How SVD Mixes Cultures. Interview With Asher Abdul Rahiman

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by Sophie She

How SVD Mixes Cultures. Interview With Asher Abdul Rahiman

23 May 2024

You have heard this brand name so many times, there are not enough numbers in the world to count. Yes, we are talking about SVD, which you could have read about here, here, here, and here (please read things as if you are listing something in your head). But what is the legendary sivasdescalzo actually about? What are the goals and obstacles of such a global brand?

Herewith, together with our friend Asher Abdul Rahiman, Creative and Brand Director, we are to explore the behind-the-scenes of SVD and unmask their intentions in how they are planning to conquer the world.

On the last note, you will definitely love the way the hero of today thinks, so don’t forget to check out his tips for you this summer.

— Kicking off with a question for those who might not know: Can you describe what SVD stands for?

— SVD stands as a contemporary fashion space. In terms of ethos, we stand for innovation, content creation, inclusion and diversity in all that we do. And, of course, partnership.

We have broken down into four pillars. One is the store, which is known for the brand curation we offer to end consumers. We take pride in offering brands that are not widely available, where people would otherwise struggle to get their hands on these brands. For instance, before we came into the market, if you wanted to get one of these brands, you had to go on a trip to London or New York to find some cool pieces. Since we have arrived here, we have taken a lot of pride in having a unique proposition in the market. And then to top it off, we also retail sneakers.

One of the main things we wanted to do when entering the market was to mix cultures. This was key for me. Even the owners, one of the first things I told them was that this is a unique opportunity. You are coming from a distinct Spanish culture to a very distinct Arab culture. The mix, if done tastefully, can be beautiful. That was our goal from the very beginning. The Fuego Room was a perfect opportunity to blend this and break the ice within the community. We have done various live sessions and gatherings with a DJ playing. Where we invite a few people that I know and friends of friends to bring all these people into one space, for a jamming session for those who enjoy music. That is what SVD is, in a sense.

The third pillar for us is content creation. We have a dedicated content team based in Barcelona constantly producing content for us. We give them the brief, and they create content in the studio. If it is the content that can be made in the studio without needing a local scene or a relevant face, we produce it there. However, local content is created here. I believe we are the only ones doing this: we don’t work with agencies for content creation. This is one of the reasons why we stand out from everyone. I prefer to go directly to individual creatives and collaborate with them. This brings a unique flavour to our content and creative perspective.

We work with local content creators — creatives, influencers, and well-known figures in the region. We have brainstorming sessions, and if our ideas and energies align, we collaborate. It is so much about the energy as well when working with different talents. You can only draw out someone’s best creative juices if the right energy is present. Energy is very important to us — it is about 50 to 60% the creativity of the person and the rest is showing who you are behind that creative persona.

Then, there is innovation. This includes design and being innovative in digital spaces. We strive to be conceptually and digitally innovative, even creating new spaces. For example, we incorporate a lot of VFX and CGI to add more of an edge and be prepared for the next big thing like AI. Speaking of AI, we use AI to translate our websites. We have a contract with ChatGPT. These aren’t things that regular accounts or stores usually do; it sets us apart. We have been wanting to translate our website into Arabic for the Saudi market for the longest time. Finally, we are making progress with AI. We have always been open to exploring AI, and now we have found the right opportunity to apply it.

We are also creating a virtual space. Imagine you walked into our store and felt the energy — we want people to feel that same energy, even if they are sitting in Antarctica or Madagascar. With SVD on Web3, you can take a virtual tour, pick a product, press on it, and add it to your cart. It is a long-term project, but that is something we are actively working on.

Photo: Asher's personal archive

— I know it is also the 10-year anniversary this year, right? Could you briefly give me the history of the brand? How has it been, how did it go?

— Absolutely. It all began in 2011 as an editorial space. To provide some background, this really contextualises who we are today, what we represent, and our origins. Initially, it was launched by five friends in Barcelona under the name sivasdescalzo, which directly translates from Spanish to "if you're barefoot".

It all started as a blog, which quickly gained traction as many people engaged with the content. The founders realised they had something special that needed further development. They began by purchasing sneakers and fashion stories that their audience loved, using their platform to sell these items. In 2011, this approach was quite innovative for the fashion internet scene, which didn't fully commercialise until around 2014 or 2015, when online shopping became mainstream. However, they initially faced hurdles in accessing higher-tier products. To overcome this, they approached brands directly but were told they needed a physical space to stock such products. This requirement led to the opening of their first store in Barcelona, a modest 50 square metre space, which later expanded to a much larger 2800 to 3000 square feet location.

In 2014, they rebranded to SVD because the original name, sivasdescalzo, was challenging for foreigners to understand. Although still officially sivasdescalzo, the brand is better known as SVD. This year marks the 10th anniversary, which is celebrated on our website. For the anniversary, we launched a 3D capsule created in collaboration with 10 artists from our key markets, including the Middle East, Spain, and Germany. This initiative was planned well before we entered these markets.

— That is so cool. And speaking of the collaborations, can you describe how you come about the collaborations with artists and creators? How does it happen, and where does this artistic urge come from? I mean, I understand the origins being in the editorial and starting space, but how do you go about certain collaborations, especially local ones?

— I always focus on the energy and vibe that a person brings to the table. When I meet with people, we have a brainstorming session without initially planning to collaborate. We start with a fresh conversation to see where it leads. This could result in a one-off project, such as a photo shoot, a story, or a video campaign. It might be just that, or it could develop into something much larger, depending entirely on the individual's intentions and motivation. That is essentially what our process is about.

One of the core foundations of collaboration for us, and personally for me, is connecting with the community. This connection triggers everything we do; it is a win-win for us and the artists because A, we are engaging with the community, and B, we provide a platform for up-and-coming artists. The artists we work with aren't those with thousands of followers. They are emerging ones who are making an impact within their smaller spheres, deserving of the limelight and a broader audience. That is when we bring them in and start the conversation with them.

"Habibi One Day" (SVD x Ali Cha'aban)

— How do you select them? What tells you that this is the right person?

— Honestly, it is all about the energy, just the gut feeling. First, it is about what they do. If it resonates with us, if it fits in well with SVD, then we go ahead. "Habibi One Day" is one instance. Ali, obviously a good friend of ours since day one. He is the creative director at YKONE. We have worked with the agency in the past, and I have known him from before. I just always feel the energy with him, and I think he could do a lot more than what he was currently doing. So, we decided to collaborate with him.

To give you a bit of context on how we handle collaborations, consider the installation outside the store called "No Free Ideas." We implemented it, and D3 really liked it — they asked us to leave it there. Now it has become a popular spot where people hang out and relax. We chose to collaborate with this artist, AOTA, because he is not only a significant sneaker collector but also a storyteller and a genuine person who stands for humanity and equality. He is an activist at heart.

The "No Free Ideas" concept was developed beautifully. It might resonate with you, especially in your profession, where it is common to have people wanting to “pick your brain” or seek “free advice,” often exploiting creative professionals by taking their ideas and using their names for clout. The installation features a bulb, symbolising ideas, and a crow perched on top, representing those who scavenge these ideas. The base displays 3,000 bulbs, each representing the myriad of ideas in a creative's mind, which are often scavenged by others. This artwork is a stand against the exploitation of creative minds.

— You know, my mother, she is an IP lawyer, and she was here during Design Week as well. She took a picture from every angle of that place. And now, she's using it as her lock screen and has posted it everywhere. She says, "This is what I do for a living." That is actually really cool!

— I didn't know that we impacted people like that.

Instagram: @aotaww

— Yes, she was very inspired. But getting back to SVD and Dubai, as you mentioned, Dubai is the first global expansion. How do you tackle the differences between cultures, and why choose Dubai as well? How did the expansion into the Middle East come about?

— First, when we discussed our global expansion, we were referring to physical expansion. However, before delving into that, it's important to note that we ship globally. We have a community of more than 600,000 regular customers from across the world, including the US, Japan, Singapore, the Far East, and the Middle East. The Middle East, in particular, is a key market for us and is one of the most rapidly growing regions globally.

In contrast, markets like Japan and Korea in the Far East are oversaturated with similar concepts. Recognising a significant gap in the market, we decided to enter and represent the rich local culture, which needed global representation. Therefore, much of the content we produce is shared on our global page to ensure it reaches an international audience.

— How do you address the challenges of the cultural differences between Europe and the Middle East?

— To be honest, this is what I really enjoy about music and fashion. In terms of fashion and music, there aren't really any differences — people get it. Sure, a new customer who just stumbled upon our store might not immediately understand, but our regulars do; they follow and understand fashion deeply. I don't see any major cultural barriers. Yes, there are cultural sensitivities we must consider — certain things are not appropriate to display, and we are careful about that. Overall, we don't encounter many challenges in this regard because we are in the fashion industry.

The location also greatly helps us. The people around D3, and those who visit D3, are like-minded. They recognise the brands, or they trust them simply because they see them under SVD, which is already a mark of authentication.

We have many loyal customers, and we invest heavily in retaining them. We analysed a lot of data; we have a contract with Adobe and are one of their largest accounts in Spain, second only to FC Barcelona. This enables us to study consumer behaviours — what they interact with, what they ignore, and why they might not purchase something. Everything is meticulously managed to ensure the consumer has the best experience.

We receive at least 10 to 15 emails daily from brands wanting to be part of our portfolio. Our CEO is still involved in buying, and they are very selective about what they purchase, and with good reason. That’s why we stand out from others. For us, the selection of brands and how we curate them is crucial. We strive to maintain a good balance between globally recognised brands and those that are locally reputable. Currently, we are looking into incorporating some local brands as well.

SVD Arabia store in D3

— And about D3, was it chosen intentionally? Or was it just a happy coincidence?

— We considered several locations, but I was particularly adamant about D3 because I sensed something special about it. D3 is where all the creative people gather, where the cool kids are. Although it doesn’t have the mall footfall and sales, it’s perceived as a cool space.

One key thing on my mind was to convey this to the team, and they were quickly convinced, which was fortunate because they usually require a lot of convincing. This is the closest you can get to a street shopping experience in Dubai, aside from places such as Alserkal and City Walk, but they are not the same. Here, you are actually walking around on the street without thousands of shops vying for your attention. It feels more like an authentic street shopping experience.

After scouting a few places, nothing else seemed like an option. We were fortunate to find that all three or four units we were interested in were vacant. We secured the prime location right at the heart of D3. That's how we decided on it.

Even if you don't know SVD, people walk through it because of the infrastructure and architecture, they are curious to explore it.

— Yeah, definitely. I was wondering about the sustainability initiatives and commitments that SVD is now undertaking. Maybe you can share some insights on how SVD is achieving sustainability.

— SVD has always been very conscious about sustainability. For instance, small changes can make a big difference. In our headquarters, no one is allowed to use plastics. There is no plastic anywhere. We have tried to avoid plastic in everything we do. You won’t find a lot of plastic around in what we do, down to the shopping bags; we only use tote bags, and we don’t use plastic bags.

One of the reasons we don't produce a lot of our items in China is that we are unsure about the environmental practices there. We want to control the quality and also work with factories that are as environmentally sustainable as possible. Maybe not 100% sustainable, but as much as possible. You know, it's like when people say something is 100% sustainable — it’s never truly 100% sustainable. It's just a phrase that people throw around, but we like to be transparent. We try our best to be as sustainable as possible.

Our brand with Primavera Sound, called Front of House, had a third collection named “Biodiversity.” Everything we do has a hint of sustainability. Even in the store, you will not see a lot of plastic. Actually, you will not find any plastic.

Also, but I am not sure if it directly fits into the sustainability piece… Our ethos definitely plays into it, particularly around diversity and inclusion, which are also key pillars for us. For example, in our office here and in Barcelona, from the CEO to the specialists, everyone sits at the same tables. There are no separate offices for the CEO, no special offices, and no private cabins. Everybody sits in the same type of portacabins, these workstations, and that's where you work from. There are no special cabins.

Photo: Asher's personal archive

— That is very cool, really cool. And it's interesting that you mention the CEO plays a crucial role in the daily operations of the business. How do you approach the challenge of staying relevant in the rapidly changing fashion landscape, with people constantly wanting new trends? For instance, in terms of trends, how do you overcome this?

— This is a work of magic from the CEO and his team. They really understand the product, and a lot of it involves studying data. It's primarily what they do, and they do an excellent job with product selection and such. Obviously, there are positives and negatives because sometimes 50% of it works, and 50% of it doesn’t, so we need to find a way to clear that up. Another piece is the data; the more we study it, the more we understand what's moving and what's not, for women, and for men. It’s an interesting process for us to understand these patterns.

Data is crucial for us. We go through it regularly to see who's buying and what consumer behaviour is like, which is very important. Another aspect is staying on trend, whether it’s on Instagram or working with the right people. Collaborating with young, up-and-coming artists is key because you are constantly learning new things, new technologies, and new ways of finding and creating content. It's fascinating.

Lastly, which works all in our favour, fashion is a cycle. We understand it’s a five-year cycle. You go through it, and you will see it repeating, but with adaptations for the current day. For instance, baggy pants were in back in the 2010s, and now they are back again but styled differently. People are rocking baggy jeans, but now it's more from a skater perspective, not a hip-hop dance. Flare pants are coming back too. They were in style before, and now they are returning. So, when you study the market well and see sales declining, you get all the indications that a trend is winding down.

For example, take the Samba. We have already seen it decline because the market is saturated. However, keeping a product limited can extend its lifespan. Currently, Spezial are gaining popularity. Fashion, in general, follows a cycle; it just keeps revolving. Each brand has its moment before it cycles back. Only the strongest remain at the top. This is always the case; Nike and Adidas consistently make a comeback. Now, everyone is wearing New Balance, Asics and brands like Saucony.

We see how the sneaker hype culture is dying. Obviously, people still buy sneakers; they are still into sneakers, but the hype trend is gone. The raffle trend is dying. Only certain drops get successful results. People are not signing up for raffles like they used to. So, that’s crazy. But the sneaker hype has gone down, and people enjoy more of the regular stuff.

I think it's got a lot to do with COVID. But post-COVID, a lot of things changed. People’s mentality and perspective on fashion shifted. It was all about being cosy and comfortable, not about being a show-off, and that translated into a trend. That's why brands like Nike and Adidas, which kept doing the same thing for the past five years, hadn’t changed much. New Balance, while also consistent, had something cool they were doing. So when the market transitioned into this cosy feel, not just focusing on Dunks and Jordans, that’s why brands like New Balance, Asics, and others quickly picked up. Anything to do with comfort skyrocketed. We see that happening and understand it. We still cater to that need because we are the only brand within the region that carries so many brands.

As sneakers have also faded, we take our second pillar more into play, which is community. This is how we are trying to be at the forefront of what we do. Our way of being innovative and progressive in our own way is by putting the community first in everything we do.

I have already mentioned Fuego music. It might seem like a small thing right now, but for us, it's a big deal. We want to make it a global concept because we are representing the community, and the community really appreciates it. They understand this is something not being done in the market, and it's being done by us; they want to be part of it. The way we work with artists here is very different. For example, if you are a DJ, you come to us and express your desire to be represented. The process is straightforward. You talk to me, I talk to you, you tell me you play. I say, "Oh, can you play? Let me hear what you play." We have a conversation, and if we understand the vibe, and even if you might not be the best at it but have something unique to offer, that's what we like to represent. We don't want to represent people who already have 1 million followers and are the biggest commercial DJs. We prefer to represent DJs who have something unique to offer, like the ones we have represented so far.

One of the most important things I tell artists when we bring them on board is this: if you are willing to play something out of your comfort zone, then come on board. Because if I can listen to what you are going to play in a club, then it's no bueno. You know, if it's something I can find on SoundCloud or anywhere else, that's not what we are looking for. We encourage them to show us what they truly like. Often, the response I get is, "What I like is something different, but what I play is what people like to hear." I always ask them why. If you like a certain thing but play something else because that's what people like, let's dive deeper into what you actually like and represent that.

Some people might like it, some might not, but those who are genuinely into music and understand the full picture, get it. For example, we work with creatives making their DJ debut through their sets. They might be known as visual artists, but they want to enter the DJ world. We say, "Okay, you have something unique to offer." They might not play the same music everyone else does, but they bring a different genre or a unique way of representing it. I have someone who DJs on YouTube, and another who mixes using vinyl and his phone. These are the types of things we like to represent. Anything you have that’s different, unique — that's who we are.

— Looking ahead, how would you describe the goals or aspirations that SVD, particularly Dubai SVD or Middle Eastern SVD, has for the future?

— We want to go to the moon, of course. We want to shoot for the moon and be one of the most relevant contemporary fashion stores. We are not a streetwear store. We are a contemporary fashion store that mixes both streetwear and boutique-style stuff into one creative space. By making sure that we are one of the sought-after brands in the next few years. People walk into our store to have a good time and have a cool retail experience, whether it's in terms of heat mapping, going through the right journey, through brands, products, and exclusive brands available at SVD.

Obviously, from a financial point of view, we want to expand as well. We want to grow. We hope to double our numbers in the next three years. We want to expand to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait — these are one of our key markets, with the most potential. So as part of Saudi expansion, I told you, we are already translating the website. And then we are also looking at either a physical space there or maybe just doing a distribution centre there. But we are looking into possibilities right now. So, stay tuned by following @svdarabia to know what we get up to next!

by Sophie She