Mohsin Sajid Interview: Portrait of a Multitasking Denim Wizard

Delegating, Sharing, and Educating In Order to Lead the Pack

Mohsin treats everything he does as separate entities yet they somehow all work together.

“2014 has been quite amazing. In addition to my work, I was asked to give two Expert Reports on certain pattern cuttings shapes and denim historical details for a British High Court case regarding two denim companies.”

Mohsin also blogs quite a bit on his SHITDENIM blog. Here, he shares photos of details that he’s looking at for ENDRIME. He argues that it might not be a wise thing to do, but that’s just how he works;

“The more ideas you let go of the more space you will create for new ones.”

Time has taught Mohsin that he needed to start delegating more. He has hired staff for the ENDRIME Hong Kong office and even in the UK there he has two people helping out on a regular basis. His wife also helps out, focusing mainly on the online work and lookbooks.

This allows Mohsin to concentrate more on designing and allowing other people to step in and do the other work, which they are better at than he is.

Do you feel multitasking between your other jobs and projects benefits the development of ENDRIME?

“Absolutely. For example, recently four students that I am mentoring visited me. Each of them interprets denim in a different way. One guys was making a big tent that goes into a trucker jacket, all really inspiring.”

At Timberland, Mohsin designs more to a brief; certain merchandisers will come up and say; ‘this is not working’ or ‘we need it in this colour and weight.’

“ENDRIME is more of an aspirational-based project that pushes the boat.”

Generally, with normal fashion companies, merchandisers and buyers surround Mohsin and tell him what colour to use or what fit is working – or if they are feeling a certain shape for a certain market.

“When you meet up with students, they haven’t gotten to that stage yet. They’re just designing stuff purely about the theme or purely about the idea and interpretation. It’s always inspiring to meet people like that; it’s how I used to design 15 years ago.”

By owning a brand, working for a corporate company, lecturing, and mentoring, Mohsin covers four angles of the business. Something he couldn’t do in a conventional setup.

“When I mentor, I am reminded of how I started out as a designer and my way of thinking, which is from a purely creative standpoint. Being in a corporate business, I learn about their way of working to incorporate business needs and fulfilling their targets and requirements. At ENDRIME, I learn about business strategy, pushing creativity and staying true to myself. When I do lectures, I am giving back and it simply grounds me each time I do this. I re-process why I do what I do.”

The work Mohsin has done over the past 15 years is all very different and he keeps his clients separate. But then again, he does have a rather characteristic style and details you find in his older work you will still notice today.

How do you see the future for ENDRIME? Will you keep doing other projects once ENDRIME keeps expanding and growing?

“As ENDRIME grows, I will give more to the business, and I will have to reconsider my priorities at the time. We have big plans for 2015 and beyond – lots of exciting exclusive projects to announce. But I think I will always carry on doing teaching.”

ENDRIME is getting to a level where Mohsin has to make decisions that will affect the business two years down the road. The next few years he will use to build new relationships with stores globally, travelling, attending tradeshows, carry on designing, and work on new creative direction, as well as the new women’s collection.

Looking back at your career and experiences, what do you consider the most valuable experience that has formed ENDRIME and its development?

“For sure, it’s been the machines. I realised this when going back to the pattern cutting about four years ago. The first ten years of my career I hadn’t actually picked up a pair of scissors and cut any fabric or sewn anything.”

He made a wish list of my machines, about 14 different ones, and he found nearly all of them over a year and a half.

“This was when I was living in Asia. Luckily, they are easier to be found in Asia than USA as most of them were sold to India and China by US suppliers.”

Mohsin is the kind of designer who likes to do things properly. One of the first things he did for ENDRIME, even before designing the actual jeans, was to design the button. He also designed the leather patch graphic and the rivets.

“I’ve spent about $1000 on a branding iron, which back then was insane. I had nothing yet, not a design nor jean, but I wanted to get my leather patch, buttons, and rivets right. Because then I would need only one machine and I could construct my own jeans.”

The pattern cutting came naturally back to him. He did a lot of complicated patterns as a student. Details like the dart manipulation, which you find in most of his designs nowadays.