ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
AMINAH RAHMAN, POET Aged 11, Aminah Rahman won her first poetry contest.
Although her interest in the art of words had already been brewing, it was a formative moment. By the following year, she had completed her first major body of work – and has found herself skipping between commissions (International Women’s Day and South Asian Heritage Month) and performances (representing Cambridgeshire at BBC Upload Festival and The Big Weekend) ever since. “My mum is an author and inspired me, but she writes historical fiction,” Aminah explains. “I went down a different route.” In her poetry, Aminah tussles with themes of identity as a Muslim woman, balancing personal reflection and a direct call for social change. “The process is chaotic,” Aminah reveals. “It’s not the same every time, sometimes it takes days.” Having evolved into a spoken- word performer alongside a poet, connecting to audiences is another aspect to contemplate during the creative process. “You have to think about how audiences can be involved in the performance, but sometimes it’s more about considering my own thoughts and feelings. Not everyone has to understand what you’re saying or what you’re writing: if it makes sense to you, that’s enough. “Being able to perform, especially right now, feels special,” Aminah adds. “It gives everyone a bit of hope and happiness. That’s what I’ve always wanted to promote.”
CHRISTIAN COWAN, FASHION DESIGNER
myself with one finite inspiration. I’ve done that and it feels two-dimensional.”
Christian Cowan’s fashion career, which has flown him from rural Cambridgeshire to the Big Apple, was kindled when his parents bought him a red mini sewing machine from John Lewis. He founded his New York studio in 2016 (aged just 21) and has dressed the likes of Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez and Doja Cat. Haute couture was not always Christian’s calling. Initially, entomology and herpetology had him hooked. “My father was a glaciologist, my mother a glacier surveyor. They always fostered an interest in the natural world. I wanted to be David Attenborough, then realised I didn’t have the smarts to do natural sciences at Cambridge. What drew me to those two animal categories is that they’re the most colourful and visually expressive. Discovering fashion design was kind of like creating your own bug.” Against the strict advice of professors, the designer had bedecked Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus before graduating from Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion. “That classic trajectory of inspiration to final product, I’ve always been bad at. I will randomly think of a piece, draw it and stick it on my wall. Once I have a selection, I work out the world they live in, trying not to constrain
Fusing old-fashioned glamour with a modern verve, Christian says: “It’s a bit like a dream. The pieces are made up of lots of different things you’ve seen throughout the day, then it amalgamates together.” Christian is endlessly encouraged by his mother; not only as his champion, but a stylistic inspiration. “I try to keep this air of chicness and glam – that’s something my mother always had. She’s a Spanish woman who would always wear black pencil skirts, kitten heels and pearls every day.” Since hatching Lil Nas X’s first red carpet look, Christian has branched out into menswear and gender-fluid design. Many of his projects have donated profits to LGBTQ+ charities. “I’ve always been proud of my queerness and loved how the community brings in all these people who are disenfranchised from their home towns. It only feels right that we do what we can to give back. “There’s enough stress in life – why confine yourself to one category of clothing or berate someone else for wearing something different?” he says. “Whatever way you want to express yourself, do it and be proud.”
I try not to constrain myself with one finite inspiration
EARLY DAYS As both a performer and writer, Aminah’s work has been widely published from a young age
42 AUGUST 2022 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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