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Cristina Lloyd
delves into the world of RUN London designer Varun Sharma
and discovers some interesting facts of the fashion industry as well as the
thinking of a fashion designer.
H
. aving established his own
womenswear label RUN
London at the beginning
of this year, designer Varun
Sharma takes inspiration from the female
form to create strong, bold yet feminine
clothing aimed at women that are
confident and individual. His stunningly
beautiful and exquisitely crafted collection
for AW14 takes its inspiration from the
‘harsh climates of winter with the romance
of snow filled months’ that is brought to
life through the power and strength of
the female figure. Using hand-made paper
flowers as a backdrop in his shoots, the
designer proves that his creative flare
extends beyond the dimensions of clothing
alone. Within his AW14 collection, you’ll
discover a combination of light and flowing
fabrics matched with structured shapes and
tougher materials that echoes the multiple
dimensions of the strong and powerful
modern female. The bold red colour
palette demands and holds your attention
immediately, bringing strength and drama
to RUN London’s debut collection as well
as capturing the concept of power dressing.
Varun began designing seven years ago
but has been working on his own label
for two years. He says, “I was a designer
from the moment I began studying design.
I never thought about anything else
from that first moment.” The driven and
determined individual studied Fashion
Design at Middlesex University, and then
interned for menswear designer Carolyn
Massey. Giving us an insight into university
life, he told us, “It’s become normality now
to hear people downplay the importance
of a degree but the learning process at
university really began preparing me for
the tough world of fashion: the deadlines,
sleepless nights, stress and the importance
of having a genuine passion.” Among the
important lessons that Varun took with
him upon graduating were,“how to edit my
creativity and to fully realise that fashion
in the greater more global sense does not
consist of just red carpet dresses, but our
everyday wardrobes.”
Working in the real world has also been a
learning curve for Varun as he discovered
very quickly that clothing labels wanting to
strive can only succeed when “the designer
comes to term with the fact that their final
input will consist of 25% creativity and 75%
business”. He added, “So many talented
designers fail at this hurdle because it
becomes overwhelming and too much to
cope with. Interning and working in this
industry has shown me my success will
always depend on the help of many others
and knowing when to give up and ask for
help, as I won’t be able to do everything
myself.” In his decision to study fashion
design, Varun revealed it was actually his
family who ‘nudged him into it’ thanks to his
creative streak. He also admitted that the
first year proved a bit of a struggle, because,
“I was confused about what I wanted to do
with my life. I neither loved nor hated the
course during the first year.” Coming to the
realisation he was failing miserably, Varun
was determined not to give up and decided
to put all of his energy into studying apparel
construction books during his free time.
“Where most of the other students were
focused on design, I managed to gain an
advantage on construction skills. By the end
of my second year, I had managed to get a
1st and that was when I began realising that
clothing and design were an inspiration for
me.”
In his professional opinion, clothing
represents armour whilst fashion means
identity and personality. Varun also sees
clothing as ‘protective’ which he says is
closely linked to our psyche without us
even realising. Giving an interesting analysis
on the concept of clothing, he told us,“We
dress down when we want to be invisible,
or wear our best to stand out. We send
out signals to others about how we want
to be perceived, approached, our interests
or where we belong in society by how we
choose to dress and it is an amazing tool