“I’ve always had this need to look different, unique and to stand out. As a youngling I would tear my jeans and remove shirt collars, craft fashionable bracelets for myself, etc. I even hired a mochi to work at my house which made my family wonder what I was up to. But in the beginning I didn’t know I could earn from it as well,” says Jazib Qamar, sounding off for this interview.

There was always a lot of noise at home says Jazib as he was always mending or fixing stuff. “When I wore what I had made, I usually over-accessorised. I would make leather pants, necklaces, bracelets, etc, and once I realised I could make money from doing it, I gave serious thought to setting up my label. But first I had to work with a known fashion designer to have my name known, and later fame just followed.”

Today, JQ has established his identity in menswear through sheer hard work and an effective business philosophy while operating from his Khadda Market workshop in Defence. “I try to make my clients addicted to my brand or give them a preview of what it’s about. I put my clothes on sale at half price when I see business taking a slump, this way people buy three outfits rather than just one and wear my clothes to three different occasions. That’s how my fame spreads. My trade secret is that the man on the street should wear my clothes to get hooked on my brand, and that is what’s happening,” he says.

To the general assumption that people think designer wear is expensive, Jazib says he wants to change the concept by providing quality with an affordable price tag. Does he think designing only menswear has a definite risk element? “Menswear designing is my passion. I do what I know.” I ask him why he has never done any shows of his own to which pat comes the reply, “I’ve never got any sponsors.”

JQ menswear is pretty over the edge. What kind of feedback does he get from people? “Mostly people say it is different, and when something is different it’s generally liked by people.” Would he describe his collection as for the metrosexual or can just about anybody wear it? “It’s for anyone who wants to look different and unique,” says Jazib.

What age group does the label cater to? “First of all, we really do not have a huge market so it can be any age group. Usually my clothes are worn by teenagers and men up to the age of 35. But that does not mean that out of that age group people don’t wear my clothes. As a designer, I believe we have to educate our people about the value of wearing elegant clothes. We have to bring about awareness.”

Do you aim to revolutionise the menswear industry through your clothes and fashion shoots, I ask him. “I get my models off the streets. You see everyone has a personal sense of style, and I use my clothes and styling to execute my vision during shoots. My models must have appeal, attractiveness, style and class above all.” Nowadays, fashion designing requires an effective marketing technique besides glamour. Do you think you market your clothes well enough, I ask Jazib? “Not at all. I’m not good at marketing. I can design my clothes really well but I don’t know how to market them.”

Jazib Qamar started off as a model and worked with Khawar Riaz, Tariq Amin and others. What about the politics in the fashion industry and how does he take it? “Ah yes, there is a lot of peer pressure and politics here but you have to work with everyone and you have to give and demand respect. People do try to intimidate you but one has to maintain a balance in work, friendships and favours. One must work with everyone, get a lot of fame, make lots of money and at the end of the day be in the good books of everyone. It’s tough! You learn from working with different people, and through your work you carve your identity.”

Do you think the local market is good and strong enough for you to grow? “First, one has to sustain in the local market and then move to foreign markets. Labour cost is cheap in Bangladesh, Turkey and India, and we should take advantage of it. It is also a good idea that designers link up with well-known names such as Gul Ahmed, Lawrencepur, etc. Through it these brands will be infused with a new energy and young blood which is absolutely necessary for greater success.”

As fashion weeks become a phenomenon, which one would you go with: a) fashion for entertainment; b) fashion as entertainment; or c) fashion is entertainment? “Fashion is entertainment because when you see new concepts in design and clothes, you get entertained, and when you like it enough you go and buy it, and that’s business.”

What inspires you to create and design? “I personally like historical buildings. I thank God that I was born in Karachi and not anywhere else as there is a lot of heritage here and a lot to do too. I’m interested in anything that has to do with art, and everything that has art in it.”

Jazib says he has designed wardrobes for the Maula Mere Maula video as well as Amanat Ali, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Strings, Azal, etc. To the query if fashion designing is inborn or can it be taught, he says, “I can nt only design clothes but also cars, houses, key chains and ashtrays. So it all comes from inside you. It cannot be taught in school or an institute. Yes, of course you learn the basics there but what it does is further polish one’s skills that s/he is born with. One can develop a brand easily but one cannot be a designer by studying at good art schools. You have to be born with it.”