We’re looking forward to introducing you to Naz Meknat. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Naz, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day starts with taking my Puppy, Oliver, for a short walk. Then I prepare his food and feed him before I make my own breakfast. Then I start looking at all the emails that have come through, prioritize which ones need immediate attention and reply to as many as I can before I have to leave my house for meetings and appointments with clients.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I was a celebrity stylist and a luxury personal shopper for about 15 years, dressing clients for red carpets, press junkets, photoshoots, and all kinds of events and appearances. Also shopping for their everyday wardrobe and plan their looks.
In January 2024, I accepted a position as the Head of Public Relations for the Italian luxury brand Isaia.
I’ve been collaborating with Isaia for years during my styling days and often dressed my clients in their beautiful suits, which landed many of them on the “Best Dressed” lists. So, when the position became available and the company approached me, I decided to take on the role and step onto the other side of fashion and styling.
In my new role as Isaia’s PR contact, I manage a variety of responsibilities, from organizing events and parties, to traveling to every boutique in our North America market for trunk shows, training and special events, to collaborating with stylists to dress their clients in Isaia and connecting with new clientele.
Recently, Isaia introduced a women’s line to complement its already successful men’s collection, which has been established for decades. My main priority now is to introduce this women’s line to our clients and engage the female clientele. This has been an exciting yet challenging part of my job since the collection is exclusive and not yet advertised or featured on our website.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
When I was about 5 or 6 years old, I would watch the neighborhood boys around my age playing soccer on our street during summer days. I loved the sport and I was decent at it, however the boys wouldn’t let any girls join the team. So I decided to get a buzz cut and chose a boy name, went to the boy who seemed to be the leader of the team, introduced myself as a boy and insisted on playing with them. Although, they were not fooled by my little scheme they let me take a goalie position within the team.
That was that moment I learned that I am a very determined and persistent person. It made me feel empowered.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I stopped hiding my past, the struggles, the battles, and everything I had to overcome to survive, when I decided to write my memoir, “7000 Miles to Freedom”.
Sharing my story and opening up about my life showed me just how much strength I truly have. I was hesitant to share my life story and past with the world. I didn’t want to be judged or looked at as a victim.
After publishing the book, I started receiving messages from women all over the world, congratulating me for speaking openly about the experiences so many of us as women are taught not to talk about and to be ashamed of. Hearing how deeply my story resonated with others made me realize the true power of sharing your truth, even the parts of your life that feel the darkest.
I understood then, that I was never truly alone in hiding my pain. And I also learned that the truth carries incredible power. Writing and releasing my book didn’t just tell my story, it set me free. I realized I am a survivor not a victim and that’s something worth remembering.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely. I don’t know how to be anyone else. Specially after my book came out and my life became public, I learned that living authentically and being unapologetically your true self is so liberating. It also comes with age and experience, you just become more comfortable in your own skin. It took me a very long time to get here, but I made it.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
When I am in nature. Nothing else in the world matters when you are surrounded by the peace and the beauty of nature. Connecting with earth, sit in quiet and just take in the beauty that is out there when you leave the hustle and bustle of the city, try to keep up with everything and everyone, knowing you’re safe, nature doesn’t judge, doesn’t lie, it’s just there for you to embrace it and bring you back to the core of the real person you are, when you leave the modern world behind, and just breath, that brings me ultimate joy and peace to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @naz_meknat
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stylebynaz/
