The Afghan-australian Designer Who Built A Brand Around Everything That Once Made Her Feel Different

Mariam Seddiq is not a designer who does anything by halves.

From her Sydney atelier – where every piece is hand-crafted with zero waste – to the runway at Australian Fashion Week 2026, the Afghan-Australian designer has built a label as intentional as it is striking.

Her latest collection, ECHOES, arrives as “sharper, stronger and more refined – still sensual, still architectural, but with a new softness,” she tells GRAZIA. It’s a fitting description for a woman who has spent years turning contrast into a creative superpower – Afghan heritage and Australian identity, structure and fluidity, power and softness, all coexisting with precision.

Once someone who “desperately wanted to blend in,” the creative director and brand founder has since built an entire brand around the things that once made her feel different.

“The brand became stronger the moment I stopped separating myself from who I am,” she says. With ECHOES now making its debut on the international stage, it’s clear that moment has well and truly arrived.

GRAZIA: Tell us about the latest collection and what it’s like to be back at Australian Fashion Week this year.

MS: This collection feels sharper, stronger and more refined, still sensual, still architectural, but with a new softness to it. It’s about women owning space confidently. Being back at Australian Fashion Week always feels personal. It’s home. There’s something special about showing in Sydney, where the brand was built from the ground up.

GRAZIA: You’re of Afghan heritage and proudly embrace that. But you’ve previously spoken about how your Afghan heritage was something you wanted to hide as a child, and something you now build your whole brand around. What changed?

MS: When I was younger, I desperately wanted to blend in. I grew up in a predominantly Anglo-Saxon neighbourhood and was often the only ethnic person in the street, sometimes in the room. That came with a lot of racism and bullying at the time, but in many ways it gave me the thick skin I carry now. As I got older, I realised the very things that once made me feel different became my greatest creative strengths. Now, my heritage informs everything, the craftsmanship, the glamour, the storytelling, the resilience. The brand became stronger the moment I stopped separating myself from who I am.

GRAZIA: You’ve noted that you have a strong list of Middle Eastern clients and that embody who the MARIAM SEDDIQ woman is. What specifically is the conversation you have with that customer?

The conversation is always about confidence. My clients love fashion emotionally, they understand glamour, craftsmanship and presence. The MARIAM SEDDIQ woman is bold, feminine and completely unapologetic. She dresses to be remembered.

GRAZIA: You describe your goal as bridging the traditional with the contemporary, honouring both your Afghan heritage and your Australian identity. Does that ever feel like a tension, or has it always felt natural?

MS: It used to feel like tension personally, but creatively it feels instinctive. My Afghan heritage gave me a deep respect for beauty and craftsmanship, while Australia shaped my modern perspective and independence. The brand exists naturally between those two worlds.

GRAZIA: You have a growing roster of A-list clients who have worn your designs. How do you choose who you dress – and what does it mean for the brand when someone with global reach wears MARIAM SEDDIQ?

MS: It’s never about fame alone; it’s about alignment. I’m drawn to women with presence and a strong sense of self. When someone globally recognised wears the brand, it expands visibility, of course, but more importantly, it reinforces that Australian fashion belongs on the international luxury stage.

GRAZIA: You hand-make everything in your Sydney Atelier with zero waste – an extraordinarily labour-intensive approach. Is that ever at odds with the ambition to grow the label?

MS: No, it’s the foundation of the brand. Growth doesn’t have to mean mass production. Luxury should feel considered, and craftsmanship is part of the value. I’d rather grow intentionally than compromise the integrity of the work.

GRAZIA: The Middle East is living through a cultural renaissance right now – Saudi Arabia is producing some of the world’s most exciting new creative voices. As a designer with roots in the broader region, how do you feel watching that moment unfold?

MS: It’s incredibly exciting to watch. The creativity has always existed; now the world is finally paying attention. What’s happening across Saudi and the wider region feels powerful because creatives are telling their own stories on their own terms. I think this is only the beginning of the Middle East’s influence globally.