It was during the mid-1990s, after Bibi Russell – the famous supermodel who walked the catwalks of famous western capitals – returned to Bangladesh, Sujon started to become interested in fashion designing. He read about Bibi in magazines and newspapers and found her story and achievements very inspiring.
Now aged 24, Sujon who is originally from Sylhet lives in Gulshan, Dhaka. He has been abroad and visited the UK several times where he has many relatives. He has a family background in culture – his father, Ziaddin Ahmed, was a film producer and has many famous titles under his name, including Lal Memsahib – is currently a director of Krishi Bank, Bangladesh.
Although Sujon’s interest in fashion designing goes back to the mid the 1990s, it was not until after he had completed his two-year diploma in fashion designing at the NIFD (National Institute of Fashion Design) in Banani that he started to seriously work towards developing a career in this field. At the institute, among other things, he learnt about mixing colours and working with a range of fabrics like jute, silk, etc., both western and Bangladeshi. Sujon spends a great deal of time dedicated to developing a career in fashion designing and the lifestyle that comes with it is an attraction for him.
His collections consist of both Bangladeshi and western designs and many famous models have walked the Dhaka catwalks displaying his styles. He is currently involved in producing a catalogue to promote his collections, photographed by the famous Dhaka based glamour photographer, Mohsin Ahmed.
In terms of the Dhaka Fashion scene, according to Sujon, most young people are very fashion conscious now and are primarily interested in western-based designs. This fashion-conscious generation is a new phenomenon and the trend is growing. As a result, most new designers are also engaged in catering to this changing situation.
As to the sources of this trend, Sujon feels that mostly the influences are coming from India through satellite TV. Indian fashions are also mostly western-based and therefore a great deal of western influence comes to Bangladesh via India. Direct influences also arrive from the West through the internet, TV channels and films. Foreign visits being increasingly being made by Bangladeshis are also a source of this influence.
Sujon’s dream is to succeed in the field of fashion designing and become a major designer. Although he feels that only thirty per cent of the local designs are creative and new – rest being copies and imitations – he thinks that this rate will increase if the current levels of interest in fashion continue.
What does he think about the city where he lives? Sujon loves Dhaka a lot and his favourite places are Gulshan, Banani and Dhanmondi. He does not like the old parts of Dhaka, because he feels that it is very difficult to travel through due to narrow roads and traffic jams. It is also less modern and not kept in a good condition.
In terms of the future of Dhaka, Sujon feels that it could become world-class like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, but only if the government takes a serious initiative. Although the people of Dhaka have a role to play the direction has to come from the government and they have to produce a good plan for Dhaka’s development. This will facilitate the necessary processes required for Dhaka to join the club of world premier cities.
