Picture by Salima Ali
Clothing designer Salima Ali didn't want just to sit and wait for her dream job during the first lockdown last year, so she decided to follow her own path. Now the 21-year-old is making women's handcrafted luxury clothes under her own brand, SALIMA.ALI.
Ali is following the footsteps of her grandmother and mother, who were both making their livelihood from sewing clothes. Ali's family is mainly from Guadeloupe, which is based in the French Caribbean, and her father is from Ghana. When she was little, she used to watch her mother making clothes for her clients – they were anything from traditional African dresses to luxury office wear. Because her mother didn't have time to teach her, Ali used to steal little pieces of fabric from her mother to make garments herself.
"My mum had a small room with her sewing machine in it, and every single house we moved to, that sewing machine came with us. She made all our clothes, and I loved it when we had a family wedding, and she would make our dresses. My grandmother says that sewing is in our blood, but I was the first person actually to pursue it as a degree," Ali says.
Ali got her first customer when she was 16 and kept making clothes unregularly until she graduated from London College of Fashion last year. Since then, she has made multiple garments and even a wedding dress, but there is one dress she will never forget: her prom dress.
Picture by Salima Ali
She didn't want to wear the same dress that everyone else was wearing, and she wanted something that would really reflect the joy of finishing her exams. After going to multiple shops and not finding a single thing to wear, she decided to make one herself. The dress was made from black and heavy crepe fabric, and she painted golden flower details on the hem.
"Everyone loved the dress, and I wanted to share that feeling with other people. I want other women to feel that same special feeling when they are wearing my clothes."
Sustainability and producing as little waste as possible are the main key principles of Ali's business amongst quality. According to her, this all came from her grandmother.
"She would turn the garment inside out and look at how it's made. She always made sure it would look just as beautiful on the inside as it would look from the outside."
To many new businesses, it can be hard to be sustainable but making small decisions that are healthy for the environment can take the company a long way. To Ali, it's all about choosing the right fabrics and not throwing the leftovers away as they can always be used to some smaller pieces. The right kind of fabric can make the garments last for decades, and when it's combined with good sewing work, it can be kept as an heirloom, and that's what Ali's business is all about.
"Quality clothes last for years, and years even you would wear them often. There is really a great need for slow fashion brands like this because the fashion industry needs to start thinking more about the environment," says Kristen Hughes, 34, from BITE.
Ali graduated last year during the worst Covid restrictions and felt like she couldn't find a job in the fashion industry. Then something inside told her that she didn't need to find a job because she already had all the skills she needed to build her own company. She felt like she was not ready to make the big jump but decided to do it anyway.
"You just need to put yourself out there. I had to get over so much fear of failure, self-doubt and all that stuff that comes with before I published my website. I'm glad I did it."
For now, Ali is working from a small sewing studio which is in the back of her house, and her sister is regularly helping her with the orders. In the future, she wants to employ her own seamstress and few other people to keep the whole making process completely under her brand.
"The best part about working with my older sister, besides spending time with her, would have to be the ability to experience the behind the scenes. As everyone, I like to see the final product, the great amazing garment in pictures, runway or in person; but that's not what interests me most. It's the work that went behind the creation that really excites me. I get to see and assist with the mood boards, the design sketches and the actual sewing," says Sakina Sule Ali, 17, who is Salima’s sister.
“She always pushes me to do the greatest standard of my work. Many times I've had to unpick a single garment and sew it again until the lines are just right. Salima hasn't taught me to be a perfectionist, but to strive for excellence in everything.”
Now, Ali is in the middle of creating her next collection of luxury essentials, which will be pretty different from her Womanhood Collection.
"I'm making a collection that is still unique and elegant, but instead of statement wear, it's more pieces that you can wear on an everyday basis and feel confident and beautiful."
Pictures by Salima Ali
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