Instagram stars are popping up all over the world proving that social media is a true connector in today’s pop culture. Gone are the times when pop stars worked their way up the traditional ranks. There’s a new rise to stardom and that road is accessible by all with a dream through a cell phone.
The “Apocalyptic tomb raider” is how the DJ twins Simi and Haze Khadra describe themselves. With shades of orange and magenta slashed across their eyelids, these neon beauties embrace trending fashion right off the fall runways.
Is this the new ‘It” girls way to influence the masses? It sure looks like it is.
While most seniors at the University of Southern California were finishing up their final papers and theses, identical twins Simi and Haze Khadra were DJ’ing at Coachella with friends Kylie Jenner, Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, and Sofia Richie.
The 25-year-old girls are of Palestinian descent and were born in Saudi Arabia, raised in London, and lived in Dubai for high school. Their mother owned a boutique in Saudi Arabia and took them to runway shows, where their once Pre-Raphaelite locks captivated street-style photographers.
At the age of 14, they were spotted at fashion week for their matching street style looks. Attached at the hip, they moved to Los Angeles four years ago to study together, both majoring in film production & fine art.
Despite their busy schedules, which involve traveling around the world for DJ gigs, modeling, fashion weeks, and general It girl good times, the twins graduated in the top two-percent of their class. Wearing Chanel combat boots under their gowns, of course.
Since then, the twins have assumed a near-constant front-row perch supporting designer pals like Alexander Wang and Virgil Abloh. It’s not a stretch to say that SimiHaze (their DJ name) sets a certain tempo in the fashion community, as much with their party beats as with their no-rules ethos. “Our discovery of beauty didn’t come from a place of ‘Oh, I have to wear makeup to look pretty,’ ” says Simi. “It was more ‘How can we use color in an interesting, fun, and bold way?’ ”
The search for self-expression expanded at the University of Southern California, where the itinerant sisters—raised by Palestinian parents between Riyadh, London, and Dubai—graduated with double majors in film production and fine art. It was there they realized how much of the creative realm is “all about recontextualization,” says Simi, who counts Yoko Ono among her inspirations. A Picasso-like stroke of color across a face, for instance, can be art. “Pushing the limits on what’s out there has always been our main interest,” adds Haze.
: (Kate Branch)
Our style has evolved so much since freshman year. We used to only wear skirts or shorts — never pants or jeans for the first two years of college. I think it’s because growing up in Europe and in fashion just made our sense of style more dressed-up.
Our style is now still a little more dressed-up but with a much more casual/tomboyish/punk approach.