Zurhem: Not just a Suit and Tie Story
Working to broaden the options of formal wears to the ones with a taste for the extraordinary, “Zurhem” is an eponymous brand though the owner’s name Mehruz’s stands inverse to lend an exotic dimension to the name itself. But there are more fascinating facets to the brand and its founder. In a recent conversation with COLORS’ Persa Sanjana Hussain, Mehruz Munir, the spirit behind the brand, spares some details about both his personal journey and the story of the brand.
The discernible lack of fashion choices in terms of formal wear was essentially what gave birth to the idea of Zurhem – a brand which caters to the fashion conscious males who according to founder Mehruz Munir, “enjoy the finer things in life and know fashion to the core.”
Starting off a dream to change the local scene, today, Zurhem comprehensively includes prêt-à-porter and a bespoke suiting salon. You can walk in to pick a versatile piece off the rack or, in case you have the time, make an appointment to avail their bespoke service. Either way you can rest assured that you’ll leave feeling satisfied. The brand is all about taking the timeless fashion up a few notches by infusing just the right amount of ‘modernist direction’.
Mehruz Munir, the founder, dreamed of having a fashion label since he was eight. While many may deem it as being cute, the young entrepreneur and fashion police inside the kid was far beyond just cute. At just eight he had already gave a spin to his own name “Mehruz” and decided that he wanted “Zurhem” as the name of the fashion label that he would establish.
In 2015, when the brand embarked on its journey to change how we buy suits – the cute 8 year-old from the past probably gave Mehruz a pat on his back, proudly watching as things slowly started falling into place.
“Creative blocks will happen and they have to be dealt with patience. Sometimes forgetting as much as possible is imperative to avoid distractions and ensure that your ideas embody originality,” says Mehruz. He hastens to add that it’s entirely okay to have hurdles as long as you figure out how you’ll manage them.
“I come from a traditional family where art was not really encouraged as a means of earning a living. I knew, I couldn’t demand to study fashion and expect my choice to be openly accepted. So I went on to study business and graduated with distinction to start my life as a corporate slave. But something didn’t feel right – I knew that this wasn’t something that I was willing to commit to,” explains the mind behind the internationally known brand.
Unable to resolve this overwhelming feeling to drop out and begin anew, Mehruz took two years off trying to figure out what he really wanted to do. What ensued after that two years of soul searching is something that every loyal Zurhem customer is endlessly thankful for – almost like a predictable movie that we would still pay to watch, Mehruz got into a fashion school and started from scratch! Mehruz’s first ever job was in a clothing store and while his co-workers hated the job he took joy in learning something new every day all the while picking up the details.When asked about the most special moment in his thrilling journey Mehruz picked his first fashion show in the September of 2016 without hesitation.
“We were still very small and we just decided to arrange a fashion show in its truest sense. Something that was never witnessed in the city, at that time. We did it entirely with our own pocket money and it cost us a fortune but it was worth every penny as things turned out exactly how we wanted it to be,” Mehruz remembers.
Several minutes deeper into the conversation Mehruz shared a few of his fashion preferences. As an author of haute couture Mehruz pays a lot of attention to shoes and admits that it is the first thing he notices about someone’s outfit irrespective of gender. He also shares how it saddens him to see a good outfit gone to waste due to improper fit. “You could buy a very cheap outfit but as long as it fits you well, you will end up looking great. But even a high-end design makes no sense if the fit isn’t right.” Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior top the list of his favorite international fashion brands while London, Vienna and Paris are his favorite cities to draw cultural inspiration.
Mehruz is guilty of buying a lot of leather items and as we can guess – shoes. Mehruz swears he feels better by the ‘retail therapy’ and has a growing collection of sunglasses. “Shopping makes me happy. I could have a really bad day but even buying something small like a perfume would immediately boost my mood.”
As a designer he tries his best not to dictate what every man should be wearing. “Everybody is different. Along with the obvious difference in body types, every man has a different personality and lifestyle which need to be considered while picking an outfit,” he sounds emphatic and sincere. He suggests paying attention to the fit, not blindly following ‘fast fashion’, and wearing what suits you. “I would say, do not fall for fast fashion; do not buy a lot of cheap items. Rather take your clothing and accessories as a long term investment. Buy fewer things that you’ll cherish longer,” he goes on.
Mehruz advocates that instead of splurging on high-street brand one should save and spend on high-end stores where you know you will be served a certain level of quality and better value.
“You are probably not going to buy 10 different biker jackets. Odds are that you’ll buy just one. So you might as well buy that one jacket from a reliable store and make sure that it is well made so that you can wear it for years to come.” Besides, Mehruz makes it clear that nothing can be compared to confidence when pulling off suit and tie: “There are guys who will wear a suit and tie anywhere – it could be to a café, or a small store or even a funeral, but they’ll own it and you’ll feel that this is something they wear all the time. Why is that? I think it is solely confidence.”
The designer advises, “Explore more with what you love and what makes you happy. Style is very personal to begin with; bit by bit you’ll develop a personal style. Instead of seeking validation YOU DO YOU; wear whatever makes you happy!” As the creative maestro behind the brand, Mehruz continually emphasizes on the importance of striking a balance. “There is no point of being a broke artist, and there is not point of being a very successful and rich brand if clothes are not respected by the customers, either. For that, I am very lucky to have my business partner Saadat who has been looking after the business side while I steer the creative input. We constantly collaborate to deliver the best.”
Zurhem flaunts designs which have been largely inspired by architecture and Mehruz’s personal travel experiences. With the spring/summer 2019 fashion show to be held in next March, Mehruz is trying hard not to let it overwhelm him and overlook the small events around the corner.
About the fashion scene in Bangladesh Mehruz his levelheaded evaluation: “We definitely made a certain level of progress but we still have a long way to go. Off course a lot of the younger people are paying a lot of attention to what they are wearing and how they are presenting themselves to the world but at the same time, are we really fashion forward? Are we even close to our neighboring countries in terms of fashion? Maybe not…. But we are surely getting there.”
On a parting note, Mehruz tells us about his dreams of increasing Zurhem’s presence internationally. “It will still be a luxury brand but probably a luxury brand that also can represent Bangladesh in the global market even if it’s on a small scale,” he concludes.
THIS OR THAT
Black or Brown: Black
Summer or Winter: Winter
Intelligence or Hard work: Intelligence
Indoors or Outdoors: Indoors
A good pair of shoes or a good watch: A good pair of shoes (Bet you saw that coming!)
