Gumtree seamstress saved my business, says fashion entrepreneur
Zaq Qureshi was on holiday in Turkey when he first had the idea to start his clothing business with organic cotton beach shirts.
The Peterborough man, who had been working in digital marketing in London, always wanted to create an eco-conscious, plastic-free fashion brand that was trendy and ethical.
A picture containing person, person
Description automatically generatedZaq, 32, went on to launch Playa London Ltd at the end of 2019 with the help of a former Giorgio Armani seamstress he found on the internet.
And thanks to so many people shopping online due to the Covid pandemic sales rocketed.
Celebrities like McFly’s Harry Judd and American actor Freddie Prinze Jr have been seen wearing his shirts.
Zaq said: “I saw the peshtemal towels at a Turkish market and thought the fabric was perfect to wear. I was determined to start a clothing range. I had all the designs on paper but didn’t have the sewing skills or the money to launch a fashion brand.
“It was going to be difficult but I had to find a way to do it on a budget whilst not compromising on the materials or quality of the product.
“I managed to find a shop in Turkey willing to post me a five-metre roll of unused fabric but when it arrived I needed to find someone to make the shirt. With my limited funds I turned to Gumtree.com!
“After searching for seamstresses I found someone who lived in South London who was willing to work together on this project. She turned out to be a retired Italian woman who had previously worked for 15 years as a seamstress with Giorgio Armani!
“She lived alone in a little flat but was such a delight to work with. We worked together on the design iterations over a few weeks and had the first sample ready. For all the work, she didn’t ask for more than £50. I gave her £100.
“I think in today’s times, especially in 2021, projects and businesses can be launched much easier and quicker thanks to being much more connected globally.”
The next hurdle was finding a supplier that didn’t require a minimum order quantity in the thousands but Zaq found a stall selling Turkish towels at the Embankment market and ordered 300 shirts with 1,000 more due shortly afterwards.
He said: “It was a huge risk on my behalf but I was confident it would sell. I dread to think of the situation I would have been in if they hadn’t.
“The first 300 customers are forever known as my ‘legendary’ customers and I still ask their opinion sometimes on new shirt designs and give them gifts at Christmas and things like that. I’m so grateful for them to put their faith into a small brand’s Instagram ad they saw whilst scrolling despite my meagre online following.”
All the shirts available on the website are designed to reflect the culture and climate of the location they are named after. Zero plastic is used in the production or packaging. The buttons are made from sustainably-sourced oak.
As an avid traveller, Zaq has seen first-hand the impact plastic is having on the environment and donates £3 of each purchase to charities that help to save the planet.
He added: “We pride ourselves on being a slow-fashion, eco-conscious fashion brand. It’s extremely important that all materials and packaging we use are organic and plastic-free and free of chemicals to avoid any potential water contamination.
“We already have plans to expand our range of shirts and start a female-only range of shorts and shirts, summer robes, beach blazers and even espadrilles.”
The shirts can be bought from a few different websites as well as shopping centres in Dubai, USA and Denmark.
