Arabian tales

From a very young age, designer Sana Karim loved watching her mother combine vintage outfits with contemporary trends.

Brought up in the Kingdom of Bahrain, she was greatly influenced by her place of birth. She had great appreciation for conservative dressing and found it alluring. A year back, she launched her own label
‘House of Zardoze’.

In a chat with SurupasreeSarmmah, the designer talks about her journey in the industry.

You are from a family of embroiderers. How does it feel to take a legacy forward?

This feeling is amazing. More so because it has always been the men in the family who pursued it. Even in the industry, men were always prominent and there were very few women embroiderers. To be able to move forward in breaking this idea makes me proud.

So who was that ‘man’ in the family you looked up to?

Definitely my grandfather. He has been my greatest inspiration. An uneducated man, he moved to India from the Gulf with three kids and started making clothes at home. He struggled a lot to make a name for himself. With the level of work he did, he opened doors for other people and showed the infinite possibilities. He didn’t follow a norm, he created one. He had the opportunity to work with big names like Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Temperley London and Balmain.

Did you have a natural inclination for fashion?

Honestly, I always had a knack for styling and designing. But embroidery was something I had to learn on the job and I fell in love with it. My interest in this profession came naturally as I have always been with designers. Growing up, watching great works being made, the interest just seeps into you.

If not a designer...

I would have been a teacher. I love kids and to be able to impart any kind of knowledge that would stay with them, would have been a beautiful thing.

Your works are inspired mostly by your place of birth...

Since I lived in Dubai, I was influenced by the Arab culture of ‘kaftans’ and ‘Abayas’. The women look beautiful and are full of confidence. I was really inspired how they didn’t allow clothes to define themselves. And I love women who are strong and carry forward their own culture and heritage in a stylish manner. This apart, I love the Arab embroidery, it is different, it’s bold, loud and chunky.

Designers you would like to collaborate with...

Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.

A trend you love to sport...

I like to sport an easy-breezy laidback look. I like how the gypsy look is coming back to fashion again. Everything in this trend is loose and comfortable yet stylish. One’s garment doesn’t need to define one’s figure to make them look prettier. It is a very easy to go to trend and I am head-over-heels for this trend. Three must-haves if you are stranded on an island...

A knife, a matchbox and ropes.