EXCLUSIVE! Interview with Anam Naseer
Article by Estelle Puleston
New designers are appearing almost daily, but every now and then one will come along whose designs are that little bit more unique than the rest and who still manages to bring something fresh and new to an ever-changing industry. Anam Naseer, Pakistan-born graduate of Liverpool John Moores University, is one such designer. For her, fashion is about more than just having some fun – “…clothing has a purpose. You have to wear it…. You have to be artistic but commercial at the same time” – which is what led her to come up with the idea for a fashion brand where items could be modified and interchanged to suit the wearer’s taste.
Naseer states the main aspect of her work as being “…to transform simplicity into creativity, by creating pieces that are detachable to add definition to garments”. Take for example removable cuffs that can be transferred to another piece from her collection, or a simple dress that can be worn to the office and then transformed in seconds with a neck-piece to take it straight to the bar for post-work drinks.
Even without this unique twist, her designs are already breathtaking and unique. She is inspired by everything around her, from street culture to broken glass, of which the latter seems to be a starting point for her Autumn/Winter 2011 collection that features ‘shards’ on granite-coloured satin, built up in layers to form a beautiful, haute-couture alternative to the traditional ruffle. My personal favourite is a satin skirt made using this technique that looks like something you might catch a glamorous forest fairy wearing!
So how did she get here? Whilst studying for her degree, Anam volunteered as a stylist and wardrobe assistant for shows such as London Fashion Week – which, a few years later, she returned to not as an assistant but as a designer running her own catwalk show – and took work placements in well-known design houses “to see how the real designers work out there”. Whether she was marketing, designing or learning production techniques, everything she did gave her valuable insight into how to start her own label, not that it was without its hurdles. “The hardest thing about launching your own label,” she says, “is having patience. One day the fashion is in and the next day it is out. Not everyone will like your designs. I wish I knew that it not going to be as easy as I thought!”
If you’re starting out in the fashion design industry, Anam’s advice to you is to get as many work placements as you can and to do a variety of jobs, for example styling or journalism, rather than just sticking to the one you know best –you might find that design is not your passion after all! “Just work hard and go for it and don’t give up”, she recommends, as well as following fashion shows and websites to stay on top of the latest trends. This is a very commercially-minded young designer indeed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if her combination of pure design talent and business savvy turn the Anam Naseer brand into one of the hottest ‘ones to watch’ of this year.
Currently, she’s working on a new collection that’s staying with the theme of surface detail and intercut designs, but with some Swarovski crystal beading, more sculptured shapes and more ethnic patterns to reflect her Pakistani background. Her plan is to expand the label nation-wide. If you want to own one of these stunning pieces, you can contact Naseer here on TellusFashion, plus her online shop is currently under construction.
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