Today we speak to Farzan Sherriff, another young dynamic designer who entered the fashion game with a bang and is still keeping up the momentum with his label Kush Co. this young man came into the industry after his return from Malaysia. Farzan realized that the fashion scene in Colombo or even the island did not really cater to his need in fashion and more research he did the more people he found that ordered from foreign fashion companies than buy locally. It was then that he started making his own clothes for himself and was asked about where he bought his clothes from that a light bulb went in his head. Farzan realized that this was something he liked and had a knack for doing, this was the birth of his own clothing line.
Farzan uses bold colors and designs for his clothes so we were curious what inspires him to do this. Answer was simple. He finds his inspiration from the brand ZARA for their cuts and Versace for their pops of colour in their clothes. He says that he uses these two design houses as inspiration as both houses provide him with the ideas for a balanced product which is what the market is looking for today. Farzan adds very specific details to his clothing why he says is inspired by ZARA, such as zips, buttons and studs. These accentuate his pieces and is done very tastefully. Farzan hopes that with this he will be able to let people express themselves through his clothes.
This young man is one of the contenders to be the future of fashion, but he has different outlooks than mainstream goals. Farzan prefers to see a future where he has the freedom to express himself through his designs rather than mass produce. His carefree attitude will help him as he cares more about the creation of his clothes than making massive profit margins out of it. Farzan’s theory is that if musicians and artists are able to express themselves through their work, then why can’t he express himself through his clothes.
We loved to know what international fashion meant to Farzan. He replies that while it is very inspiring international fashion can sometime be unrealistic. He claims that while it is high fashion it isn’t always wearable in other countries for many reasons. The reason in Sri Lanka was mainly because of it tropical nature. Farzan says his motto is that fashion sense needs be louder than the brand for what good is having the hottest brands if one does not have fashion sense. Which is a valid argument to have. Farzan aims to have high fashion that is practical and wearable by his consumers.
Finally we ask if there was one thing he could change in the local industry what it would be. With much confidence Farzan answers that the most important thing that the local industry has to change is that they need to start recognizing and giving opportunities to up and coming young designers. He muses that the industry needs to recognize raw talent as opposed to always giving the space to individuals who are mainstream and have qualified from universities of fashion and design. He states that he personally knows designers that have been overlooked purely based on the fact that they do have an education in design but have amazing products. Farzan end on the note that if this can be changed the industry is capable of so much more.
