Strategically Designed
Gabi Asfour
Gabriel "Gabi" Asfour is a distinguished fashion designer, renowned for his innovative and avant-garde design approach, particularly through his work with the fashion collective threeASFOUR. This collective, known for its unique blend of technical innovation, couture craftsmanship, and a keen focus on natural geometries, has made a significant impact in the fashion world for the past three decades. Additionally, Asfour’s unique artistic imprint can be seen at such brands as Sleepy Jones and Kate Spade, where he developed the brands first ready-to-wear apparel collection.
Under Asfour’s direction, threeASFOUR's work is characterized by its pioneering use of technology and digital mediums. The Spring 2022 collection, "Vesica Picsis," is a notable example, where they collaborated with digital printing company Mimaki and showcased the collection through a film using XR technology and LED stage backdrops, creating a virtual environment of 3D fractals to display the clothes. This approach to fashion design is considered by some to be light years ahead of most of the industry, showcasing Asfour's forward-thinking vision.
The collective's Fall 2022 Couture collection, "Ancestors," further emphasized this digital innovation by presenting an entirely digital collection. They built upon the digital environments used in previous collections, with garments available as NFTs that can potentially be 3D printed, blending the digital and physical aspects of fashion in a novel and even more sustainable way.
Asfour's collaborations extend beyond the tech industry, involving various artists, performers, and musicians. The collective is celebrated for dressing famous risk-takers like Lady Gaga and Björk in futuristic designs. Their designs have been showcased in numerous exhibitions and are housed in prestigious institutions such as the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the Museum at FIT, London's V&A Museum, and the MET Costume Institute in New York.
Asfour's creative work is a testament to his innovative spirit and his ability to merge art, technology, and fashion in groundbreaking ways. His designs not only push the boundaries of traditional fashion but also open up new possibilities for the integration of digital technology in the realm of couture. What’s more, he is an ardent believer in educating the next generation of fashion designers. He is an adjunct professor of the MFA Textiles program at Parsons School of Design and formerly the MFA Fashion Design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
“My goal is amplify the creative vision each artist has in a way that makes sense for their fans.”
In spring 2023, Asfour joined Musique Mode as Head Designer, responsible for developing and designing a unique “foundational system” of styles that could be fully customized in collaboration with musicians. The goal as he describes, is to “offer clients a full range of possibilities that can inspire their own unique merchandise.” He continues, “through collaboration with each artist, my goal is amplify the creative vision each artist has in a way that makes sense for their fans. Typically, my work in this area either focuses on basic styles requiring very little actual design—tee-shirts with logos and graphics, for example—or it’s all about creating flamboyant costumes for the stage. My hope here is to create in the space between, something special, with a sense of style and proportion, but also wearable. I want what I design to have long-term value.” The now 80+ collection of styles provides artists with the ability to start their own design processes across a wide range of categories, from tees and hoodies, to dresses, bags, accessories and even swimwear!
When clients come to Musique Mode for help to create their merchandise collections, Asfour is very much part of the collaborative process. “I like to meet the client at whatever level they are comfortable,” he says. “Most musicians are not coming in with any fashion design experience, so my goal is to help translate what they do musically, or even in their live performances, into the clothing they want to design.” Asfour also works closely with the rest of the Musique Mode team to ensure that the design process isn’t just about the look and feel of the clothes, but also closely connects to the sales strategy of the artist. He notes, “creating clothes is not just about creating one garment—rinse and repeat—it’s about creating a collection of styles that connect together around a common theme and can be combined to create a full look. Ultimately, we want customers to want to buy more than just a tee-shirt.” By connecting the design process to the sales strategy, artists are able to consider the needs of their fans—and do so specific to each concert venue. Asfour points out that fans are often treated as a monolith, rather than understanding they represent a large array of demographics and psychographics. He exclaims, “of course, not everyone can afford a $500 hoodie, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a group of fans that absolutely want something special like that when it comes to their favorite artist.”
Asfour is quick to point out that what makes Musique Mode particularly unique is that the team understands that good product deserves a good presentation. “I’ve spent years in the fashion industry and have learned that much of what drives what we do is the spectacle, whether it’s a fashion show, or a party. We’re always searching for ways to make our clothes, our brand, come alive.” He continues, “so much of what we do in fashion is meant to create an emotional connection with our customers, our clients, because it’s not necessarily innate in the clothes themselves. In music, it’s almost the opposite, wherein the emotional connection is already there, it’s in the music, so now we have to bring the merchandise up to that level.” Asfour laughs, “it’s no secret that one of the ways we do this is by hiring musicians, often DJs, to play at our shows and in our stores. I’m excited to be on the other side of the equation!” It’s worth noting that Asfour was very much connected to the New York club scene in the 1990s, so music has always been an integral part of his inspiration.
When asked if creating music merchandise feels easy compared to his work with threeASFOUR, Asfour is quick to reply, “in many ways creating something avant-garde is easy, because there are no boundaries or expectations. Creating something that is meant to connect another artist’s creative world, and ensure it’s comfortable, wearable and at the right price point, can be tricky. It goes back to why we created the foundational styles to begin with. Half the battle is designing the technical aspects of a garment. Once that’s in place, it gives us so much room to explore and create something that works for everyone.”
