Bite Autumn 2012

bite designer profile

AS A CHILD, ZARIDA ZAMANWOULD CREATE DRESSES FORHERDOLLSAND IMAGINARY FRIENDS FROMSCRAPS OF FABRIC THAT WOULD FALL FROM HER MOTHER’S SEWING MACHINE. TODAY, BASED IN PREMISES A STONE’S THROW FROM LONDON’S HISTORIC OLYMPIC SETTINGS, SHE HAS EXCHANGED RAG DOLLS FOR CREATIVE ICONIC DESIGNS AND TEACHING. DAYLE BEST SPEAKS TO ZARIDA ABOUT HER BACKGROUND AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. ZARIDA ZAMAN

F ashion designer Zarida Zaman has fond childhood memories of playing with scraps of material that had fallen from her mother’s sewing machine. “It was all about dressing my dolls. Money was scarce in our household and buying new Barbie outfits was not on the family’s list of priorities, so I played at making my own outfits.” For Zarida, growing up in an Asian family had its frustrations at times concerning fashion. “As an Asian female you knew what was expected of you with regards to looking a certain way and cultural pressures stated that women do not draw attention to themselves with inappropriate clothing. I was not prepared to push those boundaries; I just knew there was this expectation of me. My father was quite a forceful figure in our house and I lived in quite a male dominated space with five brothers so I really did not question it.” Despite regulations on Zarida’s style, when asked whether her upbringing had an effect on her creativity, Zarida answered, “ Yes, I think it did. I stayed clear from traditional Asian clothing for a while and found myself wanting to study. I remember leaving school and not doing particularly well, then meeting a textiles teacher, and finding a course. I wanted to study fashion and had gotten refused from my first choices. I eventually found a place at Dewsbury College of Art and Design and studied for four years, including a two-year National Diploma.” The decision to move from Leeds to London seems to have greatly benefited Zarida in many ways, she said,“I had found a great place on a course. I remember feeling quite sheltered before coming to London. I needed a kick and I think living here in London did that.” Being new in London, Zarida initially approached start-up companies. “Back then,” she recalls, “there were lots of talented people leaving university in search of work experience in fashion. Just like today, there was an influx of students willing to work for free for the experience.” Living and studying in London, Zarida learned a lot about the industry from production and marketing to working with suppliers and preparing for shows. “It all came my way. It was not easy for most labels at that time, many designers slept on their studio floors beside their dogs. The thought of starting up a business had no appeal to me; I think it was down to ego, confidence and, perhaps, age, and just the sheer load of work that I had witnessed first hand on those studio floors.”

Designer’s Directory of Shape and Style , which describes the process of creative clothing and design, the second being New Fashion Designers’ Sketchbooks which give an insight on how to research, and the third, Fashion Pattern Cutting: Line, Shape and Volume, is currently in the making.” With an interest in photography and architecture, Zarida has replicated an easy cut, and created basic congestion free clothing. Working with print, Zarida takes influence from using her interest in iconic buildings: “I like simple lines. Designers like Issey Miyake, who makes clothes that serve a function beyond that of what you expect, have had a huge influence on me. I feel clothing should match whatever occasion you choose to engage in. I love origami and that has shed light on what I do, looking at folds and garment function.”

After leaving university, Zarida had the privilege of working for several London based designers including Alexander McQueen, Fabio Piras, and Joe Casely- Hayford. After working in Florence, Italy for Enrico Coveri,Zarida stumbled into“teaching by accident” and realised she quite liked it.“It was a little nerve wracking but I just went for it. The opportunity to work with other people added another string to my bow. I then studied for my PGCE (Professional Graduate Certificate in Education) and got asked to work at the London College of Fashion.” Although it was a slightly different path to what she had originally planned, Zarida says she was still able to be creative. “Studying the PGCE really boosted my level of confidence and working with my students gave me creative satisfaction. Teaching creates a need for support and in teaching a need to create. What came out of that were three books, which I thoroughly enjoyed writing. The first being The Fashion