An Artistic Mind

Fashion Designer Nomee
Talks to
Fauzia Sultana

COURTESY: NOMEE

I was never a bookworm and neither did I want to be one. From an early age I was interested in styling and fashion. Instead of concentrating on the words of my text books, I wondered how to design a particular dress or read the fashion magazines to know what's in and what's out.

I completed my SSC and HSC from BAF Shaheen School and College. While my parents wanted me to study medicine and become a doctor, I aspired to be a fashion designer. I received a diploma in Fashion Designing from the Inspiration Institute of Design and Technology in Baridhara, and also graduated in Interior Architecture from the same institute, affiliated with the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia.

After graduation, I worked with the brand O2 for five years. Then, after gaining experience and practical knowledge in the fashion industry, I opened my own boutique named Window. My clothes are usually themed on ethnic designs and are not created for the mass but for a selected few, namely celebrities. Besides running my boutique, I am also a part time faculty at the Department of Fashion Designing at the Inspiration Institute of Design and Technology. Today it is all about mix and match and I try to do the same with my designs. Following a particular style only makes the work monotonous and leaves less scope for experimenting.

Besides being a fashion designer, I also maintained my career as an interior architect and worked as a freelancer in different projects including the X-Lounge, Partao Restaurant and, J and J boutique.

I do not have a single memorable incident that I can describe in particular during my student life. However, the years that I have spent at the fashion institute are worth remembering. In the creative field like fashion or music, one does not have to rely on books, but absorb from the surroundings. People are always meeting new people from all over the world, exchanging ideas and learning from one another, and this, in itself , is an experience.

People are now more concerned about fashion than before. But we have very few quality designers. There are lot of students who study fashion designing as an optional subject and not as a major. The fashion designers as well as the students who intend to become designers need to have a proper educational background, with higher degrees in this field just like in any other discipline.

Creativity is something that you either have or you don't. When people ask me what it takes to be a fashion designer, I say it is creativity, dedication and patience mixed with a little 'paglami'!