All in the Family with Denim Designers Mohsin & Sadia
It’s not always easy to maintain a loving relationship when two people work and play together, but denim-loving designers Mohsin Sajid and Sadia Rafique seem to have it figured out.
Mohsin is a British fashion designer who’s been working in the industry for nearly 20 years as a pattern cutter, a tailor, a vintage denim machine specialist and a vintage denim collector, among other things.
Sadia is a British graphic designer who has gained recognition as a creative director, having worked art directing fashion shoots, fashion films, branding, apparel graphic design, look book design and illustration.
Together, the two run 74MMA, a consultancy catering for the denim inclined.
Carved in Blue caught up with the couple to learn more about their love of denim and what they’ve discovered in the years working together with the beloved blues.
Carved in Blue: What was your very first impression of the denim business?
Mohsin: I was lucky as one of my first jobs after graduating was working at oki-ni and designing a number of collections for Levi’s Japan and Levi’s Europe for a period of two and half years. These were very special denim collections, considered to be higher in calibre then the Levi’s RED collections from the same period. I was thrown in the deep end, and designed a number of special collections exclusively. In fact, I was one of the first to design a laser collection for Levi’s Japan back in 2002. I also designed a Levi’s tailoring collection together with Timothy Everest, based on the Bing Crosby Jacket. After leaving oki-ni, I joined Edwin Europe where I established many key fits and details they still use to this day. Then I moved on to Pringle where I designed a special selvedge jean with Kaihara, few years later Sadia and I were head-hunted and both headed up DKNY jeans in Singapore. After nearly six years away from U.K., we returned and I started ENDRIME and our own consultancy 74MMA and somehow also headed up Timberland denim department.
Sadia: I grew up in small town that felt miles away from London and Brighton, and I remember being fascinated by imagery that was being produced by Levi’s and Pepe Jeans back in the ‘90s. Levi’s produced these postcard-size prints of jeans, and so I plastered them all over my walls, which gradually made it to the ceiling in my bedroom, too. Pepe did a campaign with Jason Priestley, Kate Moss in Calvin Klein’s, and a Levi’s 501 “Creek” ad was released directed by John Gorse. I remember seeing the ad for the first time on MTV, it completely drew me in, I thought the way it was shot was incredibly cinematic, being in black and white, too, enhanced the premise of two sisters being exposed to a new way of being, i.e. tradition vs. rebellion and being true to yourself. I could instantly relate from my own personal experiences. So, I was really drawn to advertising campaigns from a branding and way of life, way of thinking point of view from that era, both in print and TV, but also hearing stories from my sister at university that Levi’s just covered bus stops in London with denim, and put denim furniture and lamps at specific locations. So, the denim industry just stood out to me from a young age, unlike anything else. Not knowing that later on I’d be art directing video shoots and photography campaigns for denim collections.
Carved in Blue: Did you always want to go into the denim business?
Mohsin: I did a denim project when I was at Westminster University when I was a student back in 1999, but I always really enjoyed complicated pattern cutting, and thought jeans were too simple. Man, I was so wrong, after I started designing for Levi’s Japan, there was no turning back for me—I pretty much got the denim/indigo bug.
Sadia: I always loved denim, always loved jeans, but never thought of it as an industry that was even a possibility to get into. It was only until I started working at Oki-ni, and saw the work that Mohsin was doing with Levi’s and the Bing Crosby collection that made me realize that denim is more accessible than I imagined. I did a graphic design degree so my eye was always drawn to branding, the image, how to communicate a story. I feel as though I’ve always supported denim from a graphic point of view, designing graphics for Oki-ni x Levi’s, Lee, Evisu, DKNY Jeans, Timberland, etc. But now I enjoy pushing the storytelling side of the denim industry with film and photography.
Carved in Blue: What is it like working with a partner in the same company?
Mohsin: Even before me and Sadia were married, we worked together in our first job—I’ve lost count how many design companies we have worked for now, either full time or as consultants, (more than 15+ companies ). But now it’s pretty much a team effort, even when Sadia has meeting without me, I get roped in and vice versa. In the early part of our careers we even interviewed together I always joked, if you want us, you have to employ us both. For me, there is nothing better than getting a real opinion from a trusted person, without politics or someone tiptoeing round an answer. Me and Sadia have been married for over 12 years, and together for 15. We very much complement each other, and very much know what the other person is thinking.
Sadia: A lot of people say to us ‘I could never work with my partner, it would drive me insane,’ which always makes me laugh because honestly, I have come close at times! But I can honestly say now that we’ve been working together for so long, we work really well together now, and our skillsets have meant that we have never been in competition with each other, but we absolutely complement each other’s work, as with our personalities we bring different things to our relationship, and we do the same for our clients. Usually, if there’s ever a weakness, the other one fills it in.
Carved in Blue: When did you realize you were a blueblood?
Mohsin: For me personally it was being invited to Cone Denim in Greensboro back in 2004 and attending their two-day denim school in their White Oak factory–something which I feel very honored to attend–and being taught by the legendary Ralph Tharpe, together with Amy Leverton. Soon after I attended this denim college, my old university (Westminster) heard about me attending Cone Denim college, and contacted me to teach and lecture the denim module–the same module I my elf did many years earlier as a university student. I have now been teaching on and off for well over 14 years in between my denim consultancy business, something which I really look forward each year.
Sadia: I’ve always had an affinity to denim, I’ve always loved wearing denim since a young age, there’s been lots of anchor points throughout my education, where denim has come up—from fashion illustrators in the ‘90s, to my final degree submission, to meeting Mohsin, to art directing denim video shoots. But probably my most memorable moments have been, going to Japan and shooting for WGSN Clutch Collection Show in Yokohama. Going to BerBerJin in Harajuku and Safari in Koenji, and finding an amazing vintage 150-year old boro kimono in our friend Roop’s store, to seeing fabric swatches landing on Mohsin’s desk from Cone and Japanese mills. But most of all, learning how to natural indigo dye cotton and silk with wax batik. It’s all a series of events that have made me ‘blueblooded.’
Carved in Blue: What’s the best advice your significant other ever gave you?
Mohsin: Sadia always tells me to take it easy, because I work too hard. And she tells me to take the emotion out of a problematic situation. She gives the best advice, and is generally more relaxed and laid back than me–we are very much are opposites. Having someone you trust, giving advice, even down to a really important creative decision is quite key.
Sadia: Mohsin always has this way of working, where he is fearless and is solid in his conviction and self-belief. And all the knowledge he learns in the process, he shares online. He always says if you have an idea do it; don’t think about it. So, what I take from that is don’t be too precious about making the ‘right or wrong’ decision. I make time for myself to explore the creative and illustrative work I want to focus on and take it from there. And in the process, be brave and share more on social what I am working on in my own time.
Carved in Blue: What do you think the future looks like for the denim industry?
Mohsin: It’s looking bleak. The denim industry knows what it needs to do, but greed of denim mills, and fast fashion will destroy this planet. We need to use less cotton—in fact no cotton going forward—less chemical indigo; it’s the only true sustainable way. The last few years have been a real eye opener for me personally, I guess earlier generations had their fun, with stone washing, and throwing such harmful chemicals in denim production, but it’s my generation which is going to clean up the mess of the last 40 years. It really started with education, the last 14 years I have been lecturing a generation of designers, across 10 different universities– so fingers crossed they will not make the same mistakes as the past. In some ways, we should just stop growing cotton immediately, and start using other fibres which use less water.
Sadia: I think denim has always had this link to a person’s self and identify and I don’t think that’s ever going to change. I think that how raw denim behaves on the wearer and marking memory and experiences is something that is going to remain, because with the ever-evolving technology in the world, keeping something so tangible will be wanted and needed in the future. As far as how denim is made, I think it will potentially change completely or a large percentage will use sustainable zero waste process and yarns. The value of cotton garments in the future will become priceless, becoming rare commodities of our time.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Mohsin + Sadia: To us Carved in Blue represents transparency, education and an awareness in the future approach of responsible denim production.