & Zehra Mustafa

Photographed By Marshall Heritage

HOW DOES ENGLAND AND ITALY FEATURE IN YOUR LIVES?
We were born and brought up in London. We moved to Italy to attend Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design & Marketing in Florence. When we finished the four year course (one year foundation course and three years Fashion Design course) we moved back to London for a year to start our label Nadia + Zehra. Now we’re based in Bologna, Italy as all our clothes are Made in Italy and our producer and distributor, Angela Mele has her showroom and shop, Angela Mele Milano, there.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PORTRAYAL OF TWINS IN “THE SHINING” AND “AMERICAN HORROR STORY”, AND DID YOU WEAR MATCHING OUTFITS GROWING UP?
We think it’s pretty cool how twins are portrayed. Obviously it’s freaky to have two identical girls staring at you. We didn't really wear matching outfits that much when we were younger while our parents dressed us as they didn't want to get confused, but as soon as we could start to dress ourselves we would match everything up for fun.

HOW DO PEOPLE TELL YOU APART?
It’s quite easy to tell us apart, one of us is a little taller than the other.

WHAT’S THE BEST EVIDENCE THAT PROVES A TELEPATHIC PSYCHIC CONNECTION EXISTS BETWEEN TWINS?
All we can say about this is; if you know, you know.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME FASHION DESIGNERS?
We were always very creative growing up. We had a strong interest in art and fashion from a young age. The older we got the more intrigued we got. We took the fashion route knowing that we could link art into fashion, which you can see through our collections so far.

WHAT’S THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND YOUR BRAND (BESIDES FLIPPING THE BIRD TO WHAT PEOPLE THINK)?
The philosophy behind our brand is simple; “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a fuck.” We want people who wear Nadia + Zehra to feel confident, free and expressive.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU AND DO YOU ALWAYS AGREE ON EVERYTHING?
When it comes to picking a theme for a new collection we always start of by saying random adjectives which will then lead into something much more amusing. We’ve not been in the dilemma where we haven't agreed yet.

HOW DO YOU SELECT THE MATERIALS YOU USE?
We select what materials we use through research.

WHAT KIND OF MOMENT ARE WE HAVING? 
Duende.

LESS OR MORE?
More.