Follow Zee's journey to shake up the fashion world!

Meet Zee, 25 year old local artist and aspiring fashion designer!

​By Zee Iqbal

Hello beautiful people! I'm Zee and this is my journey toward becoming a fashion designer.
 
My affinity for fashion began from a young age and truly manifested itself along side my passion for performance art. I was always learning an instrument or performing in a school production.
​I took every opportunity possible to be a part of something creative and my discovery of fashion within all of this was a very natural and inevitable one. I found myself conscious of the clothes I chose to wear and I always wanted to dress in a way that made me happy. This interest continued to develop throughout my childhood and into my adulthood, where the power of fashion became very clear to me.

'Let’s just say if a picture tells a thousand words, fashion tells a million.'

​I value the ability fashion provides to express yourself. It’s a symbol of culture and can unite people and create a sense of belonging. It can determine the way you feel and is indicative of your objectives for a time. Let’s just say if a picture tells a thousand words, fashion tells a million. It was in this light that when I came across the course Heston West Big Local was offering, I was ecstatic. These are the opportunities that will help people discover their abilities and allow them to work toward their ambitions. All we need is the chance, and with that you never know who you are enabling…perhaps the next super designer?

Through the course I intend to achieve a greater technical and practical knowledge of fashion design so that I can begin to work on my own collections for menswear and create a new style of clothing that reflects our ever-evolving culture; one that encompasses today's advancements in equality and freedom. I truly believe that art is the means through which change can be recognised and made, and I fully intend on using this platform to do just that.

To date I have worked with a friend to create a jacket that I designed. It was an amazing experience and a great precursor to the course. ​

'I truly believe that art is the means through which change can be recognised and made...'

​The level of work that is required to create a garment is incredible. It’s one that I then underestimated and now value greatly. The course itself has helped me to begin work on my drawing skills and is starting to hone in on the different steps towards creating a collection of clothing. It’s been an eye opening experience so far and I’m really excited to continue to learn and progress through the remainder of the course.

'We hold the key to our future and it is with this understanding that we should invest in one another to become our best selves.'

This opportunity was only made possible because Heston West Big Local recognises how important community engagement is. We live in a world that at times can prove to be a struggle, but belief in our community is the way forward. We hold the key to our future and it is with this understanding that we should invest in one another to become our best selves. Everyone is great at something and if we can acknowledge that within our communities, we can give way to an incredible quality of life on an individual and united level. The next generation of superstars in every field is waiting to be discovered!

I’ll sign this post off with a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, in which she says: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”… Till next time!

Follow Zee on Instagram: zshn

Are you interested in joining our FREE fashion course? We still have a few spaces left. Please get in touch with Taz on taz.virdee@groundwork.org.uk or on 07702532710.

We meet every Tuesday 3 to 5pm at the Brabazon Community Centre in Heston.
For more information please click here.