Meet Nafisa Tosh | Designer/Maker/Tailor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nafisa Tosh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nafisa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

I love being freelance in fashion, it gives me control over my work and who to work with and to be honest there’s very little contracted work within the fashion industry these days. So being freelance to me involves an element of risk but I like risk.

I like the changing nature of my work. I have some long term plans in my work diary scheduled but I always leave room for short term projects that pop up. Being freelance is risky & I like that element of surprise, it’s fun & exciting. The way that I work isn’t for everyone.

So I try to leave space in my calendar for the way that new projects pop up. These days though I kinda have a rough idea of the fashion calendar. So awards seasons’ fittings start around the end of December then it’s onto LFW or PFW in February then the year just rolls on.

I also work on fashion photo shoots as a tailor and some of the more creative campaigns ask me to design & make something for the job.
That means being super organised in my studio with a good supply of fabrics and trimmings as well as being flexible and creative

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I think that it’s my strong tailoring background that sets me apart from other tailors. My father was a tailor, he was denied the chance to work on Savile Row in the 60s but the very same company who asked him to work ‘below stairs’ – which meant half the wages of a cutter who worked ‘above stairs’ – invited me in many years later to do special projects with them. For me that’s massive progress and being a brown woman and receiving recognition & being acknowledged for my skills and expertise is a huge thing.

Growing up in Bolton I was my fathers’ unofficial tailors apprentice at home, so by the time I was a teenager I would help him with his sewing and tailoring work. It was this tailoring skill set background that I believe helped me to work with Lee Alexander McQueen from 2005-8.

At the time I hadn’t realised that Lee surrounded himself with like minded people who would help him to visualise and create the ideas in his head for PFW. It was an intense period but I’m glad I stuck it out, it really changed my life and it was all of my 20 years experience leading up to this point that got me right there, into Lee’s atelier.

It’s this solid tailoring background that allows me to go into a fitting with confidence. I’m able to assess the garments before the talent arrives and then I know exactly how to rework the garments for a perfect fit for the shoot.

All of my shoot work tailoring has to be done temporarily and then put back so no damage occurs to the garment when it’s returned to the fashion brand. I’m not allowed to cut off any fabric and I must put the garment back exactly how it arrived on set. For stills, this can be easily achieved by pinning but for video, it’s a more complicated to achieve that flawless look. There are certain brands that I work closely with who ask for me to be on set with their collections because I can guarantee that level of care.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

London is amazing, I’m never bored of it and I still discover something new when walking about at the weekends.
I’d start with a visit to the V&A’s Chanel Manifesto then pop up stairs for drinks in the Members Bar followed by a walk around Harrods not shopping though, just people watching! I love sitting and seeing how people behave in places like that.
If it’s sunny then a walk through one of London’s amazing parks, and so many to choose from. The view from Greenwich is gorgeous on a sunny day but I love Regent’s Park for a Sunday stroll.

Maybe we would finish off at the Regents Street Cinema or the Prince Charles Cinema and stop for a late bite at Gazette. And let’s see if any one is performing at Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zedel like my friend Miss Hope Springs and if not then slink into a corner booth and a late night drink.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

There just isn’t enough credit in the fashion industry in the U.K. for the tailors, seamstresses and technical staff who actually make and create all the fashion.

This is for so many reasons, but fashion students aren’t being taught to pattern cut, tailor/sew & construct garments and they’re generally taught by tutors with no strong industry links.

There’s a total lack of respect for the technical side of the fashion industry. Being a technician isn’t valued in the U.K. not in the way it is in Europe. I really hope that I can bring this to light and to start a conversation about the need for skilled technicians in the industry.

I have an issue with the way young people are taught as well. Once a teacher becomes institutionalised they lose all connection with the fast moving and pacy fashion industry.

Students aren’t aware of many of the jobs and positions that are available at entry level with suppliers which are well paid.
This means that the education our young people are paying for leaves them with irrelevant skills, and they’re being taught by out of date tutors with little or no links to the fashion industry.
THIS is why our fashion graduates have to work for 2-3 years to make them industry ready; and who can afford to work for free these days?

I’d like to end on a positive note and mention a new project that I’ll be volunteering with next year, it’s a fashion project run by an amazing lady Poornima. The project is called Kundakala, teaching long-term unemployed and home makers, some sewing & tailoring skills with a view that they might enter the workplace. It’s based in central London and, I hope, will be a great opportunity for me to pass on my skills to the next generation.

Instagram: Nafisa Tosh

Linkedin: Nafisa Tosh

Image Credits
Ballon sleeve created by myself with Lee Alexander McQueen 2006/