If Jalal could have one wish, it would be for people to turn off their television sets and tune into the beauty of the world that surrounds them.
“Please turn off your TVs and explore the world as much as you can?” asked Jalal, the rapper also known as Feros.
Jalal sees beauty all around him and feels no need to limit his vision to the world of music. He is reaching out and fusing his love of rap with apparel design culminating in the new clothing line, Aria Noir.
Aria Noir is apparel by designers, for designers and patterns itself after perfection. Aria Noir aligns its enterprise along the equilibrium of things both pretty and practical, with a focus on doing more with less, and an emphasis on quality over quantity. In short, Aria Noir is where sacred geometry speaks.
The passion of the creative process drives Jalal’s artistic endeavor, ever searching for the ultimate “product” of orchestrated talent for the enjoyment of Aria Noir’s customers.
Focused exclusively on the creative process, Jalal likens his work to childbirth. “My favorite part of the creative process is the final product. It’s like giving birth to something that didn’t exist before, and now it does because of me. And it’s even better when someone else acknowledges its beauty.”
Born in Damascus, Syria, Jalal immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1996. “The whole struggle of leaving everything behind us, such as family and friends,” he explained. “And coming to a new country, a new world, changed me completely as a person and made me who I am today.”
Jalal incorporates all of these struggles, from learning a new language, new customs, and new ways of living, into his story. “I would consider myself someone who’s lived through a movie full of action, ups, and downs, and I try to put these life experiences into words to tell my story.”
One of the primary challenges Jalal faced is the story familiar to many immigrants; balancing life in a new world while honoring his familial roots.
“My main challenge was adapting to my new environment while trying to please my middle eastern parents who are way older and old school, who don’t quite understand this society and its way of thinking or living. So many times, I’ve had to go through huge measures to hide certain things from them, only not to hurt them or worry them.”
Jalal’s creative output with Aria Noir is starting to resonate with a small but serious, appreciative fan base. The goal is to continue in this direction, producing apparel people adore to adorn. The ethos of Aria Noir is truly “for designers, by designers.”
“My goals are to keep getting better at what I do and to keep diversifying so that I don’t have just one type of audience,” said Jalal. “I like to have fun and explore new things in life, and this goes for music as well. My style has changed a lot since I first started and will keep changing, updating, and improving.”
Jalal’s philosophy, along with his creative work, is positive and uplifting. “Life is full of surprises, many good, many bad. That’s what makes life so beautiful. And the day you mature is the day when you realize that in every bad, there’s a positive lesson or outcome, and that’s what you need to focus on.”
