Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan on why he wants to launch D’YAVOL in Dubai - plus, what does the name even mean?

Aryan Khan is a chip off the old block. His father is the Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who was recently in the UAE to host the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA). Now, he’s coming back to the country, this time to help his son Aryan launch a streetwear collection under the edgy umbrella brand D’YAVOL.

The event, D’YAVOL AfterDark+, is basically a huge party at Sky 2.0 in the Dubai Design District on October 27.

D'YAVOL, the global luxury collective, is founded by Shah Rukh Khan, Leti Blagoeva, Aryan Khan, and Bunty Singh

It dishes out everything from streetwear to award-winning beverages, and exclusive experiences/events. L.E.G.E.N.D.A.R.Y? Yup, seems about right.

Here are excerpts from the interview with Aryan Khan:

What’s the significance of the brand name D’YAVOL?

Our name is inspired by the story of the [American] legendary blues guitarist, Robert Johnson. When he played for everyone, initially, they told him he [was awful] and to never play again. He then underwent gruelling training for years and became one of the greatest guitarist to ever live. He played the guitar with such skill many believed Robert had made a ‘deal with the devil’ to become as good as he was. But that wasn’t the truth. It was his perseverance, his self-belief and his hard work. I resonated with this story and felt that as a brand we should be in endless pursuit of excellence – and that’s why we named the brand D’YAVOL, to remind ourselves that the only thing that really brings success is perseverance, passion and hard graft.

Why do you think Dubai is a perfect launch pad for D’YAVOL?

Dubai is not only a hub for luxury but is also a gateway to global markets with its multicultural population, making it the perfect fit for a brand with a global DNA like D’YAVOL. The city is constantly pushing the boundaries and setting trends for the rest of the world. I’m confident that our brand will resonate well with the nuanced audiences in the region, even as we continue to expand into more markets.

What’s the inspiration behind the brand?

D’YAVOL is all about pushing the boundaries of conventional luxury while maintaining authenticity. Whether it’s our award-winning beverages, our highly exclusive streetwear, or our one-of-a-kind experiences, we’re always focused on bringing only the absolute best to our audiences. We’re creating a unique brand experience that cuts across several product verticals, which has never really been done before. But even so, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and it’s very encouraging to see that we have already established ourselves as a force to be reckoned with, across categories.

Who designs the clothes, plans the experiences?

We have a very capable team of designers and planners who I work very closely with to create designs and plan the experiences. I’m quite particular about the process, so I’ll admit that it can be rigorous sometimes. Some of our designs go through more than twenty rounds of brainstorming and ideation before we bring them to market, and we ensure that anything that does go out is something that we can all be proud of, whether that’s our apparel or our event experiences.

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