I hope you love the title of this post, because Infinite Days & Infinite Nights is the name of Tahir Sultan's latest collection, designed for non other than W Retreat & Spa - Maldives, the luxury resort part of W Hotels located in tropical paradise that are the Maldives.
I had the pleasure of catching up for a chat with Tahir at the recent Fashion Forward Season 4 in Dubai after the show, to talk about the collection, his thoughts, inspirations and plans.
I had the pleasure of catching up for a chat with Tahir at the recent Fashion Forward Season 4 in Dubai after the show, to talk about the collection, his thoughts, inspirations and plans.
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Editor: You've run your own fashion house for over 5 years now, that's a milestone for any business in this economic climate, let alone in the fashion industry: one of the most toughest to break into. What have these years taught you? TS: That fashion isn't glamorous at all. It's hard work. I work all the time now. Often, it means forgetting to even eat during the day, because you are so busy, it's learning to multitask, and they have taught me the power of teamwork and choosing the right team. I'm managing over 10 projects at the moment so I need to be able to trust my own people, that when a task is given, it gets completed. Last but not least, it taught me this is a business, not only a creative world, it's a business in all effects. It needs to be sustainable, you need a vision and you need to be able to work with budget and constraints when necessary. Editor: Very good points. In regards to your designs, there are always a lot of drapes in your designs, tell us more about that. TS: Originally, before fashion, I studied architecture, so I am a lover of form and structure. I do style, not fashion. Style is timeless, fashion comes and goes. My collections reflect my love for forms, structure and ultimately style. I take inspiration from my roots and create designs that are comfortable and empowering. I love comfort, practical clothes. You saw my male pieces, what did you think of them? 
Editor: I thought I was the one asking questions? -laughs - I thought they were very cool, especially the long tail jackets, but I knew what the collection was about, your project with W Retreat & Spa - Maldives, however I did see a few confused faces in the audience, so please tell me all about this particular collection and we can shed some light.
TS: Yes, this was in fact a project with W Retreat & Spa - Maldives. You have a certain vision when you think of Maldives, right? Sandy beaches, blue waters, and then there's the W brand that is so out there, different, so I had to imagine a collection that tailored the both. I wanted to incorporate the bold colors of the waters, the reef, unique shapes you find underwater and marry them with what the W brand represents, which is modern, edgy, yet glamorous and luxurious. You have seen the result of what I named Infinite Days & Infinite Nights. And the W team saw the final collection at the same time as you and everyone else. Editor: No way! Are you serious? That's brave of them. Did they like it? TS: [Tahir looks at me like to say: Is that a rhetorical question?!] They loved it! We all put a lot of effort into this project, so there's a mutual respect for each other and what we want to achieve. What did you think of it? |
Editor: Frankly? I think it was genius. Some of the designs I would wear myself at a cocktail party. I bet the staff at W Retreat & Spa - Maldives are very excited and chaffed to get to wear this. TS: I think they are, yes. This is definitely different from anything you would normally have as uniform. 
Editor: That's really great. I have a friend who works as cabin crew for Virgin and she was so excited to be wearing the Vivienne Westwood uniform a few months back, that she went on a diet so that she'd look super amazing on her uniform and from all the pictures I see, she wears it with even more pride now and feels great doing her work, do you think you achieved something similar for the staff at W Retreat & Spa - Maldives?
TS: I hope so!....because I have not thought exclusively at my own creative fulfillment, at the end of the day, these have to be useful for the people who are going to wear, so for instance, we spoke with the staff and we figured out where it would be good to have pockets or hooks etc, so that the uniform doesn't only look good but is also really designed to be practical for that particular staff wearing it. If they feel amazing when carrying their work, then it's what it's about! Editor: So, can we expect more of these projects coming up from you? TS: Yes there will be, for some I cannot discuss them yet, just watch this space, but there is a fantastic CSR project, that I am involved with, also with W Retreat & Spa - Maldives, where I'll be teaching stitching to local Maldivian women, for them to make soft toys that will be sold in the resort and the earnings will go to them. I love to be able to make a difference in these people lives, if I can. Editor: That's really commendable. I look forward to hear more about it and your next moves, thank you for your time today. TS: My pleasure. 
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So, our cozy chat ended and we are definitely looking forward to seeing more of Tahir Sultan's projects and collections, and as far as W Retreat & Spa - Maldives goes, we are hopefully going to talk to you more about them in a few weeks' time.
Right now, the resort is focused with a number of super cool events and enhancements to run a campaign called "Let it glow" which from what I gathered from my chat with the W team, it's something really exciting, so stay tuned to hear more.
In the mean time, please find below a selection of my favorite iconic designs from the Tahir Sultan collection forW Retreat & Spa - Maldives, I have no doubt that after watching them you'll want to book your next holiday!
Images are courtesy of JayEim Photography.
Right now, the resort is focused with a number of super cool events and enhancements to run a campaign called "Let it glow" which from what I gathered from my chat with the W team, it's something really exciting, so stay tuned to hear more.
In the mean time, please find below a selection of my favorite iconic designs from the Tahir Sultan collection forW Retreat & Spa - Maldives, I have no doubt that after watching them you'll want to book your next holiday!
Images are courtesy of JayEim Photography.
If you want to look at the rest of the collection, then here's a gallery courtesy of Getty Images.
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