Page 74 - The Bite Magazine - Issue 11

Her natural choice of fashion design as
her career derives from being surrounded
by her mother’s sewing skills from a young
age, allowing her to make and customise
clothes. “When I was a teenager, I
discovered ID and Dazed magazines and
remembered all I wanted to do was move
to London and create clothes like the
designers in these magazines.”
To Shara, fashion is a form of expression,
a creative outlet and an extension of
our personalities. “You can easily make
a statement with clothing without saying
a word. I love seeing individuals create
their own identity using different fashion
styles and new ideas.” Now based in
London, the designer sees her new home
as having “an eclectic mix of styles.” She
adds, “It is seen as a mecca for creative
styling and people from all over the world
look to London for individuality and
originality. I love how London street style
has a real impact on designer collections
all around the world and vice versa.” In
terms of what matters most to her as
a fashion designer, Shara told us: “good
design which has an individual aesthetic,
something that is unique is so appealing
to me. Unfortunately, the fashion world is
full of copy cats, which means you always
have to stay one step ahead. Also, good
craftsmanship is a must, how a garment
is put together is always the keys to the
ultimate good design in the end.” But
the best perks are being able to design
what you want. “It is a great outlet for
my own creative ideas.You can also work
your own hours, though this does usually
means you work through the evenings to
meet deadlines but at least I’m able to
have a late start if I wanted. I have always
believed an office 9-5 is not healthy for
the creative!”
With a design signature that screams bold
and bright, Shara likes to create something
that is visually interesting, whether it’s
through an exaggerated shape or bold
prints. “I also love the designs to shine,
so I usually incorporate metallic fabrics
as well as heavy embellishment including
crystals and metal stud work.The designs
are not for the faint hearted!” With
colour already evident in her designs from
a very young age when she designed a
multi coloured tracksuit to today creating
collections that are bold, colourful and
exciting, the time it takes to construct a
piece depends on the complexity of the
design. It is also down to“how much work
is needed, including how many fittings
to how much embellishing is involved.
Though I would say it can be between one
week and one month for some intricately
embellish work.” Even before creating
her own label, the work she has done
for other companies including designing
a label that once was the fastest selling
product in Top Shop counts as one of
her many accomplishments as a designer.
Under her own label, Shara has had the
opportunity to dress different celebrities
for magazines and promo shoots as well as
loaning out pieces for stage performances.
“This year in July, Vogue UK featured my
work on supermodel Kate Upton, shot by
Mario Testino. David Simms has also shot
my work and Lara Stone has worn my
design in a pop video for Hot Chip. I have
also appeared on Sky TV, presenting my
first collection to Rihanna on her reality
TV show Styled to Rock.”
The fashion designers that Shara are
inspired by reads like a who’s who and
include KTZ, Ashish, Pam Hogg, Jeremy
Scott, Cassette Playa, Henry Holland,
Nazir Mazhar and Manish Arora. “All
of these designers have a strong design
aesthetic as well as having a fun quality
within their collections. Most recently,
the Moschino shows have been blowing
me away.” Her favourite models are
Ani Alitalo and Lucy Cates as they have
“strong individual looks” while Charlotte
Free has “a great look that is dominating
a lot of campaigns at the moment. I
also love anti-agency, which promotes
diversity and individual looking models.”
Celebrity-wise, Shara would like to add
Björk, Brooke Candy, Yolandi from Die
Antwoord and FKA Twigs to her list of
celebrities that she has not dressed yet
and says, “I would also love to dress
Madonna although she is a little older
now but she is still a queen in the game.”
As we all know and can appreciate,
preparing for a shoot or show can take
a lot of time to organise, especially when
“they both involve a good team and great
communication of the final image you’re
trying to convey.” Giving us a breakdown
of her preparation, Shara adds, “First
comes the mood board of ideas, I love this
part. It’s where I get to be most creative
and come up with a mix of ideas to create
the look I want.Then it’s all about creating
your team and finding people fit where
Motorbike - Photography: Karoline Amberville. MUA & Hair: Magdalena Skoczylas. Stylist: Rubina
Marchiori.Accessories: Ocular LST & Berstock Spiers. Models Lucy Cates@MOT & Alexa Taylor.
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Motion - Photgrapher : Palmer and Pawel MUA: Nadia Matoorian Farrow Hair : ZaraVernazza Stylist :
Najat Serghini