The concept of her brand is as simple as its name: garments that represent her vision of the world. Metalwear and conversational luxury that, through silhouettes and the fusion of contrasting materials, leads us directly to the power of our individuality. Aslan World is the brand that combines survival and play, party and work, earth and sky.
Burning Rubber, Open Heart is the new collection for Autumn/Winter '25, designed to bring sexy back…crashing into crush at full speed. Aslan World debuts a new collection, combining glamour and grunge, right before opening a Showroom in Los Angeles: Aslan World IRL. In between all that work, CJ Aslan takes a few minutes to talk to METAL about her brand.
Your brand is a reflection of your unique vision and perspective on the world, and behind that original view is a mind that shapes it. Who is CJ Aslan?
HARDER, FASTER, STRONGER
I’m inspired by feelings – bad or good, we should all strive to regret nothing, just let it rock. I think that’s the true bit that I’m on right now ... like hyper self-aware intuitively – anti-self-destructive.
Intentionality is my best friend. ALL IN
Failing is just a construct.
Nothing is real until you say it is.
JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, IS DAMN NEAR ALWAYS GOOD ENOUGH!
I’m inspired by feelings – bad or good, we should all strive to regret nothing, just let it rock. I think that’s the true bit that I’m on right now ... like hyper self-aware intuitively – anti-self-destructive.
Intentionality is my best friend. ALL IN
Failing is just a construct.
Nothing is real until you say it is.
JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, IS DAMN NEAR ALWAYS GOOD ENOUGH!
What would you say is the most characteristic feature of your clothes? Something that all your garments share and that people recognise as part of your brand?
A balance between survival and play. Heavy and light, hard and soft, glamour and grunge. Documentation is just as important as the clothing. Tapping into what you have access to and making that – THAT.
How do you turn a creative idea into a finished product? Tell us more about the process you go through.
Create the reality you want to absorb from. I wore white for a whole month to not feel so attached to wearing all black. I think it's important to challenge your brain to rewire how you would normally be impacted by something. Process over finished product … always. Ask questions that need no answer.
Your latest AW25 collection is called Burning Rubber, Open Heart and talks about pushing the boundaries of luxury and breaking with the mundane, endless possibilities through design and the power of individuality. What other values do you think your brand represents?
Escape. Fantasy. Everything's only as real as we decide for it to be.
We recently designed a series of logos for this collection, and the castle became the foundation of the Aslan World ideology. When thinking about verbiage or symbols important enough to last forever ... or at least for now … I kept thinking about the ultimate destination … the idea of spending the rest of my life designing every crack and nook of my space. Sanctuary meets the ultimate video game character. The never-ending last resort.
We recently designed a series of logos for this collection, and the castle became the foundation of the Aslan World ideology. When thinking about verbiage or symbols important enough to last forever ... or at least for now … I kept thinking about the ultimate destination … the idea of spending the rest of my life designing every crack and nook of my space. Sanctuary meets the ultimate video game character. The never-ending last resort.
The collection combines glamour and grunge, but it also wants to move into the everyday. How do you manage the materials and silhouettes to achieve this when they seem to be opposites?
Opposition is hot – two opposites that are hard to piece together. I challenge myself to make you wish you could have seen it before … like it was right in front of your face, but you never had the construct to know what to do with it … or even realise it was there until now.
Knitwear makes a debut in Aslan World with this line. Is it here to stay? What other materials would you like to work with in the future?
I’m always into extremes, so it's giving how I can find the softest soft and the hardest hard … Forever.
Materials manipulated over materials just because I’m into exploring what's not explored.
Find a place for it, or sometimes the ethos literally does it for you.
Materials manipulated over materials just because I’m into exploring what's not explored.
Find a place for it, or sometimes the ethos literally does it for you.
The custom-made gold glove for Maluma at the 2021 MET Gala was definitely a turning point in the development of Aslan World. Can you tell us about the concept behind this piece and how it started?
VERSACE VERSACE VERSACE.
Having the opportunity to collaborate on creating a look alongside Donatella Versace for the Met Gala was genuinely just inspiring – a custom Aslan World chainmail glove featuring all things close to Maluma.
Having the opportunity to collaborate on creating a look alongside Donatella Versace for the Met Gala was genuinely just inspiring – a custom Aslan World chainmail glove featuring all things close to Maluma.
Fashion is not only about clothes but also about the society we live in. We are now living in a world where consumers look for clothes with some message behind it. What do you think is the purpose of your brand in this new fashion narrative?
Break the rules.
BRING SEXY BACK.
Good things come in threes.
You need something relatable to give your audience access – nostalgia to make them feel it … then the nuanced idea that was the core newness you wanted to present in the first place. Trick them into understanding they want something they didn't know they needed.
BRING SEXY BACK.
Good things come in threes.
You need something relatable to give your audience access – nostalgia to make them feel it … then the nuanced idea that was the core newness you wanted to present in the first place. Trick them into understanding they want something they didn't know they needed.
Aslan World ‘needs to be seen to be believed’. Now you have opened your first space in Los Angeles, how do you envision this place for you and customers?
Aslan World IRL represents the culmination of the forces that bind Aslan World together. The dichotomy of our reality brought to fruition … softness against hard, skin clinging to metal, concrete covering earth … inviting our customers into the abyss. I see a resurgence in the fetishisation of the sound boy, a little bit of the art school, a lot-a-bit of the anti-art school … I think that aspect of paying attention to sound and how it relates to space made me feel like those were the things we needed right now. Something like a warm hug – that is acoustics to someone ... It's acoustics to me, and it's acoustics to my customers.
When I first stepped into the space, it was very different than it is now. I blue-taped out the lines that now make up our conversation pit and bought the largest speakers I could possibly find to hang from the 30ft ceilings. That's all that mattered to me.
When I first stepped into the space, it was very different than it is now. I blue-taped out the lines that now make up our conversation pit and bought the largest speakers I could possibly find to hang from the 30ft ceilings. That's all that mattered to me.
An era, a fashion designer and a style that has influenced you?
Bach
Caterina Beriberi
Low-fi study beats
Genesis P-Orridge
Es Delvin
System of a Down
Meatloaf
Ryan Trecartin
Mary-Kate and Ashley
ORI
Baroque
Brutalist
Gladiators
John Galliano
The Color of Pomegranates
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Apocalyptica
Mine and Izzy Spears's 6am drive home shared playlist
IMPROV THEATRE.
Caterina Beriberi
Low-fi study beats
Genesis P-Orridge
Es Delvin
System of a Down
Meatloaf
Ryan Trecartin
Mary-Kate and Ashley
ORI
Baroque
Brutalist
Gladiators
John Galliano
The Color of Pomegranates
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Apocalyptica
Mine and Izzy Spears's 6am drive home shared playlist
IMPROV THEATRE.
What is your vision for ASLAN World in the next few years?
Adapt or Die … 4EVER Ascending …
