Zaira
Christa
Barakat
Contact Me
I am Zaira Christa – a London-based multidisciplinary creative working across fashion, image-making, branding, music, and cultural research. My work explores the relationship between atmosphere and identity — less focused on products themselves, and more on the emotional worlds that form around them.
Originally trained in music before moving into fashion and creative direction, I’m deeply influenced by rhythm, memory, movement, and sound. These ideas shape my visual language through cinematic compositions, intimate textures, restrained sensuality, and an interest in how people construct meaning through style, ritual, and environment.
Drawing inspiration from nightlife, editorial photography, underground music scenes, contemporary luxury, and everyday human gestures, I approach fashion as both image and sociology — something lived as much as worn. My work often explores how clothing, sound, lighting, and space interact to shape emotion, perception, and desire.
Alongside my creative practice, my academic research focuses on fashion, nightlife, sound, and cultural production through a sociological lens. This balance between theory and visual storytelling informs much of my work, allowing it to feel both conceptually grounded and emotionally immediate.
Through Zaira Christa, I develop visual concepts, campaigns, and creative projects that combine editorial sensitivity with strategic image-making. My aim is to create work that feels atmospheric, emotionally resonant, and culturally aware.
Experience
The Reach Brasserie, Bar Manager - 2025 – Present
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Solely responsible for day-to-day bar operations, maintaining high standards of service and organisation.
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Create and execute a curated cocktail offering, balancing creativity with efficiency.
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Shape the guest experience through consistent service, enhancing brand perception and customer retention.
Mandaloun Westfield, Creative Content and Social Media Designer - 2019 – 2025
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Oversee the social media output for Mandaloun on Instagram and Facebook.
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Engage with a variety of creatives to direct photoshoots, design graphics, and curate campaigns.
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Track customer behaviour to plan shoots and posting schedule and suggest promotions.
Levi Strauss, Stylist - 2025
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Successfully managed sales through Black Friday weekend, helping exceed targets through increased UPT.
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Demonstrated reliability during peak periods, managing heavy footfall while maintaining service quality.
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Strengthened my commercial intuition through understanding global brand operations.
Oxford Fashion Gala, Co-Marketing Director - 2024 – 2025
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Led a team to deliver a cohesive campaign and collaborations for greater reach and exposure.
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Increased our ticket sales almost 3-fold from the previous year’s turnout through social media exposure.
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Lifted Instagram reach from the 100s to the 10,000s in the weeks leading up to the Gala.
Oxford Fashion Gala, Co-Creative Director - 2023 – 2024
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Appointed and led the creative vision of the Oxford Fashion Gala 2024.
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Directed concept shoots, and aligned looks, set, and choreography with a clear visual story.
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Enhanced the Gala’s position as Oxford’s biggest fashion event during the academic year.
Education
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2022-2025 — Somerville College, University of Oxford
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2025-2026 — King's College London
Shows
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FW23 — Women, Studied. LFW
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SS24 — Reflections on Glamour. LFW
Press
Experience
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2023 — British Vogue
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2023 — Vanity Fair, April 2023
2024 — Perazim, Cover Shoot