Where it all began…

Plug in the mic and open the curtain. Turn on the lights, I’m through rehearsing. I’ve got nothing to lose…

It’s quite the rocky story, my journey. You may ask how it started. Believe it or not, it started during my education. To be specific, I was at the University of the Arts London, just finishing up my third year.

All classmates were offered the chance to showcase their achievements and work at an exhibition for friends and family. I remember thinking: “Shall I, or shall I not?” As I was closing the chapter on my university life, something just clicked, and I said, “yes — but I wanted to go out with a bang!”

I laid out some bling I had to hand and spread it out on the table. I would use some of my favourite colours. Yep, you guessed it: purple, white and black (like my website!). All that was missing was the name…Shaz Designs.

Why this name? Why not my full name, Shaziya Ramji?

Only a handful of people could pronounce my name correctly, so I started going by ‘Shaz’ at university. I loved everything about design — whether it was a paper canvas or a digital art-board on a computer, I felt right at home as long as I was expressing myself through design. And that showed in my work. Sure, it I could’ve thought up a better name, but I was young! The brand grew as my skills developed. That’s why you’re here today reading this blog.

Surprisingly, my parents showed up at the exhibition to see my work; I was happy and excited to see them, then nervous, as I wanted to make them proud. I remember greeting them at the university doors and escorting them upstairs, following all the signs to the exhibit. Along the way, my father was stopping passers-by — lecturers and teachers — asking them if I was a good student. If I remember correctly, we were trying to find references for my CV.

“You need references to get a jump-start in your career, Shaz,” my father said. My mother doesn’t get out much, so she had a nervous energy about her. This soon turned into excitement when the time came for me to present my work, especially when she noticed that I had clearly borrowed some of the bling from home. I get my creative side from her, and my business side from my father. This was her moment, as much as it was mine.

My parents approached my table eagerly, big smiles on their faces. All I could think was, “Please be proud please be proud please be proud.” I had no clue what would happen next, but I was excited to find out!

Little did they know, I was already thinking about the next project? Thinking ten steps ahead.

So I started my journey with ‘Shaz Designs’. And what a journey it is being…