| Ascia AKF | |
| Birth Name: | Ascia Al Faraj |
| Birth Date: | 19 October 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Kuwait |
| Nationality: | Kuwaiti • American |
| Occupation: | BloggerFashion designer |
| Known For: | the-hybrids.com |
Ascia Al Faraj (born 19 October 1989), known by her blogging name Ascia AKF, is a Kuwaiti fashion blogger, model, and fashion designer. Al Faraj, with over two million Instagram followers, is considered one of the Middle East's most influential bloggers and social media influencers.[1] She is also popular in Malaysia and Indonesia.
She has worked with brands such as Ralph Lauren, Dior, Chanel, TAG Heuer, Net-a-Porter, and Tory Burch.[2] She is also the face of Riva Fashion.[3] [4] Her fashion and style are mainly for women who dress modestly.
On 10 July 2018, Al Faraj uploaded a video on YouTube discussing her views on modesty and faith saying that she doesn't consider herself a hijabi and it would be "disrespectful" to call herself a hijabi. "I do not consider myself to be a hijabi because I don’t feel that it is in line with the viewpoint that I have now approaching 30. It’s not the viewpoint that I think is representative of me as a person. ... I consider myself in the modest fashion space".[5] [6]
Al Faraj began her blogging career in 2012, her first post was titled "Some Mosaic. Some Marni." She came to prominence after she worked with Areej Al Kharafi, a Kuwaiti Boutique owner. She gained about 12,000 followers within hours after the release of their project.[7] In May 2014, along with her husband Ahmad, they started their YouTube channel "The Hybrids".
In 2010, Al Faraj launched her clothing line Twenty.10 by AKF.[8] [2] In 2014, she, along with Syrian designer Manar Laktineh, introduced a line of handbags.[9] In 2015, she launched a line of turbans.[2]
Ascia Al Faraj married Ahmad Al-Balooshi on November 3, 2011. Together they have two sons Adam and Noah. On December 29, 2022 she announced her divorce from Al-Balooshi.