Page 18 - ADU Voice Volume 5 Issue 1
P. 18
18 Voice | Fall 2025
In Black We Design:
The Unspoken Dress
Code of Creatives
By Sarah Sakr
alk into an architecture or interior design A third-year interior designer, Raneem Majdi,
Wstudio, and the scene will not take long described how black turned into more than just a
to communicate the trend: a sea of black-clad style; rather, a ritual of routine. “I’ve always been
designers. Not one. Not two. Every single member drawn to black, not because it’s the only color
of the creative team. I love… I simply feel there is some grounding
energy in a straight-up monochrome outfit,” she
From black pants, black turtlenecks, black boots, told ADU Voice. The idea of “grounding energy”
and sometimes even a black coffee clutched by first- speaks volumes. For many designers, black isn’t
year students nervously pinning their sketches onto just a safe or flattering choice; it’s a psychological
the wall, to seasoned ninja-like professors flying anchor. In a field that constantly demands
through critiques, the uniform is always black. innovation, risk, and reinvention, wearing black
But why? Why do creatives, especially architects becomes a form of quiet rebellion against chaos.
and interior designers, gravitate toward this classic It strips away distraction and places the focus
shade? Is there a secret code in it? Does it have squarely on the work. This monochrome uniform,
a practical purpose, hiding ink stains and stress adopted by so many in the design world, is not
sweat? Or does it represent something deeper, an about dullness or conformity; it’s about clarity,
unspoken philosophy tied up in the very essence of control, and a kind of creative minimalism that
the color in question that speaks of concentration, mirrors the very principles of good design. “I’ve
seriousness, and inclusion amid a world of aesthetic worn black to almost all of my jury sessions, and
control and intellectual pandemonium? it has become almost ritualistic for me; I have
developed a fondness for it,” Majdi added. “For
The answers had to be sought from students who me, black is not a costume, but a mindset that
live the design lifestyle, breathe it and—yes—even encourages clarity and intent.
dress in it.
