Q+A with Karina Nasya Bakri
Parsons School of Design
MFA in Fashion + Society
2025
Over and Out
In Next Gen / No Kill, we highlight standout emerging designers whose work redefines how creativity and responsibility can coexist. From New York’s top programs and beyond, these are the talents rewriting fashion’s rules with intelligence, craft, and conscience.
What is the inspiration or concept behind your collection?
“Over and Out” started as a mix of forgotten childhood dreams of my father and me. Back then, he wanted to be a professional mountaineer, and I wanted to be a 2000s pop star. My father was also an architect who taught me how to draw when I was little, which still informs my design process today. The swirled lace in the collection is directly inspired by my childhood drawings.
At its heart, the collection is about family and memory. Traditional kebaya lace is reimagined into sculptural, exaggerated forms. Soft tailoring is fused with utilitarian elements of hiking gear, reflected in vibrant hues drawn from both 80s outdoorwear and 2000s Indonesian pop magazines. Sustainability is central to the project, with 75% of the garments made from reclaimed outdoor materials through the TAKIHYO FOR GOOD initiative and the lace material provided from Solstiss.
What’s one material or technique you’re currently obsessed with?
To be honest, I haven’t been exploring new materials or techniques as of late, but I wanted to get back into weaving, which I was very fond of back in undergrad. I also wanted to learn how to do lost wax casting for jewelry. Adding it to the to-do list!
What does fashion mean to you today?
It’s hard work. As someone who both works in the industry and builds personal projects, it’s difficult not to see it as a business where people are making a living while still staying true to what I want to create. It has made me deeply respect the people who dedicate their time and hands to making garments, and it has made me more conscious of the materials, labor, and resources behind every piece.
What’s one thing you wish the fashion industry would leave behind—and one thing it should embrace?
I wish corporations would take immediate action towards overproducing. I understand how the ever-changing trends initiate these decisions, but I think they should rethink who they’re making these clothes for. I love that people around me are embracing their personal styles, including mending, rewearing, and making it their own.
Who or what has shaped your design values most?
My father is the first one, he taught me from an early age to look at the care labels and see what a garment is made of. My family, in general, also influenced my love for colors and textures. Rei Kawakubo and Kei Ninomiya truly influenced my approach towards volume and construction.
If you could design for anyone in the world, who would it be—and why?
I’d love to see my work on stage one day with Björk, Utada Hikaru, Sheena Ringo, or Kate Bush.
I think a performance is the truest environment I see my garment existing in, and seeing it worn by my favorite women would just be a dream to experience.
Three things keeping you sane right now
2000s Indonesian pop songs (nothing like playing this on my way home)
Iced coffee (even when it’s 10 degrees out)
Rummikub (nothing like a good challenge!)
One word to describe your design approach
Ever-evolving
Where can we find you online?
website instagram
