NATA Studio is Based in Beirut Lebanon & Madrid Spain. It is a slow fashion brand that was Founded by Nathalie Saad in 2018. NATA Studio offers Urban chic ready to wear clothing for Women & Men. It defines itself through stories related to social issues and merges the melancholy of a movement with the spirit of artistic bliss.
NATA wants to bring back the value and quality in clothing by producing a limited amount of pieces and using high quality materials. It is more than a product, it is a piece that embodies a moment through time, a story that can be passed on and shared.
Nathalie Saad studied Fashion Design at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. The program was in Collaboration with London College of Fashion and Elie Saab. After Graduating, She pursued multiple internships one being at Elie Saab. Before establishing her Label she traveled to Barcelona to study at IED for a postgraduate program in Product Management.
CREDITS: Photography @anxophotography Styling @mininuria Gallery @galeriafernandopradilla Model/s @amalboustany_ @anissia_boustany
A CONVERSATION WITH NATHALIE SAAD
Describe yourself as a creative and how your label was born?
I was always drawn to the artistic and creative field. My interest in fashion started at a really young age, I used to cut up old t-shirts and create some pieces with old clothes for close friends. I loved the notion that an idea in my mind could end up being physically worn by someone. I guess this is when the idea of going into fashion came to be. After completing my study in the field and interning in a couple of fashion houses, I established my own brand.
How do you manage the creativity process exactly as it’s really challenging nowadays in fashion industry?
I mostly get inspired by whatever is happening all around me and in society at the given moment. I start with the main subject and idea that keeps on popping up in my mind and create a theme around it. Then I start with research and inspirations. I always incorporate art with the theme of my collection. For example, Our newest collection “ROOTS” reflects on the detachment we created as humans with ourselves and nature. We tried to create a collection that exhibits calmness, beauty and playfulness to contrast the fast, anxious life that the majority of people live in everyday.
What is the most challenging issue in promoting your own label ?
The most challenging issue in promoting our label would be finding the right platform and constancy but most of all it goes down to an issue of budget as well. As we are a young emerging brand we do not have the same budget for promotion as other established fashion houses.
What’s the main impact of social media in both ways, buying and brand marketing?
I think social media plays an enormous role nowadays in the success of your brand. It is the main platform for exposure, credibility and brand image. It helps in growing your audience as well as collaborate with new people.
How do you manage to choose your models in order to spread better the diversity issue through your label?
Since we established our brand we love to work with people that have interesting looks and aesthetic, we feel they give so much character to the clothes. We don’t usually go for a specific look but we are definitely more inclined to work with models that have character or atypical, interesting looks.
What do you think is the biggest challenge regarding your work?
The biggest challenge would be to stay consistent in what we offer, stay up to date with the fashion industry and try to expand our brand in a harmonious way.
How do you think your label can play an important role in your daily client’s life?
We want our client to feel comfortable, special and confident while wearing a NATA product. We work one on one with a seamstress, our embroidery, prints and fabric manipulation are handmade and done in house, each collection has a story. We want the client to feel that the product is specially made for them and that they are now sharing a part of our brand with the world.
What do you think about the opportunity of selling your pieces online nowadays?
Selling on online platforms has made the contact between our brand and the world easier. We think that it is a great opportunity to sell online especially this year with COVID-19, online platforms has kept our business alive through the pandemic.
Imagine that you must write a letter to your FUTURE SELF. What would you write?
I would tell her that I am working on our dream and will not give up no matter what. The challenges and bumps that will come up are learning curves and that we already accomplished so much we thought wasn’t possible that I am sure the future holds amazing things for our brand.
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