EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Haya Maraka

Haya Maraka is the coolest chick in town! This is a fact. Not only does she embody everything that I personally aspire to be, she juggles a lot of plates effortlessly, she's like a duck, calm above water but what lies beneath is another story... She describes herself as a writer, muse, and tastemaker. However, after reading about her, I found out that this is the tip of the iceberg. Haya is a  consultant, a stylist, an executive producer, and she wrote a book! I keep having visions of her, cigarette in hand while writing the next big article à la Carrie Bradshaw. Is there anything this girl can't do? I think NOT.

Ladies and gents, I present to you the fabulous Miss Maraka...  

F:Who is Haya Maraka?

H:Haya Maraka is a young lady, who appreciates the quality and luxury in life. Haya Maraka, like anyone else, can be perceived in many different ways, I have never been asked that question before. I couldn’t answer that question in one word or one paragraph. Just like if I asked you who is Felwa Al Hudaithy. I don’t like titles, because we can all be and do so much more than we think we can. So Haya Marka is simply just Haya Maraka. For me to know and for everyone else to get to know, if they want.

F:I love the fact that you attended Switzerland’s Brilliantmont boarding school - very A Little Princess- how did that build your character and did it inspire you to dive into a career in fashion?

H:Thank you, I love love that movie! Boarding school was definitely a crucial time and turning point in my life, as it taught me to take responsibility in my own hands, I also got my first job as a buyer of a small vintage store in Lausanne Switzerland. I didn’t choose to dive into a career in fashion, it chose me, I always say to people it is the only thing I know and love. It is important to acknowledge the things that you love to do in this world, because they might be your career one day! My love for fashion was inherited by my grandmother who was a designer and by my mother, who till this day teaches me so much about the importance of quality over quantity and the importance of the cut of a piece of clothing. The good thing about being in boarding school in Switzerland was that I was only a three-hour train ride away from fashion heaven, Paris.

F:You’ve been recently Coveteur’d, Do you think that it will open doors for you internationally, or was it just an impulse opportunity that presented itself, being in the right place at right time kind of moment?

H:I definitely already consider myself to be very international, which is why opportunities like the covetuer even happened in the first place. I always look forward and to what’s next what now! I am a firm believer of any press is good press be it good or bad. I don’t think anyone can open any doors for you but you, yourself! The power is in you and only you!

F:Have you ever thought of becoming a fashion editor, I do believe you have an eye for these things, and if so which magazines would you want to work for?

H:I never like to limit my opportunities and I am very excited for whatever the future may have for me! Being a fashion editor is something I would one day be interested in, it is just a lot of work and low pay, I do believe we have to enjoy life. The only editor who plays what I think the biggest role in my life is Diane Vreeland. I understand her, and although she is no longer with us, I still speak to her and know she understands me to! I feel she would frown on what the industry has become now. I wouldn’t mind opening a magazine of my own, if not Paris Vogue or CR fashion book would be cool.  I love magazines and really hope and pray everything stays in PRINT!  Tangible things are more special to me than reading something on an iPad.

F:Writing is a very creative process; an idea can create a piece or an essay on anything and everything. How do you write & what inspires you and pushes you when you have deadlines?

H:I hate deadlines, so I just try to look at them from a different approach, if I think I am on a deadline most of the time I will produce bad work. I always write with a cigarette in my hand, Billie Holiday in the background and a glass of wine/champagne or coffee by my side depending on what time of day it is! Sometimes I will over hear a sentence when I am out and I will do a quick voice memo on my iPhone and go home and write an entire piece from that single sentence. Most of the time writing is just about experiences or obsessions! I love to write about what I am obsessed with, as it is obsessions that trigger feelings and emotions that need to be expressed on paper; i.e. the masterpiece Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov(my favorite book of all time).

F:What was the best fashion advice you’ve ever gotten and who gave it to you?

H:The best fashion advice that is a really tough question, as I am the one who most of the time gives advice. I would have to say it’s my mom's advice that if all else fails and you don’t know what to wear throw one a tight black pencil skirt red lipstick pearls, and you're good to go.  Also anything I have ever read about Diane Vreeland, another thing I find about advice, is no matter how many times you give it to someone, it isn’t until the other person is open to receive and change that the advice has any meaning to it.

F:Who are your style icons?

H:Most of my style icons are sadly all dead, except Carine Rotifeld. I love Diane Vreeland, and women who choose style as a way to express their personality and not just to show others what they have.  I love the usual’s like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor; but really anyone from Kurt Cobain to the construction worker who has paint on his jeans, can be a style icon or inspiration for me. I think that the personality of all my style icons inspires me more than just what they wore, what they wore came with a lifestyle, which for me is more iconic than any dress, that anyone can throw on! Jacqueline Kennedy is also a favorite of mine.

F:What are your favorite cities? (List your favorite restaurants and shopping spots in each city)

H:My favorite cities, are whichever city I am in. although NYC is top on my list right now, mainly because it is currently home to me. I love exploring different places and cities. In Paris, I love Orient Extreme (for food) and the Costes hotel  (not in season), I could sit there for hours and write! For shopping I love any flea markets besides all the regulars, and most of the time I prefer to just walk and see where I end up! I hate planning, and I am not a picky eater as far as favorite restaurants. I love Geneva, because it is calm and you can get a good meal almost anywhere! I like to focus more on cities I want to go visit like Tokyo as opposed to the cities I visited a 100 times.

F:What do you do to stay in shape and keep your sanity during hectic times?

H:I honestly hate working out, the fact that I am a smoker doesn't help. I think walking is the best exercise and also I love to dance in my apartment with very loud music in my heels, great for the calves! Occasionally I do ballet, but only when I have time, ballet requires a lot of consistency, which I find hard since I travel a lot.  Any time I can be in a pool I will do laps, I have a lot of energy and I am super hyper, so swimming laps calms me and helps me stay focused.

F:List 3 items that are always present in your bag.

H:Cigarettes, red lipstick, and credit card and my passport! I never know when I am going to travel!

For more information visit: www.HayaMaraka.com