Meet Dr. Bilal Ali founder and creative behind NOIR|LDN
Dr Bilal Ali is a medical doctor who founded the London based-brand NOIR|LDN a few months ago. Dr Ali has always been affiliated with fashion and has had interest in clothes from a young age. He draws influence from his mother and sister who both have a deep love for fashion.
The UK native was raised with grounded foundations and instilled with strong values which displays in the recent collection. Pieces included are sweat suits with a side layer which highlights NOIR|LDN, T shirts as well as casual wear.
NOIR|LDN
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Q: I know you had the passion for fashion but what finally pushed you to really get involved and create your own?
The timing was right for me to launch a new business. I was at stage in life that I was the pinnacle of my medical profession, other business interests were progressing and I just wanted a fresh challenge in life – having a natural interest in fashion provided the perfect incentive to explore this world.
Q: Why did you choose these styles of clothing?
For my first collection, I wanted to create a collection that represents clothes that I would wear coupled with current fashion trends and what I felt that our target demographic wanted.
Q: Who are some designers you look forward to working with?
There are many designers that I like but I guess at the moment the work that Virgil Abloh has done is amazing. His journey from being an architect to establishing one of the most iconic brands in the world, Off-White and now also being the Artistic Direction of Louis Vuitton is an inspiration story and he has definitely influenced many designers across the world.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
From a professional standpoint, to do more of what I am already doing, working in both medical and business world. In 5 years, I would like to see NOIR|LDN become an internationally recognized label, be a leader in design and also have a women’s line. These are obviously ambitious goals in very difficult and competitive industry but its important in any industry to set strong goals and objectives otherwise it defeats the purpose of starting something in the first place.
Q: What is some advice you want to give to fellow medical field workers that want to dive into other creative fields?
I would definitely encourage for fellow medical professional to explore other interests that they may have. The work in medicine is intense, both physically and mentally very engaging but extremely rewarding. I find the work that I do outside medicine really helps to complement and helps balance the challenges working as a doctor. It took years of relentless hard work to become a doctor – I see it as a privilege and would never leave the profession.
I know many medical professionals that have various lines of work outside of medicine — anything from medtech companies to restaurants!
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With love,
FWO
