Sommyyah Awan and Marc Bridge, Hotel Chelsea, New York City, September 13, 2025

For this episode of The Materialist, recorded during New York Fashion Week, I sat down with Toronto-based content creator, communications strategist, and fashion multihyphenate Sommyyah Awan. Known for her irreverent and stylish “dual life” — corporate strategist by day, luxury fashion influencer by night — Sommyyah brings sharp insights on style, material culture, and what it means to live intentionally with objects.

We traced her journey from Houston to Toronto, from Tumblr blogs to TikTok virality, and from sewing her own clothes as a teenager to walking red carpets in Sergio Hudson and Hermès. Sommyyah explained how her training in communications shapes her content, why she thinks of herself as “Hannah Montana,” and how her five beloved F’s — fashion, film, fast cars, flying planes, and foreign policy — drive her creativity.

The conversation moves from her playful irreverence (skateboarding with a Birkin, wearing a necklace backwards) to serious reflections on taste, storytelling, and the enduring power of artisanship. We discuss her philosophy of high-low styling, her perspective on Hermès versus hype-driven brands, and her ambitions for the future — including Substack writing, styling services, and the perfect timepiece.

Sommyyah reminds us that intentional materialism isn’t about being owned by objects, but about choosing what amplifies who you already are. She brings wit, candor, and joy to a conversation that ranges from handbags to geopolitics, lipstick to algorithms, and the meaning of living life at full tilt.

And if you want the full DL on what she chose to wear for our conversation, conveniently she made a video about it here!

Find Sommyyah on Instagram, TikTok, and Substack.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit atpresent.substack.com