Movers & Shakers: Nazia Siddiqui, CEO of Transcend fashion

Forget fast fashion. For Nazia Siddiqui, founder and CEO of PNW-based fashion powerhouse Transcend, using sustainable fabrics is a must.

"As I set out to build Transcend from scratch, I learned so much about the detriments of fast fashion to the planet and people," said Siddiqui. "The rigid and unsustainable fashion calendars that result in mass-produced designs being churned out at a rate that desensitized people to the art of dressing up, and not to mention the unfathomable amounts of inventory waste that piled up in landfills. I knew I had to do better.”

Born in India, Siddiqui spent most of her childhood shopping in the public markets whenever she needed clothes, "I grew up in Lucknow, a vibrant city with a rich history, amazing cuisine, a huge inclination towards textile embroidery and notorious for its sophisticated culture influenced by art and poetry."

"I have three sisters and, growing up, clothes and fashion were a big part of our lives and my mom is an amazing seamstress and made clothes for us all throughout our childhood. Our shopping trips to the bazaars are some of my fondest memories."

"The idea of Transcend came after I moved to the US in 1999 and found it increasingly hard to find clothes that represented my aesthetic and style," said Siddiqui. "Representation matters, even in clothes, and with Transcend, I wanted to make high-quality embroidery, prints and size-inclusive designs accessible to women with a global aesthetic through timeless, stylish and functional silhouettes."

Scroll through the designs and you’ll view a variety of stunning colors and prints. Using bold colors is a must for Siddiqui, "Colors and patterns are tools that allow us to represent our unique personalities and it’s a huge part of my South Asian culture that seeps into my designs."

"I am beyond humbled with the incredible response I received to my debut collection, Blooming Rose. I could never have imagined that my first collection would win the AICI 'Inspire' award and get featured in Vogue and multiple podcasts and blogs," said Siddiqui. "Blooming Rose is a design that came to life during the pandemic, as I wanted my collection to be a source of joy for my customers in such uncertain and tough times."

So what’s next for this fashion guru?

"Next, I am about to launch my second collection inspired by the beautiful Islamic architecture I was surrounded with while growing up in India," said Siddiqui. "I am especially excited for the new collection because I expanded my size range to size 20.”

Depending on the product, prices range from $75 to $495. Shop the entire collection at www.weartranscend.com.

Kate Neidigh is a freelance lifestyle writer for Seattle Refined. See more of her work on Instagram here.

Welcome to Movers & Shakers; a series where we look deep into PNW life for people who are making moves, doing big things, and who are just - in general - being rad. Seattle is full of multi-talented and multi-faceted people, many at the intersection of technology and the arts. How do they find the time? What's their secret? Well friends, we're here to find out. Meet Movers & Shakers; aka Seattle Refined attempting to capture the not-so-secret lives of impressive locals. Have a recommendation for us? Email hello@seattlerefined.com.