Shoes and literature are Najeeba Hayat's two passions. She named her brand after her favorite protagonist, Liudmila Rutilova, a character from The Petty Demon, the novel by Russian author Fyodor Sologub. During her years at the University of Wesleyan in Connecticut, Hayao spent her nights drawing shoes for characters from books or her imagination. A true enthusiast, the designer knows the styles on the runway like the back of her hand and draws inspiration from literary depictions of clothing to create her own designs. In 2013, right after her graduation, Najeeba left the United-States for Italy, settling in Milan where she launched her brand. Her designs have finally come to life: made in Italy and and inspired by princesses, be they Disney or Victorian, her creations are the embodiment of extravagant luxury.
What was your first aesthetic crush?
Stereotypical but it was honestly the Marchesa Casati. I was twelve and all I wanted was to live that kind of glittery, feathery, furry psychodrama (without the left-penniless-on-deathbed part.)
Where's the last place you travelled to that inspired you?
Sicily. Sicily is my greatest love and endlessly inspiring to me. It's a layered cake of history; conquest after conquest is compressed in the buildings, in the style of dress, in the language, in the food and even in the attitude of its people. Faded colour, strong colour, flashing lights, bright fruit, crystal sea, loud noises, interminable waits! They all live together in a riot of emotion; it's a heady fantasyland. One can learn much about how to live well from the Sicilians.
How did you find your vocation?
All roads led back to shoes. I kept drawing them all over my textbooks, when I couldn't sleep, I was a girl possessed. After not too long of a deliberation my senior year of University, I decided to go for it.
Which woma(e)n inspire(s) you the most?
My mother, Angela Merkel, JK Rowling. I admire women who are compassionate yet stick to their guns and who have big imaginations.
The film that speaks the most to your aesthetic is:
Aunty Mame
Your favourite fictional character is:
Neville Longbottom because he proved himself in the end
The last Liudmila collection in three words:
Linoleum. Tenenbaum. Victoriana.
Which was your favorite piece from your latest collection, and why?
It was and always will be my Mademoiselle Hortense boot. It was carryover from my PS17 collection (named after a murderous nanny from Dickens) that I redid in a block heel and stretch leather. It hugs the ankles extra-tight and perfect. The lace up is small and contained and the buckles tiny and round. It's the exact distillation of my brand identity: drama, small contained shape and fantasy for every day.
What do you think are the main stakes and challenges for the young designers?
Money is always going to be the biggest challenge. Fashion a high risk business that doesn't invite a lot of investment in the beginning. The amount young designers have to spend (and this has increased tenfold in the social media age) to just get noticed, let alone gain buyers' confidence, is absurd. The market is quite saturated and social media is skewing the game. These are tough times but one hopes that great product and not just empty hype will win out in the end.
If you could live in any era, when would you choose and why?
This one. I would say the Nineties or the Victorian era but honestly it's never been better to be a woman than right now. Onward and upward.
