INTERVIEW WITH ZAYAAN MAJIET

BY AMY ABRAHAMS

 

Amy Abrahams: You have to tell me about the name Silly Rabbit, where did it come from?

Zayaan Majiet: Silly Rabbit was a name that just popped up and kind of stuck. Kill Bill Vol.1 is my all time favourite movie, and there is a scene about an hour and 40-odd minutes into the movie where Beatrix Kiddo is having a conversation with O-Ren Ishii, and the sentence “Silly Rabbit, tricks are for kids” comes up. It’s subtle, and if you’re not paying attention, you won’t pick it up. That is what Silly Rabbit is about. It’s subtle, with big impact. The name also has to do with the fact that I am crazy about animals and there is just something about rabbits that inspire me. The rabbit is the perfect symbolism and representation of what Silly Rabbit stands for.

 


What is your main inspiration for the collection?

My main inspiration for the collection is love and happiness. Hearts and animals are the two main things that give me inspiration. There is something about the peaceful nature of animals that people will never understand a kind of serenity… This is what I want my collection to make the individual who wears my items feel. It’s happy and peaceful.

 

What type of woman were you designing for when conceptualising your range?

We all have that little girl within us no matter how old we are, and that is what I wish to embrace. Silly Rabbit is about tapping into your inner child with subtle hints of hearts and frills, but still staying true to the strong independent woman. It is about embracing your feminity, but staying true to your foundation, the things that made you feel like the prettiest princess in the park. When you wear a Silly Rabbit item, it should make you feel the way you felt when you were a little girl and you just got a new party frock.

Tell me in one sentence: who is Zayaan Majiet is one sentence?

A little rabbit in a big forest.

 

So… Why fashion? When did you know this is what you wanted to do?

Since I could first speak I wanted to be a vet. Then I got older and my interests expanded, but my love for animals never changed. I became very creative and also had this affinity for clothing, and I loved looking different. So when it came to deciding what I wanted to study I applied for Fashion Design, because it would allow me to be creative and practical, and I could make my own clothes.

 

What was your first design?

My first serious design was in my first year of studying. It was a black and white leopard-print high-waisted skirt with neon ribbing. Everyone hated it but there is something about it that always makes me smile.