The Renaissance of Modern Sportswear
"Creativity is a birth right. Function doesn't have to erase beauty. For us, draping is a true art form."
Are we the only ones craving curation again?
I felt this deeply while staying with a dear friend on the Côte d’Azur; a 75‑year‑old artist whose home is a tapestry of her life. Paintings by her children, seashells from distant coastlines, Persian rugs, medieval lutes, corals, plants, all placed with intention. The space radiates happiness, tranquillity and depth. It reminded me how easily the world convinced us that clinical perfection was the goal, and how quickly individuality slipped away.
But beauty is returning. I see the abolition of millennial grey and people bringing back colours, textures and personality into their lives and online spaces and it gives me great joy to see something I couldn’t have put together myself.
Art has always been an undeniable symbol of the human life force. Throughout history, beauty has lived alongside survival. Even though art isn’t essential in a biological sense, engaging with it activates the same frontal brain regions as necessities such as food and connection. Creativity is a birthright. Function doesn’t have to erase beauty. Architecture has always shown us this with carvings, curves, stained glass, all resting on foundations built for protection. Humans have always known how to make utility beautiful.
Sportswear once lived in that space too. Before minimalism dominated, it was expressive, crafted, textured. Our creative director, Anoosha Foroughi, shaped much of that era while working with major sports brands. Her apartment is filled with fabrics, colours and techniques rarely seen in today’s performance wear. Her space is a living archive of creativity.
Najila was created to bring that spirit back. We design the old way: from scratch, with intention, with curiosity, with the belief that beauty and function can coexist. A seam can support and sculpt. A trim can secure and decorate. Draping can be engineered to fall fluidly rather than swallow you. Every curve can be crafted so that the garment moves with you. For us, draping is a true art form.
Our pieces are inspired, not just made. Every fabric is chosen for its purpose and personality. Every detail is engineered, tested and refined until structure becomes beauty. We are inspired by fashion, history, culture and most of all the women who wear our pieces; and that identity deserves to be supported, not simplified.
Minimalism served its moment. But as we move back toward curation, we breathe craft, design and creativity back into function. Creating feels like exhaling inner beauty into the world. Modern life is demanding, and beauty can feel clinical. But when you create a space in your home, your wardrobe, your day; that reflects who you are, you remember that being alive is a gift.
Life itself is a purpose. So we should make it beautiful.
