About
Azani’s design practice began with graphic design and a fascination with our history’s shared visual archive: the images, symbols, fonts, ads, objects, and concepts that have, over time, become part of our collective memory. He is drawn to reference as a form of communication, whether the source is instantly recognizable or buried deep, a sampling of sorts that pulls from our visual culture to create new moments and a shared spirit in the present.
His collections are conceived as exhibitions, where motifs and the information they carry can unfold through art, clothing, literature, and in-person experiences. The process begins with research and close attention to a subject, then develops into mood, motif, image, and form. See more below.
Design Methodology
-
Visual Research
Azani begins by exploring a field of references, ideas, and design histories, allowing connections to emerge before defining a single direction. Research and mood-boarding establish the atmosphere of the work and reveal the visual threads with the most potential.
-
Visual Language
From those connections, Azani builds a visual language by identifying the motifs, forms, colors, and references with the strongest resonance. Familiar and obscure cues are reframed into a cohesive system, carrying meaning from the archive into the present.
-
Visual Development
Azani translates that visual language into sketches, graphics, and iterative studies, testing proportion, placement, scale, and form. Ideas are pushed, edited, and recombined until individual pieces begin to feel connected to the larger world of the project.
-
Visual Presentation
Azani refines the strongest directions into final illustrations, products, and garments. The work is then framed as exhibition, extending its motifs and ideas beyond individual pieces and into a larger experience shaped through image, space, and narrative.
Portfolio: Fashion Collection Development
Jean-Michel (2020)
Built from archival research into Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life, personal style, and artistic practice, Jean-Michel translates character research into collection development. Painter utility, casual silhouettes, tailored outerwear, and references to his band GRAY were explored through sketching and final fashion illustrations.
See collection overview below, using the arrow controls to explore!
Click here for direct link to full PDF overview.
Sneakerhead (2020)
A subculture-driven collection developed through sneakerhead interviews, manufacturing research, material and color studies, and visual motif development. Insights around exclusivity, history, collecting, and personal expression were translated into men’s, women’s, youth, and adolescent looks designed in dialogue with sneaker culture.
See collection overview below, using the arrow controls to explore!
Click here for direct link to full PDF overview.
Nintendo (2020)
A nostalgia-driven textiles and collection-development project translating Nintendo’s visual language into a contemporary adult wardrobe. Personal memory, brand and character research, color studies, geometric motifs, and repeat patterns informed analog sketches, textile concepts, and final illustrated looks.
See collection overview below, using the arrow controls to explore!
Click here for direct link to full PDF overview.
Nevermore (2024)
An exhibition collection developed through graphic and garment mood-boarding, motif exploration, color studies, and garment and accessory ideation. Black cats, ravens, vampire bats, paradox, and tragic comedy form the visual language for two capsule narratives, Dead and Alive and Tragic Comedy, extending the collection into both exhibition and campaign concepts.
See collection overview below, using the arrow controls to explore!
Click here for direct link to full PDF overview.
Portfolio: Graphic Apparel Development
Addictive Chemical (2026)
A graphic apparel project exploring how a central visual concept can move across clothing as both message and product. Typography, image-making, garment placement, and product presentation are developed as a unified system, treating apparel as a surface for graphic communication rather than decoration alone.
See LIVE collection linked here.
Get in Touch
Whether you have a question, an idea, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out.