Wear in the - Shannon Denny

PROFILE
Wear in the
WORLD
Shannon Denny follows an Acton-based fashion
entrepreneur on his journey from Nepal
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W
hen Uttam Nepal had to
come up with a name for his
clothing range, the solution
was clear.“Uttam is obviously my first
name, but it’s actually a Nepalese word
meaning ‘the best’ or ‘the nicest.’”
It’s a definition that suits the man as
well as his creations, which are all
imagined from a buzzing Acton HQ. The
label Uttam London started out 14 years
ago, and its hallmarks are intricate
handmade detailing and colourful styles
heavily inspired by the Far East. A
second range,Yumi, is popular for its
whimsical printed tunics. Both labels
have stacks of celebrity fans, including
Sienna Miller, Lily Allen, Myleene Klass,
Alesha Dixon and Fearne Cotton.
The mastermind behind the labels
hasn’t always moved in celebrity circles
though. Born in a small village in Nepal,
Uttam sold souvenirs and clothing to
tourists to earn money as a student.
Once he’d saved enough, he came to
London to study and funded his
education here by selling handcrafted
Nepalese knitwear on a stall in Camden
Market.“Basically we started off with 80
jumpers!” he remembers. Not long after
he met his business partner Clare, who
eventually became his wife and mother
to his three daughters.
He says the appeal of Uttam and Yumi
clothing is down to “the high workmanship
of Nepalese and Indian people, all the
embroidery and embellishment – I mean,
it’s in the culture.” Quirky and
individual, the dresses aren’t really like
anything else on the high street, and
there’s a true feeling of originality to the
work.“It’s unique; basically we have a
specific handwriting,” Uttam affirms.
With 11 Uttam London and Yumi shops
already spread out from Nice and
Richmond to St Ives, plus several outlets
in House of Fraser stores, further
expansion plans are in the pipeline. The
flagship Oxford Street House of Fraser is
also home to their first Uttam Kids
concession – “definitely 100% inspired by
our daughters,” he says.
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PROFILE
This empire of new
clothes is a far cry from
selling tourist trinkets in
Nepal or even jumpers in
Camden.“I was always
ambitious, because one of my
uncles was very successful.
Nothing was impossible for me.
Now I can see that we’ve
achieved so much, and we’re still
going, we’re still learning.” Here’s
one entrepreneur at least, whose
optimism hasn’t been diminished by
the dire economic climate.“It’s great
to employ so many people even in a
recession,” he grins.“People are getting
rid of staff and we are hiring more
and more. It’s a very good feeling.” And
one he’ll have to get used to, it seems, as
he hurries off to put the finishing
touches on another new store.
www.uttamdirect.com
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