Inside Fai Khadra’s Dinner Party to Mark Oliver Peoples’ Eyewear Drop, Bringing Out Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber and The Weeknd
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Eyewear label Oliver Peoples and Fai Khadra — the multihyphenate designer and man about town — hosted a dinner party in Los Angeles on Tuesday to toast their partnership.
Khadra was tapped by the L.A.-based brand (founded in 1986 and owned by Luxottica) to design its newest release.
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“I’ve always been really interested in architecture and design, and then that’s gone into fashion very seamlessly as well,” said Khadra, who studied architecture at the University of Southern California.
His introduction into the world of fashion came from his mother Rula, who opened an upscale shop (with locations in Dubai and Riyadh) 20 years ago.
“She started it by herself, with just three designers at the time,” said Khadra, who has Palestinian roots. “For an Arab woman to have a store, you know, with such incredible artists and designers who were really pushing the boundaries of fashion, and bringing it to that region of the world, I think it’s super brave and admirable.…My mom was a huge influence on me, even with her story. It was a lifestyle boutique in the sense that you could go buy clothes, products, furniture. It was a holistic experience. And so, that’s why when I approach any project, it’s very much a holistic experience.”
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Smiling, he added, “Down to, you know, the butter on the table is shaped specifically.”
He’s undoubtedly precise about details, and with this project with Oliver Peoples, Khadra was able to execute a vision from beginning to end, he explained — from designing the frames to creative directing its campaign and curating the celebratory dinner, which was held atop a helipad on Wilshire Boulevard. The dishes, including oysters, lobster, roasted striped bass and saffron rice, were served on a custom table he designed himself for the occasion.
“It’s four-and-a-half-feet wide by 30-feet long, coming down to the floor,” he explained. “The table looks like the glass is almost upside down.”
Elements of the decor took inspiration from the frames: a thin, sleek design adorned with barbed wire detailing on the temple. Italian-made and out now in five shades, the sunglasses are priced between $491 and $551.
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“I walked into the [Oliver Peoples] stores, and I saw what they had going on already, and I noticed that everything was kind of a bit of a bigger frame, bigger lens,” said Khadra. “So I kind of wanted to do the antithesis.”
He visited vintage shops in L.A. for inspiration, combining what he liked from various eyewear pieces he discovered. While discussing influences for the final design, he referenced former couple Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, their look in the ’90s, “that rock lifestyle,” he said. “A bit reckless and fun.” When bringing the vision to life with the campaign — calling on his friends photographer Hugo Comte to shoot and Jordan Daniels to model — he was influenced by the black-and-white work of Robert Longo.
“The posing, it’s just so beautifully free and iconic,” he said of Longo’s imagery.
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Beyond objects, Khadra has designed homes and created stages for music stars like Drake and A$AP Ferg; he’s been tapped by Sotheby’s London to guest curate its “Contemporary Curated” auction (he’s a collector), all while accumulating 2.4 million followers on Instagram.
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Growing up, Khadra spent time in Saudi Arabia, then London until his teens, followed by Dubai. But he was born — and he’s based — in L.A., where his famous friends include Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, who both came out for his dinner, along with Rocco Basilico, chief wearables officer at Luxottica; The Weeknd; Syd Tha Kyd; Steve Lacy, and his sisters, twins Simi and Haze (known as @simihaze to their 1.4 million Instagram followers).
“I think that L.A. is getting its shine now,” Khadra said. “And I think that a lot more artists are coming here. A lot more artists are making work here. There is something to be said about the expansive space and sunlight.”
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Of his approach to design, he said: “I follow my intuition and try to push myself into a space that I maybe haven’t gone before or I don’t feel comfortable in and try to see what I can do there that feels unique to me or feels fresh in a way.”
He cited the late Virgil Abloh as “a huge inspiration,” as well as the likes of James Turrell, Larry Bell, Bruce Nauman, Rem Koolhaas, Martin Margiela and John Galliano.
“I think, for me, I’ve always been interested in having a unique perspective, and then it kind of manifests itself in different forms, whether it be an architectural-related project or something like this [with the eyewear], that is more of a product, but in the way that we tell the story through the campaign and through the live events, like the party,” he continued. “It’s super fun, because you can see how all my interests kind of blend into one.”
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