Lifestyle

Aria Noir Model on the 5 Things that Separate Designer Clothing from the Competition

Published

4 years ago

April 12, 2022

Artists want to stand out and make a statement. Naturally, they seek out fashion that is original and fresh. Aria Noir is the chosen brand of rapper Jalal, AKA Feros. In this article, Feros shares five reasons why creative individuals turn to the artistry of fashion designers as they represent their identity to the world.

1. Designer fashion is original

High-end fashion is not the same thing artists obtain from fashion designers. While Prêt-a-porter is created for discerning customers with attention to fabric, detail, and cut, it is mass-produced for the general market.

Haute Couture designers create from scratch and are true artists themselves. Aria Noir’s pieces resonate with a small but serious artistic audience base. The brand’s designs exemplify its vision of “for designers, by designers” which, while an admittedly acquired taste, is one committed to continue producing clothing artists adore to adorn.

2. Designer fashion emphasizes unique design

When fashion designers create a line or a single item, they experiment with exotic and prized materials, mixing textiles and textures. During the creation process, fashion designers hand-sketch or computer-draft original concepts, reviewing and revising those concepts until they achieve the designer’s vision.

“My favorite part in the creative process is the final product,” Feros says regarding both his music and the Aria Noir designs he models. “It’s like giving birth to something that didn’t exist before, and now it does because of me. The ultimate reward is when someone else acknowledges its beauty.”

To achieve that unique beauty in the final designs, Aria Noir incorporates precious metals and unique textiles. This season, gold and alpaca wool feature prominently in the brand’s pieces.

Gold brings a transcendent value to items due to its scarcity and utility. In other words, it’s not only pretty—it’s practical. This season, Aria Noir electroplated every metallic element of its ARCA series eyewear with 18k gold to communicate value beyond design.

The brand extols baby alpaca wool as the “other Peruvian gold.” This remarkable textile confers unparalleled softness on this year’s collection of knits.

3. Designer fashion features an artist’s individual identity

Artists embody their unique personas through their works and through the style they wear. Feros, for instance, was born in Damascus, Syria, and immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1996. The struggle of leaving family and friends behind, coming to a new world, learning a new language, and adapting to new customs seeped into his very identity.

“This journey is only one of many stories that make me who I am,” says Feros. “My life has been one of adventure, joy, and sorrow. I attempt to put these life experiences into words and tell my story”.

It is no wonder Feros is drawn to the designs of Aria Noir. The backbone of inspiration behind the brand’s designs is one of tragic romanticism—a term used to describe the nature of life’s sad but tender story. That bitter-sweet idea colors every aspect of the brand’s creations.

“Life is full of surprises; many good, many bad,” remarks Feros. “That is what makes life so beautiful. You fully mature when you realize that in every bad experience, there is a positive lesson or outcome. That’s what we all need to focus on.”

4. Designer fashion lends authority

Creative works of art are subjective. Artists wear designer fashion to embody creative freedom in their works and their authority to make artistic statements. “I like to have fun and explore new things in life and music,” Feros comments. “My style has changed since I first started and will continue to transform. My goal is to keep improving and diversifying.”

Any true work of art makes a statement and evokes varying emotions. Some find Aria Noir’s designs gorgeous, while others find those same designs grotesque. The brand’s slogan is not dogmatic truth—it’s a personal statement, and artists are drawn to this vision.

5. Fashion designers enable artists to express authenticity

Fashion designers do not create out of the constraints of mass appeal. Their designs spring from pure inspiration. The artists who model their works identify with this authentic expression.

“My inspiration comes from real-life experiences, “says Feros. “I stay true to who I am and where I am from, both artistically and in real life. I never pretend to be something or someone I’m not.”

Aria Noir has a small but devoted following and is determined to stay true to itself. Its creations are not products—they are intimate experiences. To learn more about the fashion creations or the artists who model them, readers can visit Aria Noir’s website and Instagram feed.

Lifestyle

Wanda Knight on Blending Culture, Style, and Leadership Through Travel

Published

2 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Michelle Langton

The best lessons in leadership do not always come from a classroom or a boardroom. Sometimes they come from a crowded market in a foreign city, a train ride through unfamiliar landscapes, or a quiet conversation with someone whose life looks very different from your own.

Wanda Knight has built her career in enterprise sales and leadership for more than three decades, working with some of the world’s largest companies and guiding teams through constant change. But ask her what shaped her most, and she will point not just to her professional milestones but to the way travel has expanded her perspective. With 38 countries visited and more on the horizon, her worldview has been formed as much by her passport as by her resume.

Travel entered her life early. Her parents valued exploration, and before she began college, she had already lived in Italy. That experience, stepping into a different culture at such a young age, left a lasting impression. It showed her that the world was much bigger than the environment she grew up in and that adaptability was not just useful, it was necessary. Those early lessons of curiosity and openness would later shape the way she led in business.

Sales, at its core, is about connection. Numbers matter, but relationships determine long-term success. Wanda’s time abroad taught her how to connect across differences. Navigating unfamiliar places and adjusting to environments that operated on different expectations gave her the patience and awareness to understand people first, and business second. That approach carried over into leadership, where she built a reputation for giving her teams the space to take ownership while standing firmly behind them when it mattered most.

The link between travel and leadership becomes even clearer in moments of challenge. Unfamiliar settings require flexibility, quick decision-making, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. The same skills are critical in enterprise sales, where strategies shift quickly and no deal is ever guaranteed. Knight learned that success comes from being willing to step into the unknown, whether that means exploring a new country or taking on a leadership role she had not originally planned to pursue.

Her travels have also influenced her eye for style and her creative pursuits. Fashion, for Wanda, is more than clothing; it is a reflection of culture, history, and identity. Experiencing how different communities express themselves, from the craftsmanship of Italian textiles to the energy of street style in cities around the world, has deepened her appreciation for aesthetics as a form of storytelling. Rather than keeping her professional and personal worlds separate, she has learned to blend them, carrying the discipline and strategy of her sales career into her creative interests and vice versa.

None of this has been about starting over. It has been about adding layers, expanding her perspective without erasing the experiences that came before. Wanda’s story is not one of leaving a career behind but of integrating all the parts of who she is: a leader shaped by high-stakes business, a traveler shaped by global culture, and a creative voice learning to merge both worlds.

What stands out most is how she continues to approach both leadership and life with the same curiosity that first took her beyond her comfort zone. Each new country is an opportunity to learn, just as each new role has been a chance to grow. For those looking at her path, the lesson is clear: leadership is not about staying in one lane; it is about collecting experiences that teach you how to see, how to adapt, and how to connect.

As she looks to the future, Wanda Knight’s compass still points outward. She will keep adding stamps to her passport, finding inspiration in new cultures, and carrying those insights back into the rooms where strategy is shaped and decisions are made. Her legacy will not be measured only by deals closed or positions held but by the perspective she brought, and the way she showed that leading with a global view can change the story for everyone around you.