We had the honor of interviewing the famous Asma Fares.
She is a young, driven and lively young woman who managed to give hijabis a voice in the world of French beauty.
We talked about her career : from YouTube to the creation of her hijab brand, Asma Fares has not been hanging about.
Toukan and Palmyre : Hello Asma !
Asma Fares : Hello !
T&P : Thank you for giving us some of your time !
AF : My pleasure !
T&P : Before talking about your very first hijab collection, the Toukan and Palmyre team would like to talk about your first steps as a YouTuber. When did you decide to start your YouTube channel and why ?
AF : I started my channel in February 2012. I was a beautician (I graduated in 2004) and I felt the need to share my knowledge with people. I followed international hijabis YouTubers and in France, there was a growing demand so I decided to try.
T&P : Did you think that you would be successful on YouTube or were you skeptical ?
AF : Honestly, I didn’t think about that. I just wanted to share my knowledge. When I released a video, it wasn’t in order to gain views. Actually, I never even checked the number of views I had. I was doing it out of sheer passion
T&P : Where did you find the inspiration ?
AF : I found it in myself. I remember I first went through my make up bag to find inspiration. But, you know, YouTubers often get inspired by each other since we generally deal with the same products
T&P : YouTubers often claim that it requires a lot of work. Is it true ?
AF : Absolutely ! It is very demanding. When I began, I was a single mother and it was all the more difficult since I made a point of answering all the comments. I have done that for 3 or 4 years and it encroached upon my family life.
T&P : How do you reconcile the two? Do you have a specific organization?
AF : Absolutely not. I live one day at a time but overall, I work when my children are at school and the evening is dedicated to my family. When I spend too much time on my phone, my husband sounds the alarm.(laughter). But I get it. We live in a very connected world and in the field in which I work, social networks are extremely important.
T&P : Have you ever thought about being assisted like a lot of YouTubers are nowadays ?
AF : That’s a good idea but not for the moment. I do everything on my own. Sometimes, my husband helps me but only for the little things.
T&P : On Friday 20th 2017, your career is taking on a new turn. You are launching your hijab brand! Why have you decided to design hijabs and not clothes or else ?
AF : First of all, clothes require a specific management and you can find them everywhere, in every style and shape. It’s not the case for hijabs. I like styling mine with my outfits and I’ve always had trouble finding hijabs that fitted. There was always a problem, whether regarding the width or the length. When it came to styling them, the choice was thus limited. And, since I wear a scarf, I wanted to give a positive image of hijabis. Different from the one which is portrayed in the media . I wanted to show that you can wear a scarf and be as stylish as any woman.
T&P : You champion your project very well !
AF : This is really what motivates me. This project is me.
T&P : Let’s talk about your campaign video. BRAVO! There is a message of equality in the way you chose your models and their outfits, isn’t there ?
AF : Exactly ! The director and I chose models from all backgrounds without making any distinction. That’s who I am and originally, this is what I was looking for to create with my YouTube channel. I didn’t want to build a specific community. I wanted to reach all wommen, whether they were Jewish, Muslim, atheists etc. I am and I’ll always be open-minded and I wanted it to show in my collection. All of us can be sisters. This is actually at the core of my slogan « Be modest Be chic ». I’m not only talking about physical modesty. I’m also talking about the heart. We shouldn’t compete against each other, we should be at the same level and love one another for who we are.
T&P : We’re finishing with a wonderful message of peace ! Thank you Asma !
Toukan & Palmyre
Toukan & Palmyre 