Nassima, a fashion designer based in the Ariège department in the French Pyrenees, will present her collection "Born to die" at Paris Fashion Week on 6 and 7 October, in a show staged by the fashion agency It's Reich'Art at the Pavillon Gravelle.
The collection includes dresses, a bustier, trousers, a balloon skirt and masks, worked in shimmering gold fabric, dark denim and chains.
Before Paris there was Fréjus, Toulouse, Lanzarote and Ariège. Nassima, who is originally from the coastal town of Fréjus in the Var, describes herself as extroverted and very at ease with herself. She built an earlier career as an actress, working in theatre, television films and cinema in Toulouse and Paris, and also wrote screenplays.
She said that career took a turn after a burn-out. Just as she was on the verge of a breakthrough, she said, she thinks she became afraid of succeeding. That pushed her behind the camera instead, working as a videographer, director and fashion photographer. She said the idea of building her own brand stayed with her throughout, but she wanted it to have real meaning, since so many products already exist that adding another one without purpose felt pointless.
Lanzarote, where it all began
The turning point came on a trip to Lanzarote, one of Spain's Canary Islands. She said she had always found that clothes tend to be either practical or beautiful, but never both. It was there that her first design was born: a bodysuit that doubles as a swimsuit and as an outfit for an evening drink. She said it took her two years to find fabrics that were not cold or unpleasant to wear, and that she added ruffles for a chic touch, even though people around her insisted swimwear was too technical and that she would not manage it.
She went on to work with denim, a material she found nearly as demanding as swimwear fabric, pairing jeans with pleated trousers, which she calls, along with blazers, the base of her wardrobe. She said the look is modern and wearable, and that she wants every woman to be able to wear her pieces daily as well as to more elegant events, adding that she thinks about whether any woman could wear an item every day when she designs it.
Upcycling, between craft and ecology
Nassima's method is upcycling: taking an existing garment and reworking it into something different, which she describes as sublimating the piece. She said the philosophy echoes personal experience, since people live through events and keep being reborn from them, from their own tragedies and struggles, much like the clothes themselves.
She also pointed to the environmental side of the approach. A trip by van, during which she had to drastically cut down the clothes she packed, made her realise how much fabric she had accumulated, and she said the experience was a wake-up call about her own overconsumption. She said she now buys better and avoids synthetic fabrics that fade or fray, aiming instead to create unique clothes that last without going out of fashion.
She is currently training at a fashion school in Paris, although until now she has been almost entirely self-taught. She learned to make the bodysuit with a stylist in Lanzarote, but otherwise describes herself as "a scientist of clothing." She said, laughing, that she does not sketch her designs but instead places a garment on a mannequin, walks around it and adds fabric until she is happy with the result.
From the Canary Islands to the Paris catwalk
Her brand, Zayhan, officially launched in 2025, quickly found success with appearances at the Fashion Weeks of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, the latter featuring the international model Pino Montesdeoca. She recalled feeling a lot of pressure but described the moment as incredible and spectacular, saying she still gets starry-eyed remembering it.
Paris is now within reach, but Nassima said she would not trade her life in Ariège for the buzz of the French capital, even though Paris is widely seen as the capital of fashion. She said people constantly ask her what she is doing living there, but that she loves the place. As a child she attended summer camps in the Pyrenees that left a lasting impression on her, and combined with her dislike of hot weather, that experience led her to settle in the mountains. She added that the father of her son is Andorran.
A peaceful setting for creativity
She also pushed back against the local reputation of Ariège residents as, in her words, "not brusque, but a little wild." She said locals quickly proved that description wrong and welcomed her warmly, even though she "stands out in the landscape." She rejected the idea that living in the mountains means someone cannot care about fashion, criticising the assumption that she would start wearing heavy shoes and shapeless clothes now that she lives there, and arguing that no place is truly without room for fashion.
After several months in the high Ariège valleys, she said the sense of wonder has not worn off, describing the sunlit mountain ranges and forests turning orange outside her home. She said that since moving there she feels far more rested, and much more open and creative.
Related fashion stories from the region
Elsewhere in the region, an Emmaüs charity fashion show in Ariège, postponed because of summer heatwaves, is being organised to raise money for people affected by wildfires.
In France's largest hat shop, the beret has been finding new popularity, including among younger customers.
A national television programme has also spotlighted Ariège's local wool industry.
Separately, a documentary honoured in Quebec has followed a designer who searches through skips to create haute-couture-standard outfits.
In Toulouse, another designer has unveiled a new bridal collection for 2027 using Calais lace and French silks.
