12 July, 2024
Talking to Malak Hany, the founder of Front Row Studios, feels like getting a peek into the heart of a brand that's more than just clothes. Malak shares how the journey has been a mix of crazy challenges and fulfilling milestones.
Malak’s deep commitment to fashion and its impact on people’s lives is evident in everything she does. Her brand is about a lifestyle and a mindset. She believes, much like Craze, that fashion is meant to be felt. In our conversation, she mentioned, "If you look good, you feel good," which has become the essence of her entire brand.
A standout moment? The amazing response to her latest fragrance. Supporters bought it without even smelling it first—proof that the message is hitting home. It’s clear that her work has made its mark, and the future looks even brighter.
Let's dive right in—how has the journey been since you launched Front Row Studios?
My Journey has been crazy, honestly. There’s so much that I learned about myself, about Fashion and about how it affects people, as we near a year of THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS. I think that bringing an idea or a concept to life and watching it grow is so fulfilling, so the journey itself has been challenging but so satisfying.
Every brand has its turning points. What were some moments that made you feel, 'Yeah, we’ve arrived'?
People’s response, especially to the latest fragrance release, has been my “we’ve made it” moment. I think for people to blindly trust the brand enough to purchase a fragrance without even smelling it has been an amazing indicator that the online communication is not only reaching the desired audience, but also as effective as I’d wanted it to be. We’ve arrived on the scene for sure, but still miles from where I know we’re going to be in just a short few years time.
Now you say Front Row Studios is a lifestyle, not just a brand. What does living that lifestyle look like?
I always say that THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS is a lifestyle, a mindset. It’s more related to your philosophy, if anything. It’s all about how you feel about yourself and I always say that if you look good you feel good, which became the essence of the whole brand. THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS is the best of both worlds, a balance between the cool girl and the clean girl, simultaneously. It’s about wanting the finer things in life and not resting until you get it, because you know you deserve it.
Your designs seamlessly blend masculine and feminine elements. How do you achieve this balance in your collections?
I know that THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS is heavily built on feminine energy, which I adore. I still love mixing masculine and feminine elements because it relates to my personal style more, I love menswear and I love the cool element that it brings to the clothes. It just feels and looks so 90s NY cool, not any kind of cool. At THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS, we pride our pieces on just having that certain je ne sais quoi, often simple but stunning, be it on the body and on the mind.
The 'Essentials Dress' has become a cult favourite, tell me more about it.
The beauty of the essentials dress is that it’s whatever you want it to be, a revenge dress, a date night dress, that dress that you reach for when you just know you have to look insanely good tonight because your ex might be coming tonight. I always call it the shapeshifter dress, because not only does it transform your body but it also takes form into what you want it to be, makes you feel so good that it just gives you the strongest confidence boost. It’s just a staple piece for every girl’s closet, hence the name “essential dress”, you have to have it.
Can we just talk about the fragrance, what inspired you to venture into this new territory?
For the fragrance, it all stemmed from the fact that I really wanted people to associate a scent to the brand & the clothes. I think scent memory is so interesting and because THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS is built on a lifestyle concept, I try to offer pieces that can help my customers envision what I see THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS woman to look, how she would talk, or think, what she would read and listen to and watch and buy and now smell like. It works as a natural aphrodisiac as well because it has some sandalwood, an essential oil, so it serves the customer in so many ways. I also think it fits the brand identity so much, in that it’s a memorable scent, just like THEFRONTROWSTUDIOS customer is a memorable woman.
Tell me more about the fragrance—what are the key notes, and how did you decide on them? What emotions do you want it to evoke?
So for the fragrance, I think because I grew up around Arab culture and fragrances are a huge part of it, I wanted to delve into that a little bit. I knew the effect it would have on people and that it would give the brand a sense of luxury, that would place it closer to where I want it to be. With the top notes including ingredients like Jasmine & bitter almond, I still wanted to add that feminine sense to the perfume but still include a slight masculine feel to it with notes like cedarwood and musk, that are very strong and memorable. I wanted a powerful, yet sensual fragrance.
You recently had a pop-up event. How was it? What was the vibe like?
The popup event went a lot better than expected, considering we hadn’t been launched for a long time, only a few months. However, it was a great playground to not only see customers of a like minded sense of style interact, which is always interesting, but because at the time the brand was so “if you know you know” kind of thing, it became a really cool social event as well. The pop-up venue was amazing as well, having my first popup at such an amazing store like Maison69 was for sure effective at placing the brand at a great head start! The Vibe of the popup was just perfect, in terms of music, curation and even the food! We had an amazing setup by PinkBlanketMama, the presentation was spectacular, with beautiful vintage candles and 1000 red roses scattered all around—it was just a dream and fit the brand’s Valentines release perfectly.
And what keeps you inspired?
I’m a really passionate and emotional person, so I think what keeps me inspired is just life around me—I love the past, I love vintage, I love the 90s. I love when things were still upcoming and cool, which shows a lot in my designs I feel. I love the present, how we’re living now and the things around me—seeing new beautiful things come to life and figuring out a way to maintain that and keep it forever. And, I’m excited for the future and always working towards something. These are the things that really keep me inspired. I like things that feel real, relatable—so as cliche as it sounds, I think life keeps me inspired, it’s like a cycle.
As a designer, you have a lot of creative freedom. What aspect of this freedom makes it so special to you?