By Mirriam Akbar | @InMirzWords
I’ve seen a few of my friends make the bold decision of pursuing a career they love rather a career that would pay well but they wouldn’t appreciate/enjoy as much. One of those people would have to be Neelam Alnoor, someone I’ve grown to respect as an older sister and as a go-getter fashion designer. She shares her story with Tempo…
What inspired you to get into fashion?
I fell in love with Madam Vionette design techniques, she introduced “draping” on the body. A natural flow to creating designs. Today you really can’t “pin” a fabric on a human so we use mannequins. Pattern drafting or making never really worked for me. Draping is what got my fashion skills to kick out.
What were some obstacles you faced along the way?
I always knew fashion was never “easy” or its just “colouring, cutting and gluing things together”. I would get that a lot, and trust me it irritated me so much, because nothing in life comes easy and YES that includes fashion.
I came across, at one point in my sophomore year, a professor who, let’s just say was not “helpful”. She sat me down one day, telling me “Neelam, you are wasting your time, your life, and your parents’ money. Change your major: you will NEVER become a designer, you will NEVER pass, you will NEVER succeed.” Fast forward four years later, I got a GREAT review from designer Tadashi Shoji in during our Portfolio in Motion fashion show compared to my fellow classmates. That even before I sat down to meet him, he told me “you were the one with the beautiful fabrics and colors correct?” I froze. I said, “yes…” He continued, “you will go very far in life, you have a strong sense of fashion in you, not typical. Wish you all the success in your life to come as a designer”. For a student to hear that, in front of your whole class and the entire fashion department of Marymount University, I did not know how to take it in. I just had a huge smile on my face, and I looked directly at that professor sitting across from me that “Look, look where I am today”. That professor said absolutely nothing, why? Because I proved her wrong and I am SO thankful that I did.
What have you been working on since graduation?
Honestly speaking, I have had some ups and downs but hey that’s life and fashion! I had taken part in a fashion week, I traveled overseas to create my collection came back and guess what? I drove about five hours to the destination and it was all a fraud. So many other designers/bloggers were stranded there as well. It was one huge lesson that I will never forget. Events, pop up shops, fashion shows, fashion weeks can be done easily but you need to do your research before jumping into it.
I started doing small designs for a couple of customers, even started making accessories. From there I thought, I need to start somewhere right? So in November after much struggle, designing, planning, etc I opened a Etsy shop. A designer is not just born, you have to climb and swim to get to where you need to be.
How has the online platform helped?
Social media, has made so many designers/bloggers a huge success and I am so happy for them. Social media has it all from blogging to vlogging to Instragram, Facebook, Twitter you name it. It has given L’Noor a good outreach but not as big as I am aiming for it to be. It’s a small start, and Inshallah I will get to where my dreams want me to be.
What do you say to others pursuing fashion?
DO.NOT.GIVE.UP. Just have a motivation, a boost that keeps you going. And do not ever forget God, if He puts you in it He will get you through it. At the end it’s YOU, YOUR happiness, YOUR life and YOUR success.
Links:
Instagram and Twitter: @_Lnoor_
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Lnoor
Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/Lnoor
