The phenomenon of technology taking an increasingly larger role within the fashion industry is not new, it has permeated every aspect of the industry from production, supply chain, distribution, or marketing and communications to cite only those. With the development of Web3, the Metaverse, and the expansion of blockchain technology, the industry is likely to rely even more on digitalization. Beyond a tool to empower business as it currently is, it is poised to become part of the brand identity for some luxury brands. Many brands, like Jacquemus, heavily rely on technology, having no physical presence and a masterfully crafted digital communication, but technology is not advertised as such, quite the opposite, it is a tool at the service of a unique craftsmanship for a brand advertising its inspirations from the natural world as opposed to the digital one.
The new wave of brands that are appearing, are likely to put digital assets at par with physical ones, relying on creating a digital world able to evolve and thrive of its own, even if at the service of the physical luxury goods. Akram NYC is one of those brands. Focusing on delivering high quality exclusive luxury clothes, Adil Akram, the founder, has a background in technology and aims at challenging the established rules within the luxury industry. I caught up with him and discussed what led him to launch his label, how his previous experience influences his current decisions and what he sees for his brand in the future.
Marion Abou: What pushed you to quit your job at Meta and pursue this opportunity?
Adil Akram: Reaching Meta was not driven by passion, growing up, my immigrant parents focused on me having a solid career. My whole life I thought I loved math, but it was only because I was good at it and forced to do it. Even applying for college, I went to NYU Stern because of the opportunities and transferable skills keeping things open. I realized finance was not my thing, my dad works in tech and I ended up recruiting in the industry, landing Facebook. It was exactly what I wanted at the time, the prestige, the pay, the role, the work life balance. It is among the best places one can work, they take care of employees and I ended up working on the AR/VR things that I liked. I found that it was very milestone based, and that I was not excited to do it.
The breaking point was Covid and reaching some success at Facebook, I was promoted and thinking what is next. Combined with Covid, it started an existential crisis about my purpose. The other thing, which is a strong undercurrent in my life, was my immigrant parents’ support. They came with nothing and worked hard to make it and give me a better life. This led me to consider what impact I could have with my career and the chances I was given. Against all expectations, my dad pushed me to quit when it came down to choosing to stay at Meta or leaving to do Akram full time as it was taking off. I took it as a blessing.
MA: What is the inspiration behind your brand?
AA: I was always passionate about fashion, it was key to my survival in America as an immigrant. Fashion has always been a driver and a way of expressing my uniqueness. I want to do something bigger, more impactful that does justice to people not in my position but who would kill to be. I had the opportunity to start my own thing with the support of my parents and feel very fortunate for it. There are not a lot of Southeast Asians in fashion in the West. There is an emphasis on China but not India and Southeast Asia. I wanted to bring that piece to create a cool, interesting and culturally relevant brand in the West.
The second driver therefore is representation while speaking to a larger audience at the same time becoming part of pop culture. Even if I remain niche for the moment, I want the opposite, I want to speak to a larger audience interested in culture, fashion and technology while creating something truly new. I have faith and confidence in myself and my ability to identify up and coming emerging talents, to choose pieces people seem to universally like. Additionally, knowing the difference between high and low quality, through trial and error, I am able to produce the best quality products at a reasonable price. I do feel some of the price tags for cotton t-shirts have reached excessive amounts in the luxury industry. I want to create more accessible top-notch products.
Also, in fashion, most of the time, we do not hear about innovation in terms of materials. I want to see more high tech pieces like LED glasses. It is not the same rate of innovation as other industries. Machinery and technology are opportunities and have the potential, if done right, to boost the prestige of fashion. It is justifiable to pay for innovation and top of class,but not for manufactured scarcity or exclusivity. On the other hand, young brands trying to do volume are also missing the point. For Akram, it is about quality over quantity. We are not trying to sell printed t-shirts, but we are trying to make the absolute best thing at every level. From materials to finishing touches and every detail down the line.
MA: What is your definition of luxury?
AA: Anything that is beyond necessary. First, it has to be exclusive, or has features, a story that is hard or impossible to replicate. For clothing, Telfar, Marine Serre, work with limited runs and unique designs that are hard to get, but it comes down to the innovation aspect, the unique technique and design. And eventually, what else you will be able to do with your garments.
MA: What are the main creative figures that inspire you? What are the main luxury fashion business figures?
AA: Virgil Abloh from everything from being a brand new inspiration as a fashion outsider, to opening a store in Milan and making it to Louis Vuitton. Demna from Balenciaga, Haider Ackermann is a real design inspiration with his ability to twist a classic piece with some flair and minimal elements.
MA: Everything is sold out on your website, is it to sustain exclusivity?
AA: I actually planned a conservative number of pieces, it is a huge cost to manufacture but I would rather make a couple of amazing pieces than a lot of money, especially at the beginning as I am building my presence and brand identity.
MA: You also have a very minimalistic website, are you trying to cultivate discretion?
AA: It was a purposeful, but also a sad decision I had to make. I needed the products to work and had no time to do the website perfectly right. I have not had the time to go back to it but it is planned before the next launch. I want information about myself and the brand but mainly about the products and the materials, where they are from. I want it to be more informational than promotional. I treat Instagram as a content page, it is minimalist and I do not want it to be a selling space. There is no value in posting the same pictures as what is online on my website, that is why I have videos and VR posts.
MA: Who is the Akram customer?
AA: It is for everyone, yes, minorities but not only. It is for the informed customer, really into fashion, sustainability aware and who wants pieces for life. Someone focused on buying the best thing with the money they have, so a conscious and design forward person.
MA: What is your personal relationship with tech, and your brand? How do you feel about NFTs in the luxury industry and blockchain at large? How do you see it potentially serving your brand?
AA: It is a natural love story as tech is a big part on my life, I am a gamer and love the limitless creative potential, yes there is huge creativity in designing clothes, doing make up and hair, but tech can truly display products beyond material limitations, it can help solve budget constraints, there is so much room even just visually, it is a medium where anything is possible. We can flex and explore passions with technology. I also think people spend a huge amount of time scrolling through their feeds, so brands need to think about what is going to make them stop. There is less and less photography.
The ability to attract all these different online and offline communities depends on answering the demand for more intrigue in terms of storytelling, and the ability to entice more curiosity through digital channels. One of the biggest pieces is money and budget to get more into the metaverse. I cannot have a whole team dedicated to the blockchain ecosystem yet, but I will be getting the ball rolling, signaling is a priority for the brand, as much as in real life, establishing that kind of digital identity is critical. Furthermore, I want to do it right to make my community enjoy all the benefits of these new technologies and especially the revenue sharing potential of NFTs.
MA: What is your next big project?
AA: Climbing the ladder of producing high quality products, I am working on hand engraved precious stones and I want to be more than streetwear and solidify my positioning into luxury. The digital aspect is the second most important. The website is going through a major overhaul. My main goal is to keep releasing, dropping really often. Things are in the pipeline, sterling-silver straws as I am exploring going into different categories. I am trying to see what is going to catch people’s attention.
MA: Where do you see Akram in 5 years? 10 years?
AA: Either it will not exist or be bigger than Casablanca, at least in terms of recognition. I want to create an excitement factor.
mabou 