Xheni

PPS: Hi Xheni, tell us about yourself. What do you do and what are you passionate about?

Xheni: So, I'm a photographer and a writer. I'm really passionate about a lot of different fields in the creative world. One of them includes fashion. I actually just yelled at my mom today for donating one of my jackets.

PPS: How dare she? She didn't ask you first?

Xheni: Seriously. I was like: now some other person is going to get to enjoy that and not me. Because I think about things for years. Like, I'll think about an article of clothing for years. I'm kind of obsessed with fashion. But I would also say, photography. I love documentation. I'm kind of an anthropology geek in that way. Anything that kind of relates to culture and the human condition, I think is worth documenting. And I love being a part of the documentation of that.

PPS: What do you think led you to being interested in those things and pursuing those things in terms of your career or your hobbies?

Xheni: I think I've always been a creative person, but my parents were also very encouraging when I was young in fostering that. My mom herself is an artist and her father is an artist. My parents have always encouraged it and supported it as much as they could. I mean, to a certain threshold, because at the end of the day they are immigrants who are terrified of the starving artist narrative so...

PPS: It's real sometimes.

Xheni: Yeah, it's real. Depends. Some of my favorite memories are of my mom getting a coupon in the mail and going to buy my brother a set of two canvases that came with their own tubes of paint.

PPS: Does your brother paint?

Xheni: No, but what she did with one of us, she would do with both of us. I feel so lucky that my parents have always encouraged my creative bones.

PPS: Are they happy with what you're doing now?

Xheni: My mom is very proud of the path that I'm taking. In the sense that she knows that I'm working very hard to be able to maintain myself creatively. And the fact that I still have a means of creative output even if my full time job isn't necessarily creative. My dad is proud too but he also doesn't understand it as much.

PPS: You mentioned being into anthropology, what specifically drives you when you're creating something?

Xheni: To kind of sum up, my biggest inspiration in my work is to gain a level of understanding. Whether it's being assigned a piece where I have to do research to understand something that I wasn't familiar with before, or whether I'm working with an artist and the work we're doing together is helping me further understand them and, as a result, them me as well. I guess that's kind of like my goal with creating and with art. To, like...

PPS: To dissect?

Xheni: I did really love dissecting animals in science. I love understanding things. And I think engaging with art and the creative world is a beautiful way to understand people.

PPS: You're nosy.

Xheni: So nosy.

PPS: How has your relationship to fashion changed throughout your life?

Xheni: Well, so obviously when I was young, my mother dressed me.

PPS: Embarrassing. Loser!

Xheni: No, my mom has great style. She herself is a fashionista. During the first years, a lot of my clothing was either thrifted or hand-me-downs, just because what my parents could afford. But they still made me look cute somehow.

PPS: I guess that wasn't considered cool back then. I remember getting bullied whenever I’d wear something thrifted.

Xheni: For sure. But I was also a weird kid to the point where having thrifted clothes wasn't the worst of my concerns. Like, it wasn't the weirdest thing about me. My mom grew up making her clothes, because she grew up in communist Albania. So when I was young I also learned to make my own clothes. I would wear them to school and get absolutely dogged.

PPS: What kind of stuff did you make?

Xheni: I would make weird hair accessories. And skirts, they were super easy to make out of tablecloths. I even used to play Frankenstein with my dad's clothes. Like I would steal his clothes and chop them up.

PPS: Oh, I would have disowned you.

Xheni: I know but he works in construction so most of his clothes are pretty tattered anyway.

PPS: So, you grew up in Chicago. How is the fashion scene there?

Xheni: I think Chicago has its own little pockets of different subcultures. There’s a lot of creatives in Chicago who are pushing for the city to have fashion weeks and stuff like that. Also, I've never been in a better city for thrifting.

PPS: Oh, really?

Xheni: I’ve thrifted brand new lambskin leather jackets for, like, seven bucks. Issey Miyake pants for like 3 dollars. Because no one knows designer value.

PPS: What's the most “you” thing that you can wear? What's a garment or a signature look that feels like the epitome of your essence?

Xheni: Oh God. I don't know. It totally depends who you're asking and in what context they know me.

PPS: I'm asking you!

Xheni: I mean, even me. God. Um, okay wait so I’m famous for this chicken purse.

PPS: What’s that?

Xheni: The story behind it is I had a dream once and in this dream, I had a chicken purse. I had never seen one before but when I woke up I immediately went on ebay and found it. So, whether it's a crazy pair of shoes. Or like a super weird bag, I like an accessory that can totally change your outfit.

PPS: Speaking of that, do you have any designers that do that for you?

Xheni: So, ever since I was younger I’ve been a wh*re for tartan. You can quote me on that.

PPS: I will.

Xheni: I love Vivian Westwood, like the way that she's been able to transform silhouettes and pattern clashing is so inspiring to me. The idea that things, on paper shouldn't work, do. I also love Issey Miyake, playing with different textiles. The sophistication of Dries Van Noten also. I love being able to mix things together and bring things that like shouldn't that like wouldn't typically belong.

PPS: Do you think fashion has the power to shape culture?

Xheni: 100%. I've been seeing a lot of discourse lately on the death of subcultures and how they're becoming aesthetics. That speaks a lot to our culture and how we've become so much more consumer focused instead of looking at values and ideologies of subculture. I think fashion totally shapes culture and even. Or maybe culture that shapes fashion. I think it's like a chicken or the egg kind of conversation.

PPS: Right, and things come back in waves but maybe we perceive them as trends because they're no longer associated with those symbols or ideals.

Xheni: It’s also about who is bringing them back and in what context.

PPS: Do you feel nostalgic about the way that fashion was conceived in the past versus now? And do you feel excited or hopeful about the future of fashion, with those things in mind?

Xheni: I do feel nostalgic because growing up I would kind of look up to some of these subcultures that represented an ideology. Whereas now people are wearing these garments because of how it looks, which is totally valid but it becomes a shell instead of something more. But I think people are having these discussions, which makes me hopeful for a return to that. A return to substance.

PPS: That makes me think of how I keep running into the word “community” in different contexts. I think about that in relation to fashion and maybe I am misquoting, but Bill Bishop, who said something like “It used to be that people were born into communities and had to find identities. Now people are born individuals and have to find communities.” And I think that also ties back to how trends generate. I used to be about breaking away from a mold and becoming an individual, whereas now you find yourself wearing a uniform that allows you to fit in with a certain crowd.

Xheni: Yeah, it’s interesting because when you look at Western society, it’s very individualistic. My parents came from a country with strong community values, influenced by both their communist background and traditional culture. Growing up in America, I found myself between these two worlds. My friends didn’t always get why I felt such a strong duty to my family. It's like, over time, even in places like Albania, communal values have faded as imperialism expands its toxic vines.

PPS: What about the internet, have we lost sight of community in social media?

Xheni: Yeah, the way that we produce content now is very “main character”. I get nostalgic for when I had pen pals through Tumblr, connecting with strangers who shared interests. I used to hang their letters in my room. I try to keep that sense of connection alive through Instagram, staying in touch with people I care about, even if we’re not close. Sending messages like, 'I love what you're doing!' feels nourishing, but it's such a small part of what social media is now.

PPS: If you had the power to influence one single thing about the world of fashion or culture, what would it be?

Xheni: I'd focus on bringing people together. Fashion used to unite us, but now there's a lot of individuality complex and judgment. I wish people would enjoy fashion without criticism. Also, we shouldn't feel entitled to everything. Buying everything we want leads to overproduction and waste. Mindful purchasing is important, knowing where clothes come from and their impact. I love going to smaller brands that are mindful of this in terms of production and materials.

PPS: Last question: what are you manifesting at the moment?

Xheni: I'm manifesting a career in which I can support myself doing what I love and where I really truly connect with people by doing what I love and to where people feel, feel like inspired or touched by like what I have to say and what I have to offer and there is like some like exchange and like building of community with the work that I do.

PPS: Period. Punto.

Xheni: Punto.

PPS: And we're done. Thanks for watching.