January 20, 2017

Meet San Fernando Valley Fashion Designer & Illustrator: Nahrin Maxey

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nahrin Maxey.

Nahrin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Creation in many forms has been as natural as breathing to me since the day I put crayon to paper and played in my mother’s closet styling outfits with accessories as a tiny tot.

After working as a designer in the fashion industry, I noticed that some of my best designs would get rejected in favor of doing what’s “trendy” rather than take a chance on fresh new ideas, which felt stifling and very unfulfilling as a designer but above all, I felt not taking risks showed an ultimate lack of vision. Some of the best designers in history have been those bold enough to do what no one else would do, and it doesn’t have to be “crazy.” Just going against the tide!

So here I decided to do what I love full-time by creating my brand the HAUS of NAHRIN to design and craft handmade pieces with the ultimate care for detail and craftsmanship. Items I feel are missing in the current market and have a specialness to them because of the artisan’s touch. 🙂

Has it been a smooth road?
It has been a bumpy road filled with roadblocks that you have to punch through with sheer passion and tenacity. For example, just being an entrepreneur is a tough venture and risky, but if you have a plan to go along with a strong and clear vision, what’s left is to hustle like you’ve got a fire under your butt because you’re gonna need a lot of elbow grease and late hours to make things happen… and in the end it’ll be all worth it!

Tell us about your childhood, what were you like growing up?
I was bullied a lot in school growing up and being a different ethnicity made it easy to be prey I guess, so I was painfully shy with my nose in every amazing fantasy book I could find, and I would express myself with art, going into my mother’s closet styling outfits, and playing classical piano… when no one was looking.

Is there a specific memory from when you were younger that you really miss?
My mom picking me up from a particularly bad day at elementary school, surprising me with a bag of all the latest Power Ranger toys!!!! It was a dream come true! My mom has always been the most special person to me aside from my husband. My brother and I were raised by a single mother who struggled a great deal to take care of us… so on the super rare occasion, that she would do something like that, it would mean the world to me. Something I have always appreciated.

So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
Well, right now I’m in the works to develop a handbag line and small leather goods, which I hope to be launching sometime very soon! So stay tuned!

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