Hello!
My name is Fazane Malik…I am a fashion designer….that’s not me above…I wish!! That’s a model….however this is me!!
Shameless outfit plug….I am wearing my Emma waistcoat £149.00 over our Deborah silk vest £89.00 and our Gregory tailored trousers £99.00…the shoes I’ve no idea…I just remember that they hurt!!
I recently gave up my job to follow my lifelong dream of having a successful womenswear label.
This is my blog and in it I will daily (well that’s the intention!!) update you on the goings on here at ‘fazane’ fashion towers…well really we are currently working from home and then moving to an attic above a car garage…but who cares right??!
Today is my second day in the big scary world of self-employment… I’m a little lonely I must admit and quite frankly it’s not glamorous! I’m sat here wearing ripped jeans and my coat…cos it’s cold and I’m too skint to put the heating on!
I know all this will change however…. I’ve dreamed of this since I was a little girl and am prepared to work my ass off to be successful…so people watch this space!
So I should really tell you a little bit about myself?? I am 29 and live in a lovely little town (I say that…may wouldn’t!) called Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
I’ve loved fashion from a young age starting off my making clothes for my Barbie’s out of old pillowcases! I taught myself to sew as a teenager after begging my mum for a sewing machine…I think it cost us £20 and was so heavy I couldn’t lift it!
I went on to study Fashion & Clothing at NCN in Nottingham for 2 years and it was this course that really gave me the technical skills to become the designer I am today.
I then went on to do a 4 year degree in Fashion Studies at Derby University with my 3rd year out in Industry. I went to Australia and worked with two absolutely amazing fashion designers…Akira Isogawa and Gwendolynne who still influence me to this day. I don’t mean in my designing I mean in my work ethic and in my drive to make this work! Both are truly inspirational and I am forever grateful to them for letting me work and learn from them.
I came back from Australia (I didn’t want to!!!) to complete my degree and showed my final collection at graduate fashion week in London. I thought that would be it….I’d be the next Alexander McQueen…HA! I had no such luck! However I was very lucky to be offered a job before I Ieft university as a trainee account manager for a clothing manufacturer called High Fashion based in London (which then moved to Market Harborough).
In the end I spent nearly seven years at HF and worked my way up to Senior Account Manager looking after and developing product for the likes of Paul Smith, Hobbs, Monsoon, Boden, Jaeger, Damsel In A Dress, Ted Baker, John Lewis Temperley Range and many more! I travelled 3-4 times a year to Hong Kong, China, Paris and New York…which was fabulous but totally exhausting with the jet lag! I learnt so much while at high fashion and met so many interesting people….I would never have been able to set up my own label without this job!
I have slowly been working on having my own label for the past 3-4 years but finally found the time and the courage to launch earlier this year with a collection for AW12/13 to a select audience of friends, family, press and buyers. In just under a year we now have 11 stockists and are regularly blogged and written about in the media and our clothes regularly featured in fashion editorials!
STOCKISTS
OUR WEBSITE
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oh…we are also offering 25% OFF at the moment! just quote #twentyfive at checkout!! (shameless plug..)
THE LABEL
we produce LIMITED EDITION womenswear with a fashion twist!
Only 50 pieces of each style are made with each one signed and numbered.
Our styles are classic and wearable but are still strong enough to stand out in a crowd and they will easily fit into your existing wardrobe….no need to go out any buy something to match it…you will already have it in your wardrobe!!
We try and use luxury fabrics where possible but keep the prices affordable for all!
RECENT PRESS
Fantastics Magazine – Our Gemma dress £89.00 featured in a menswear shoot!
Stylist Magazine – Our Charlotte Top £169.00 featured as the Fashion Director’s Pick!!
No Cigar Magazine – Our Rebekah Coat £249.00 featured!
Ok so enough self promotion…on with my story! In august of this year I won a competition sponsored by ASOSmarketplace for Fashion Angel to mentor me for 6 months. The competition was open to all 400+ boutique sellers and we WON! They said…“We were overwhelmed with applications which show the high demand for industry led mentoring support to assist fashion enterprises. It was a difficult task to choose a winner with so many strong entries. We selected Fazane as we loved the brand aesthetic and felt with the right support the business had potential for growth. Fazane will now have the opportunity to work with a team of high-level, industry professionals from Fashion Angel to ensure the on-going development and success of her business, as well as exposure for the Fazane brand.”
Through this and the mentoring I went on to receive (and still am) I found the confidence to give up my job and really give this a good go! I have given my home up for rent, my car and moved back home with my parents to help me save some money. I’m not in any sort of position to give myself a wage right now so I am thankful to my parents for letting me come home…and for feeding me!!
So here I am day two of working for myself….I hope you found this interesting…please follow me and see what I get up to!!
Fazane
xxx
