By Nivek Oger
IMTAZ Khaliq is unfazed by the designer fashion from Armani to Zola that besiege her as she sits in her third floor studio in New Bond street in Central London and goes about her business of bespoke tailoring and creating tailor-made items of the most desirable suits and dresses for men and women.
“My Asian influences are subtle in my creations but play an important role which gives me an edge over other designers,” says Khaliq, though in a soft-spoken voice. “I also have the knack of knowing what suits my clientele,” she says confidently.
In a country where most Asians grab any opportunity to be seen or heard, Imtaz Khaliq is like a breath of fresh air. The diminutive and talented couture tailor whose origins are from the other side of the border, keeps a low profile and lets her work do most of the talking. It hardly matters to a supermodel or her Corporate magnates have named her as one of the five top tailors in London.
A young girl from a small town in Pakistan, Imtaz Khaliq has been a great source of pride for her family as a 35 year old single woman with a successful career as a tailor. “It wasn’t easy,” she says, “I was supposed to have tried other two careers but I felt it was tailoring and I was determined to succeed.”
Khaliq’s journey began some 20 years ago. She set up her own small business with her savings but was told her work was the same with hundreds of others. Undeterred, she eventually opened a small store in Battersea in London. “I had to make a real struggle but I was determined to prove myself,” says Khaliq.
Her designs were soon appreciated and found their way to some of the upmarket fashion stores on the high street. She’s a known face in the fashion circuit, a front row regular in her current. Michelle Pfeiffer’s stylist walked into her upmarket fashion store on London’s King Street (an upmarket shopping centre in London) and casually picked this pig out for her. “I was in a food joint and just designed and sent to the store,” she says unconcernedly.
It was a defining moment in her career. Khaliq now began to concentrate on bespoke tailoring and decided that it was time to move to a more fashionable address on her list of celebrity clients that included singer Oona Carroll, began to grow. It’s about 11 years since she moved into this big designer store in the heart of London. “I got married to new technology and details,” she says explaining probably means why she has worked hard and ever growing clientele. “I like to try something new all the time. I’d rather fail than not try. I would add a new spin to the old classic. I would add a new fold to it,” she says.
Supermodel Tatjana Patitz swears by her designs. Khaliq, though, is modest and lets her work do the talking.
“I get most of my new clients through word of mouth,” she says.
Rightly so. Every client that comes to her is treated individually. In fact the whole process involves four consultations. The first appointment includes taking an active role in the design of the garment and choosing the fabrics from a large selection of samples. The second is a calico fitting (mockup in canvas) and the third a fabric fitting. The fourth appointment is a unique made-to-measure piece that fits perfectly and flatters your shape,” says Khaliq confidently.
And since her work is never compromised in all her pieces. A suit can start from £500 pounds (Rs 45,000 approximately) while her wedding dresses begin at £2,000 pounds (Rs 1,80,000 approximately).
Khaliq’s enterprising designs have completely gone unnoticed. Almost all leading women’s magazines in Britain from the Sunday Times to the Daily Mail have featured her and last year she was nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the European Women’s.
The Asian influence, however, is distinct in her embroidered designs which adds a new dimension to the garment. And it’s her neat, perfect tailoring and attention to detail that has earned her a high respect by the fashion elite. “Some of the stuff dished out by the designers in India is very creative,” she says.
An ardent fan of old Hollywood and Bollywood films, Khaliq still has a soft spot for her first client from Mumbai’s small screen. “Maybe they are not aware,” she says ruefully, with more work coming in from Bollywood stars in London, she may not have to send any long.
