A young fashion designer’s mission to challenge the ‘negative’ message of streetwear will be featured on a TV documentary next month.
Sahar Akhtar, of Standard Road, Hounslow West, is launching the brand Wise London as an alternative to what he sees as the glorification of drugs, violence and foul language on so much clothing aimed at young people.
The 23-year-old’s T-shirts feature iconic figures, from Mahatma Gandhi to Winston Churchill, alongside some of their inspiring quotes.
Mr Akhtar, who is still seeking funding to get his venture off the ground, is one of the budding entrepreneurs featured in Big Deal Films’ documentary Young Upstarts, which is due to air on London Live in June, on a date yet to be confirmed.
“I’ve always kept up to date with the latest trends and over the last couple of years I’ve noticed there’s been a big growth in stupid and negative messages,” said the former Heathland School pupil.
“My aim is to bring some positivity to a society which often appears to draw on negativity, with brands like Cocaine and Caviar, and messages like ‘read this while I look at your t***’.
“I’ve chosen to go with historical role models and their powerful quotes, like Churchill’s famous line ‘history will be kind to me for I intend to write it’.”
Mr Akhtar studied business management at Wolverhampton University but dropped out halfway through and is due to begin a course in media communication at Roehampton University in September.
He launched his brand in March after getting guidance from The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Fellowship on matters ranging from marketing to accounts.
He said he had always had a vision of starting his own company but the high youth unemployment rate convinced him to go it alone.
He said: “I was unemployed so I thought why not give it a go? I didn’t know if I would get an opportunity like I’ve had with The Prince’s Trust later in life.
“I would definitely encourage other young people to go into business, especially if they’re having trouble finding a job.”
