Gadir Rajab: Building a Language of Lust and Discipline with Raga Malak

Between Australia and Lebanon, tension and release, streetwear and subculture, Gadir Rajab has built a career out of contradictions that only make sense when stitched together by his eye. The 34-year-old designer and stylist has spent over a decade orbiting fashion’s sharpest corners, from editing shoots at 032c and Interview to styling for Re-Edition and beyond.

Now based in Los Angeles, Rajab steers that same tension into ready-to-wear label Raga Malak. An ode to migration, memory, and the collision of western and Middle Eastern aesthetics, their collections are sensual but severe—micro minis paired with architectural outerwear, sheer layers offset by sculpted leather, the rigidity of tailoring undercut by delicacy. 

Restrained in colour yet charged with sensuality, their work evokes Beirut nightlife, modern internet culture, and the erotic futurism of Mugler, but it’s distinctly their own. Raga Malak pieces have found their way onto international artists and models who orbit the avant-pop underground, like Doja Cat, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Julia Fox, Lara Raj, Paris Hilton, and more. Though Rajab boasts a decade of high-profile work, he insists that the origin of his label is his ultimate professional achievement to date.  

Inspiration, for him, is instinctive. “Honestly, I’ve got severe ADHD; I get inspiration from the most random things as long as they’re in front of me and I remember to document or save them,” he explains. “It’ll then be the inspo for a shoot or design.” That impulsive energy bleeds into the label’s work—cinematic, tactile, and never excessively styled.

The designer is now focused on paying it forward, looking past collections to foster new talent. “I want to create a platform that can help others in the region who have less access,” he says, referencing an upcoming Raga Malak photo series in Lebanon and plans for a 2026 exhibition with local collaborators. His process, he says, is powered by the idea that what once seemed unattainable is actually possible now.

Next up? A runway show and, rather unexpectedly, a horror film he’s been writing since lockdown. “I’ve seen so many amazing creatives coming out of the region,” Rajab reflects. “And I know it will only keep growing and gaining traction.”