Being the designer and founder of a successful leather-focused fashion brand after switching careers from finance to fashion with your family as your biggest support system seems like quite the journey hey? But then again who is to say that life isn’t full of ups and downs right?
After sitting down with the designer of Bano eeMee, Aleem Arif, I was humbled by hearing about his unique and honest story regarding his journey as an individual and as a designer. Aleem didn’t start off as a designer, rather he started off working at a bank in Boston working his way up to reaching new heights in his career and in his life. However he soon came to realize that finance wasn’t his calling, and it definitely wasn’t a soul-satisfying job for him. He was undoubtedly very fortunate to recognize that at an early age rather than spending half his life doing a job that brought him nothing more than a monthly pay cheque; which unfortunately many people do not have the guts to acknowledge, in regards to their own lives. It takes a lot of courage to walk away from “stability” and a career that is paying you well, but I personally believe it is much more rewarding in the long run, because you then have no choice but to listen to your heart to find your own calling while having “faith in the universe.”
Don’t be fooled, it isn’t a cake walk when setting out to find your true calling, which is a common misconception that many people have. It takes a lot of patience and is found in the least expected of places. For Aleem, there was a portion in time when he didn’t really have a direction, he moved down to Calgary, and travelled to Pakistan where his family lived, giving him a refreshed outlook on his life. While he was in Pakistan he spent time sewing which ultimately watered the roots of passion within him for fashion and design.
After having developed and created a few leather designs, Aleem began his journey in getting his work out into the public eye in Calgary. While reminiscing the past, he told me about his experiences of taking his designs/creation in a suitcase to local boutiques trying to get them to place an order. He was given the boot out of many boutiques several times but didn’t lose hope and continued persevering until finally one day he came across a local shop who was an interested buyer. There he had it the start of Bano eeMee; like they say “fall seven times, stand up eight.”
It is quite certain that Aleem’s journey hasn’t been all cherries and roses however his main source of motivation has stemmed from the desire to prove himself, the desire to be different and unique. When speaking to Aleem, he kept referring back to the example of people walking on a sidewalk. While everyone is walking on the right, he would choose to walk on the left, he always wished to take his own route, be different, and be bold. Aleem’s values consist of being real and being true to who he is, which I believe is partly why he is so successful. He exemplifies what it means to be confident in oneself and fearless of others’ judgement, which transfers over to his work and the designs he creates, making them so intricately beautiful.
Every successful man or woman has someone he/she looks up to, in Aleem’s case it is his father. He spoke about the times his father endured back home and the dedication he had towards his education like spending nights finishing his homework by the lamp-posts outside, along with the many sacrifices he had made for his family and still does till today. Aleem speaks with humble gratitude regarding his father’s life and how he aspires to be as great as his father was and is.
Aleem has always been very grounded in regards to his relationship with his family and it is clearly represented in the title of his fashion brand Bano eeMee. Bano was what his grandmother used to call his mom, and eeMee is what his mom calls him, together he created a perfect blend of love and beauty coming from a deeply rooted connection dear to his heart. From listening to him speak, I could immediately tell how close he was to his family, and how they truly are his biggest support system. His love for them was evident in what he said and how he spoke about them. It is inspirational to see the amount of respect and love he holds for them in his heart, which we can all learn from. Sometimes we neglect to realize that the people who care about us the most are the ones we fail to appreciate the most.
Aleem’s journey is still underway, with many upcoming changes and new endeavours just around the corner, and I personally would like to wish him all the best in anything he chooses to do. Not only is his destination full of light and happiness but so is his journey, which I’d like to thank him for sharing with us today. From his journey, we can quickly identify that life is full of twists and turns, but when one has dedication to his/her craft and follows one’s heart, the pathway to enlightenment and success natural opens it’s doors to you.
