We all know the saying, ‘do what you love, love what you do’. Although we’ve grown up to become so accustomed to shelving this notion and to ‘just hunker down and do it’, we’re seeing more people embrace this ideology. And they are far happier for doing so. For Farah Assaad, this meant ditching her predicted path and going for something entirely different.

We asked the London College of Fashion certified Art Director and Stylist what she does when she’s not working, and she laughingly explained that “It’s kind of the other way around, as when I’m not having fun creating, I question what I do with my free time.” For Farah, having fun and working hard go hand in hand, and while she does appreciate the down time to relax and enjoy her time with family and friends, she’s devoted her time to furthering her career creating incredible fashion campaigns, taking on editorial styling projects, art directing, creating concepts to consulting on branding projects. This young go-getter is already making waves on our socials, with her work appearing in British Vogue, and collaborating with high-end brands like Dior. Her vision is never trend driven, and she strongly believes that it will never be so, “I prefer to create based on the way I feel and dress myself, my work, and other people accordingly.”

While Farah enjoys a great, and highly engaged following on social media, she actually considers herself quite the introvert. She explained, “With all the people I meet because of my job and because of my social media, people tend to think of me as a social butterfly, but the reality is quite the opposite.” She still takes two steps back when introducing herself to new people, and would rather expend her energy and focus on the amazing work that she is doing. From local to international brands, Farah finds joy in every project that she takes on.
We asked the remarkable fashion specialist if she’d always been interested in the field, and we found her views on the industry quite fascinating, “Believe it or not, my interest was very recent. I always felt that working in fashion required you to somehow become accustomed to being judged by appearances, whether it was your body image (being a model, as beauty has its own defintion in the fashion industry) and the clothes you wore (if it’s not designer then it’s not good enough) and that goes against what I believe. People should be judged by morals in general. But when I discovered editorial fashion, I fell in love with everything that it represented. Fashion became a form of self expression and another form of art where I got to express my true inner thoughts, dreams and artistic expression.”

The other form of art which Farah is referring to is her experience studying interior architecture. She always believed that she would come back from university and work in the field, but life has its serendipitous way of creating new paths, and new beginnings, to which Farah feels very thankful for. When she gained her online certification from LCF, she credits her teacher for the push she gave her, and even helped connect Farah with renowned photographers, “She believed in me with all her heart, which made me even more determined to prove her right.”
A typical day for fabulous Farah is actually never typical, “What makes my work so enjoyable is that every day is different and exciting,” she added, “but I’d say the thing my days have in common is interacting and creating with creative and beautiful minds. I enjoy meeting so many creative people in Kuwait and I am so pleased to know that there is an abundance of talent, even some that are undiscovered. Each person I’ve worked with has taught me different things and inspired me in many ways.”

Farah is continuously inspired by nature, people, cities and countries, sunrises and sunsets, oceans and skies, “everything fascinates and inspires me, even the things people see as mundane and take for granted on a daily basis,” she said, “if you look a little closer, and take a little longer doing that, you’ll get inspired too.” She dreams to collaborate with Abdullah Elmaz, and considers his work an even greater inspiration, “I’m already manifesting this collaboration!”, Farah laughingly added, “but in all seriousness, having someone from the Arab world with such a talent and having made a name for himself with so many international brands is incredible. I’ve followed his journey from the very start and how he evolved as an artist and hoping I’d do the same, as he truly made me believe that if you’re determined to make it, you will.”

TRUTH OR DARE QUESTIONNAIRE
How would your mother describe you in one word?
I’d say free-spirited (is that one word? Lol).
How would you describe your mother in one word?
Everything.
What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
Quitting my job as a manger and starting from nothing to pursue what I do now.
What is your theme song?
Don’t worry, be happy.
What word in the English or Arabic language do you wish you had invented?
Serendipity.
Where would you like to live?
Anywhere my family is.
What is your dream retirement location?
Spain.
What is the first famous quote that comes to your mind?
It always seems impossible, until it’s done.
Which animal best describes your perfect partner, be it in business, or in life?
Love this question! Definitely a dog(loyal, loving and pure).
What animal best describes your personality?
A dolphin (loving, energetic and spontaneous)
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I actually really like my name, maybe I’d change it to its English form “joy”.
What is the toughest part of your character?
My determination.
Who’s your fashion icon from history?
Princess Diana.
What do you think is lacking in the world, which [if there were more of it would make the world a better place?
Love, and acceptance.
Why do you think most people who do, like you?
I think that would be my bubbly nature.
Finish this sentence: “Happiness is…”
A state of mind. A cliché, but it really is.

For more information, check out @farahforeall and @byfarahforeal on Instagram.