Samira Jasat is a talented new fashion and bridal dress designer. She speaks to Keya Modessa about her brand and what the future holds.
Leicester has a long history of textile manufacturing and today it’s still a hub of creative talent, case in point, Samira Jasat. The young designer has always had a passion for art and fashion and after studying managed to secure a fashion job in a design office.
“In between working I did a course at college and because I learnt so much this way, I didn’t feel like I needed to go to university. I am so glad I didn’t because nowadays experience counts for a lot more.”
It was when she turned 30 that she spoke to her husband about wanting to do something different with her life. They had no children or any other commitments and together they realised an opportunity like this wouldn’t come around again:
“I took some time off work to plan the business and ended up travelling for about a year to see if I could find potential suppliers – they had to be something special. I found a few in Dubai and Mumbai that met my requirements and the quality of their work was up to scratch.”
Her brand launched last year and she describes her dresses as luxurious and elegant. Samira has already received a lot of publicity and designing the gown that Anna Burdzy wore when she was crowned Miss Universe Great Britain 2017 helped:
“The whole thing was surreal. Anna modelled my first collection and because she knew how I worked and loved my gowns, she approached me. I got a lot of attention from it and went on TV and radio and just embraced it because I wasn’t going to get an opportunity like it again.”
Today her inspiration comes from Middle-Eastern designers like Zuhair Murad and Ashi Studio but a lot of her collection is based on things she likes and considers her brand as an extension of herself and her creative spirit: “Obviously, I have to adapt it to make sure there is something for everybody,” she says.
She plans to reveal her new collection in the next few months which will be more focused on bridal attire but her dream would be to dress someone like Bollywood beauty, Sonam Kapoor.
“She can do no wrong when it comes to dressing for those red-carpet events. I’d also love to rummage through her wardrobe!”
