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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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Photography by Bibi Photography
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Photography by Alan Wang
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Photography by Bibi Photography
Yasi Fayal, the force behind Maang by Yasi Fayal, walks into the Wolf Cafe in Ballwin looking every bit the part of a chic designer. The striking, dark-haired couturier is wearing a tea-length purple mesh coat from her most recent collection.
If Fayal seems like the typical young artist with a knack for design and the drive to create, the journey that brought her to St. Louis three years ago has been anything but ordinary. Originally from Iran, she grew up in a family of engineers and mathematicians. Feeling duty bound to carry on the family tradition, Fayal studied engineering but felt uninspired by her career choice.
“Engineering didn’t feel right to me, even though it would have been easier because of my family’s connections in Iran,” she says.
In her heart, Fayal had always wanted to study fashion, and in 2012 she left Tehran and moved to Milan to follow her dream. “It was hard, because my courses were taught in Italian and I was trying to understand the material while also needing to interpret what the professor was saying,” she says. A passion for Italy—its history, arts, and architecture—inspired her to keep going.
After earning a master’s degree in fashion design in 2015, Fayal faced a turning point. Her mother had made the decision to move to St. Louis to help care for an ailing sister living here, and Fayal chose to join her. “I was anxious about another move,” she recalls, “but excited about the opportunity.”
Settled in St. Louis, Fayal enrolled in English-language classes. She also tried to break into the fashion scene but felt overwhelmed: “St. Louis has a lot of creative people and an appetite for new business, but I had trouble knowing where to start or who to talk to.”
But help soon found her. She met Carlos Suarez, founder of Ardor Fashion Collective, through an acquaintance. At the time, Suarez was producing The Timeless Calendar, his annual publication highlighting the work of local fashion designers, and he hired Fayal to style the images. “Yasi’s Middle Eastern heritage comes through in her clothing,” says Suarez, “but so does her mathematical background. Her pieces are geometric and colorful. They are unique.”
Since then, Fayal has built a following. Her work, structured silhouettes with impeccable craftsmanship, has also been shown on the runway at Kansas City Fashion Week, The Factory fashion shows, and during the Pins & Needles competition last fall, at which her work earned her a spot as a finalist.
Fayal says she’s happy in her new home, but knows that in order for her career to flourish, another move may be in her future.
“I would love to grow my label or find a job where I can use my design background.”
For now, she’s hard at work creating the next collection for her label and waiting for the right moment to make her next move, wherever that may be.
Follow Fayal on Instagram @maangstudios.
