We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shek Tarawallie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Shek thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
My journey to becoming a fashion designer is one that I didn’t expect for myself. As a child I feel like fashion always hovered around me, but it never seemed like something that was possible to achieve. However, my childhood was decorated with glimpses into beauty and fashion. My mother & aunts would compete with each other on who could dress my cousins & I the best. I would watch them get ready for parties and me enamored by their beauty, the colors, the shapes of the dresses, and the fabrics. My mother would take me to the local tailor in Langley Park, Maryland, where I am from. Most of the time it was against my will, as I would have preferred to play outside with my friends. But that is where it starts for me. Seeing that & being exposed to that was my genesis.
But even with that in mind, that never seemed to be my path. I didn’t care for making dresses or suits. I wore tee shirts and over-sized baggy clothes. It never even crossed my mind to think, “Someone actually sits down and designs this stuff.” Nor did I have interest in it at the time. It all changed during my high school years. I ended up going to Southfields Academy. It was a school near South Wimbledon in London & for a young man from Maryland, the city completely engulfed me. I loved it. The way the people walked, the way the people talked, but more specifically, the way they dressed. One day, one of the older kids was in Clapham Junction with a bag full of clothes he was selling. He was selling clothes that he himself designed. “What do you mean you designed it?” “What do you mean this is your brand?” “You can just do that?” Rather than turn me away, he told me. It was the first time I ever heard of photoshop. It was the first time I ever heard of a heat press or screen-printing or embroidery. It opened up my world and gave me a focal point. I knew then that if I ever got the opportunity, I would take it. But with no money, no design experience, it was still very far fetched.
On a cold November day, my friend said words to me that would change the course of my life forever. “We should start a clothing brand.” I remember it like it was yesterday. Screen-printing shirts is one thing, but how do you build demand? Do I need to go to fashion school? My parents were not thrilled with the idea so instead I switched my major to Psychology & Business Administration. “If I learn how people think, I can sell to them better.” That took care of that (in my head). I took a job working for Lord & Taylor’s women’s shoe department. Accompanied with YouTube channels, it bridged every gap I had. I didn’t need fashion school. I learned about colors, I learned about seasons, I learned about fabrics, I learned about just how far in advanced you have to design a collection before it hits the market, I learned how to interact with customers and what they will and will not spend money on.
The most essential thing I have learned to date is storytelling. There is a bit of magic that can never be described when someone picks up a product and decides that it is for them. You must attach product to a feeling. That is what I believe I learned the most. I don’t believe fashion school could have taught me that. That was something I needed to see & feel in person. I am so grateful that I did.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Shek Tarawallie. I started a clothing company in 2011 with $191.78 and two t-shirts. Since then the brand has become award winning & has stretched a cult following to various parts of the world. In addition to that, my team has also outsourced our design services to various brands ranging from streetwear to couture.
I start every collection with an idea and a discussion point and I build around that. In a lot of ways my garments are more like merchandise for my ideas and philosophies. Every piece has a name & every piece has a story. On my website I leave a note with every piece describing why I named it the way I did or what the inspiration was for it. I like to think of Swavor as a Marvel Universe of clothing. There are reoccurring characters, themes, storylines that people can follow. That is what I believe keeps people engaged and following what we do. We are an unpredictable brand and that is the allure.
I want people to know that the best way to start a company is to start. No matter how small. I have never gone to fashion school, taken out a loan or an investment from anyone. I have gone on to work with some of the biggest brands in the world. I take so much pride in Swavor’s independence. There are no barriers. We have full creative control & we do what we want. That is something I am the most proud of. You will have pit falls. Your collections will fail. But as long as you learn from the and try not to make the same mistakes twice, you will live to fight another day. Before you know, you will look up at all you have done with pride.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I was in undergrad, I would get up at 6am everyday. My dad would drive me to the train station. I would take the train to Baltimore which was about an hour. From Baltimore, I would get on the bus for about 30 minutes to get to my classes. After classes, get back on the bus to the station in Baltimore. From Baltimore, I would take the train to Washington DC, which was an hour. From Washington DC, I would get on the red line to White Flint Mall where my job was. I would work then get back on the Red line, transfer to the Orange Line & pray that someone could pick me up from the train station. Most nights it was too late & I would feel too guilty to wake anyone up, so I budgeted for a taxi. When I got home, I did my homework, studied & worked on my business. I did this almost every single day for 3 years of college.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice
I think NFT’s are an interesting subject. On one hand I understand the outrage for a graphic design to be worth that much. Like who cares about an Ape with a different hat on? What will that do for society? On the other hand I realize that art is art. What it means to people can vary based on who the person is. As I write this the entire NFT market is down. I personally do not own any NFTs. But I do understand their place especially for the artists themselves. The idea will continue to be become more refined as the years go on. Someone will come along and make it easier to do. My main question is: if it becomes accessible to everyone, is there even a point? I don’t lean on either side of the fence. My advice would be only invest in it with disposable income. Do not bet your life on it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.swavor.us
- Instagram: sirshek
- Twitter: sirshek
Image Credits
Jaylen Mugz