launch Issue

Designerprofile
Tahir Sultan’s
Tantalizing
World:
What started
and what
fuels his
blazing pathWritten by: Hanna Sow
Every day, different and opposing worlds collide
to create a territory of uncertainty and friction.
Often, many aren’t sure how to coordinate and
navigate grounds so seemingly uncommon, but once every
blue moon, someone comes along who knows just how to
merge these different worlds. Himself a man of mixture –
Arab and Indian – Tahir Sultan searches and reaches for
inspiration from both of his cultural backgrounds. From
the way he interprets the world, down to his very designs,
Sultan’s appreciation for the synergy he observes between
the two cultures is blatant. He radiates immense pride in his
ancestry and wants to represent the bridging between the
two cultures through his work.
There is only so much that can be drawn from the
immaculate patterns presented to us by nature and the world
at large; Sultan wants to do more than simply reiterate what
he sees. He aims to reinterpret what already exists and give it
his own contemporary twist during his design process.
And such is his brand. Generally, his designs are known to
be – and described by Sultan himself – very contemporary
and modern, including many cuts to create his ideal shapes.
His vision is not without training however, Tahir’s significant
diplomas attesting to his many years of learning, dedicated
hard work and ambition.
He spent three years studying architecture at the
Architectural Association of London and completed his
studies despite him later saying that he had despised the
program of study. Needless to say that his architectural
background continued to inspire his work regardless.
Following these three years, Sultan found himself graduating
from both Florence’s Studio Art Centres and the very
prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, England,
earning a Fashion Knitwear degree.
When the time came to throw himself into the fashion
industry, Sultan began by selling his clothes in stand
alone shops, migrating from his home town to Dubai and
eventually Europe. Despite good sales and decent exposure
in and around India, things weren’t moving fast enough for
the ever so desirous designer. Consistently pushing himself
to greater heights, Sultan landed an internship with John
Galliano, a man who became an inspiration, one we can see
seeping through Sultan’s Knitwear collection.
It wasn’t until after he tried to get himself involved with the
Dior label – and was told that he was extremely talented -
that Tahir decided to branch off and finally get his own label
up and running. Just as Sultan is as a person, his brand is
very multidimensional, encompassing art and architecture,
but also embracing a very humanitarian side.
SULTAN: THE BRAND
Slightly edgy, completely contemporary and definitely aweinspiring
are the clothes created under Sultan’s brand. His
clothes have been showcased on runways all over the world
and his name is now a very familiar one. It can be easy to get
caught up in the light of success, but one thing Tahir does
impeccably is merge his work and creative process with the
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