Fashion Label, Qasimi, Starts an Incubator to Help Grow Smaller Brands
Qasimi, a British-Arab fashion label, has decided to take two smaller brands under their wing and help them grow within the fashion industry. Al Qasimi, CEO of Qasimi, implemented the Qasimi Rising program in December and the applications rolled in. However, only two winners would receive financial help for three years and a mentorship for ten years.
Photo: Masato Onoda via Art News
One of the winners was Omer Asim, who is based in London but originally from Sudan. He studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture and afterward completed a postgraduate degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His passion for designing did not come until he was working as a psychoanalyst and was heavily intrigued by the clothing people wore and how it was made and appeared.
Once he found this passion he started interning at different places and eventually landed at Vivienne Westwood. Asim ended up going back to school at Central Saint Martins to focus on creative patterns and pattern cutting. Eventually, he formed his own label which went public in 2011. It focuses on different shapes, silhouettes, textures, and patterns but with a modern twist.
Photo: Qasimi via Vogue Business
The other winner of Qasimi Rising was Salim Azzam, he uses his brand to celebrate the traditional techniques of women from his home, Mount Lebanon. He grew up around many women who wore black clothes with a contrasting white veil. His father was working out of town a lot so he spent a lot of time with his mother and her friends embroidering their own and others' veils. This embroidery was a creative outlet for the women and allowed them to personalize their veil, which Azzam respected and admired very much.
Photo: Salim Azzam via GQ Middle East
Azzam started his brand without a solid plan, he wanted to engage in this craft and see where it would take him. But, as his label started becoming bigger he was able to translate it to global cultures and make it more inclusive. He is able to tell his story with the different collections and their themes.
Qasimi is now focusing on collaborating with others because they know how hard it can be to gain traction in the fashion industry, especially in the UAE. Qasimi recognizes the processes behind everything is just as important as the designs and sales themselves, and with this program, she is also looking for creative designers who are not just focused on the business. She said, “We’re focusing on sustainability, community, craftsmanship. And we really think about the designers and fashion in terms of artists and creatives rather than just business.”
