Haider Ahmed

Contact:
m.haider97@hotmail.co.uk
University/School:
Leeds Arts University
Location:
Leeds
Specialism:
Fashion DesignFashion TechnologyHeritage & CultureIllustrationMenswearModestwear
About Me

Hi, I'm Haider, a graduate from Leeds Arts University

Haider is a menswear designer specialising in tailoring. Fascinated by historical dress, he takes traditional tailoring techniques and incorporates South Asian pattern cutting to transform tailoring into a completely unique approach.

Being born British with Pakistani heritage, he finds there is almost a sense of displacement in both worlds. Through that experience, he takes the benefits of having two cultures in that he is able to learn from. As a result, he is able to create a fusion of fashion that represents who he is as a designer.

INSPIRATION

My initial idea came from the story of the Maharaja of Indore, Yeshwant Rao Holkar II

The inspiration of my collection came from the research of the last Maharaja of Indore, Yeshwant Rao Holkar II. In my research, I found a quote that I felt I could relate to from my experience as a British Pakistani. ‘It would seem that the Maharaja was torn between the two worlds he inhabited, wanting to live in both, while refusing to belong to any.’ From this, I wanted to create a concept that told his story through a world he can truly live in and belong.

As part of my coinciding dissertation on 'The Effects of the British Raj on Tailoring in India.' I had research the effects of British Imperialism and Eurocentrism. As a result of nearly 100 years of British rule, the modern man of India exchanged their traditional garms for a suit and tie. As another element to my collection, I wanted to change the narrative, by taking traditional tailoring and enhance it with the almost-lost traditional draping techniques and symbolism of Mughal costume

MY WORK

PORTFOLIOS

DETAIL

a Contemporary Approach to Indo-Western Tailoring

As a result of my research and experimentation with references to the Mughal dress and tailoring, I have materialised what I envisioned the world of which the Maharaja could belong to. By using high quality wool used for tailoring, I have incorporated drape and movement into the traditional suits, whilst still keeping the elements of a clean and sharp garment. From this style of Indo-Western design, I hope to open a conversation that discusses the idea of what it means to be lost between two worlds. As a whole, I hope that I envisioned a world of what the late Maharaja would have dreamt about, a world in which he could belong to.

‘It would seem that the Maharaja was torn between the two worlds he inhabited, wanting to live in both, while refusing to belong to any.’
Fashion DesignFashion TechnologyHeritage & CultureIllustrationMenswearModestwear
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