Fats Shariff has fashion in his blood coming from a family who supplies the manufacturing for Britain’s biggest fashion brands and conglomerates. A real West Londoner who can’t walk ten strides down Portobello Road on a Friday without bumping into someone he knows, Fats is known for his rudeboy meets Texan cowboy style with a piece of The London Leatherman thrown on for good measure. He almost always has a camera around his neck- he takes a great photo.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Q. Fats! I distinctly remember the first time I met you, you came round to see Dave when we were living on Gun Street, in Spitafields circa 2008, we were having a party, the front door was jammed so you arrived through the window! But, after all these years I don’t actually know how you and Dave came to be friends, do you remember how you met?
A. Oh my god yes the window entrance that was so much fun, hah…what a night! East London was a lot more fun then!!! Well I really met Dave in 1995/96 when I was working for YMC, Fraser Moss introduced us. Dave had a label he’d done in Japan and we were all about developing things for Japan.
Also, I knew of Dave through Portobello Market, but really it was the YMC meeting that brought us fools together : )
*Fraser Moss- Design Director at YMC
Q. You’ve collaborated with Dave on projects in the past, do you have any fond memories of these projects? How would you describe yours and Dave’s collaborative style?
A. Yes, we ended up working on a clothing collection for women in 96 or 97, I believe I still have all the sketches and mood boards we made, all hand drawn, photocopied and stuck on with glue, way before Photoshop or Illustrator etc. We had a lot of fun, that was the key word FUN. We had the same childhood references and were both into the same things. Plus, we knew what the hell we liked and what we wanted to put out there. Damn, what was the name of the collection…Dave came up with it…I remember him insisting on putting these clear PVC pockets on the garments where you would put the brand logo as a card insert…still love that idea…took me a minute to like it though…(remember Dave, hah!) I need to go off and find those boards. If we dropped that now I reckon we would make a killing!
I would say our work style was a lot of laughs and giggles, but we got shit done.
Q. You’re known for your style and everyone knows you love clothes, how do you style your The London Leatherman pieces?
A. For me the The London Leatherman bits I have are everyday items, the dome stud bracelets are never off my wrist, the belts the same. Day to day though I wear the leather jeans!!!
With the leather jeans I treat them like my everyday (denim) jeans, I’ll wear them with a T-shirt, hoody or shirt…with a pair of AF1’s or my boots, mostly cowboy boots…I might even throw my Concho belt on with them too. My The London Leather pieces are staples for me, everyday wear.
Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces? And why?
A. The leather jeans, the 1976 style !!! The leather is so incredible and the workman ship….QUALITY…When I put on those jeans, I feel sexy as fuck and hell they look so good…I can’t go a week without wearing them.
Q. You’ve always got something ‘cool’ you’re working on, with some ‘cool’ artist or label. Are you working on anything at the moment you can talk about?
A. Hah, right now I’m working with some great young streetwear labels in the UK, who are making big waves. I always like to be working with the new, seeing what’s coming up. It’s what keeps me excited and inspired. We have some great talent here which we tend to forget and not nurture enough. That’s always been my thing, help bring people up….show them that the industry’s not full of sharks and that there’s ways of doing it without selling out.
Q. What’s Uncle Fats Chats?
A. Hah…Uncle Fats Chats… So, this is a platform where I’ll be talking about love, life and business and not in that certain order. I’ll pick topics, talk about them and hope to get feedback and engage with people. I’ve had a lot of situations in my life, that have made me realise we all need a pick up, we all need that Good Uncle that gets you back up, makes you feel bigger and better…makes you feel you are not alone and yes it is tough out there. But we can all traverse this terrain together for the better. I want to motivate, empower and inspire people to be their better self. By doing this I also become better, a challenge aired is challenge solved. We have one life, so best live it well. As my friend Dee says, ‘This ain’t not dress rehearsal’
Q. What does 2023 look like for you?
A. 2023 is where I take my power back. I’ll do what I want to do and what brings me joy. That does not mean I will stop working, far from it, just means I will focus on where I can make a difference. Utilize my skills and knowledge to make a better today and tomorrow for me, because if I can do this for me, it will be better for all around me. Bring some control back. I want to work to live, not live to work…we have done enough of the latter already. Time to change the mindset…even at 56 I have still so much to do and accomplish and I will!