UK
Social entrepreneur, multicultural fashion designer and a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in business
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"Lovely speaker, and spoke frankly about a lovely range of topics. Everyone responded really well and it was a fantastic opportunity to hear from her"
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About Barjis
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Raised in London, with Pakistani and Rajasthani heritage, Barjis Chohan drew inspiration from her multicultural background, becoming passionate about diversity in art and design. To pursue this passion, she trained at the London College of Fashion and MA at Central Saint Martin’s. With a great deal of hard work and talent, she was chosen to work for Vivienne Westwood, gaining invaluable experience and practical training.
Despite being an avid traveller, Barjis noticed it was a struggle everywhere she went to find clothing that reflected her values and style. So, in 2011, she started her own label, Barjis London, which allowed her to fuse her British and Asian values. Her goal for the label was to create luxurious yet modest fashions for the modern professional woman – like herself!
Barjis has had great success in the fashion industry with her unique and accessible luxury brand. She has been recognized with several awards, including Businesswoman of the Year in London, Designer in International Trade – awarded by The Daily Mail, and she was runner up in UKTI Female-owned Business of the Year. In addition, she is a great public speaker and is regularly seen on BBC She has also been featured in four documentaries for Belgian TV, BBC Radio 1, BBC World News, Islam Channel, and Malaysian TV.
Keynote speaker Barjis Chohan doesn’t let her success go to her head! Barjis is actually equally passionate about helping those in under-developed countries to succeed in creative endeavours. To achieve this, she founded The Barjis Initiative in 2016. This initiative provides opportunities in arts and enterprise to disenfranchised women, children and the youth around the world through various social and governmental channels.
See keynotes with Barjis Chohan
Lovely speaker, and spoke frankly about a lovely range of topics. Everyone responded really well and it was a fantastic opportunity to hear from her.
Gemma Paine
What is your favourite thing about being so multicultural?
The fact that I can subconsciously choose the best of both cultures without thinking about it. I love the colour and richness of my Pakistani roots but I also like the modesty in my lifestyle and being true to myself – which I have adopted from my British influence.
What are your biggest goals in your life/career currently?
To make a positive difference in someone’s life. Public speaking gives me the platform for my voice to be heard. If I can change even five people’s lives in my lifetime then I think I have achieved something. My current career goals are to SERVE whether this is through my design projects, public speaking or my collaborations. I want to make sure that whatever I put out there has a positive impact on someone’s life. I truly believe that we are interdependent and life is about US and not ME.
I run a multi disciplinary design studio – I am always exploring new design projects and not afraid to come out of my comfort zone and explore new ideas and projects. We are working on a collaborative Fashion project with Ukraine Arts Culture and my work will be shown at The Fine Art Museum in San Francisco in September. Finally developing a sunglasses range – which I have been longing to do for quite sometime!
During your travels, which places inspired you most?
I love Istanbul – at times, it feels surreal to be around so much history. I also love Venice and Florence. Karachi – my love – the smell of the earth when you tread foot on that land is so familiar and accepting- brings me back to my fond memories of visiting my extended family as a kid. Finally my hometown- London brings me to life – it is the best place for creatives and businesses – all my memories are embedded in this amazing city!
I love culture, architecture and history – anywhere that has these combinations will inspire me. I hate high rise modern buildings – so places like Dubai, Singapore and New York don’t appeal to me.
What are your three habits for success?
How are your keynote presentations unique?
I tend to speak about my failures more than my success. People think that talking about your failures is sign of weakness but I think it is a sign of strength and resilience. The youth need to told the importance of failure and how it is the catalyst to success. These days’ people think that they can cut corners by going on social media but my presentations I share the importance of not cutting corners and that every experience makes you grow into the person you will become.
What kinds of clients have you worked with in the past?
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