Talking with the king of Dhaka, Shahzaman Mozumder

Shahzaman Mozumder is a 'Bir Protik' well known for his contribution in the liberation war of 1971. Following liberation, Shahzaman turned into a professional businessman in the 1980s. Fast forwarding forty some years, he is now known as the king of Dhaka and has one of the most popular style blogs in all of Bangladesh.

It was only six years ago that Shahzaman decided to start his very own online blog under the slogan, "Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn." According to him, it all started with a very simple idea. "I think I was always interested in being well dressed but never had the resources to do much about it. Posting on the blog started soon after I joined IBM. Everyone there used to wear a blue suit and it was around that time that I went to Bangkok and got myself a couple of tailored suits. Ever since then, a question remained with me. Why was the second largest manufacturer of apparels in the world – Bangladesh -- not in tune with the styles and process behind tailor-made clothing? And it is that very question that started all of this,"  Shahzaman said.

It was around the same time as the start of the blog that Shahzaman took a tailoring house under his wing and started mentoring them. "Initially, I had very little idea about the many aspects behind dressing well. I did not know what constituted a well-made suit, the difference between ready-made and made to measure, what colours to combine and what patterns to look out for. But as time went by, I gradually learned and passed my knowledge along to the tailoring house," he added. 

Soon after establishing the blog, Shahzaman started uploading photos of him featuring tailor-made suits of different styles, colour variations and patterns. 

"I remember starting very small. I used to upload maybe one or two pictures and they were actually not that great in quality either. But I wanted the younger generation to be more aware of what colours they could go for, with a brown suit for example. Basically, it was an effort to teach the younger generation how to dress, what to wear, how to behave and how to be a proper gentleman."

The blog is now home to thousands of daily visitors and hosts an archive full of beautifully crafted/tailored suits. Visitors of the blog are encouraged to talk, engage and communicate, with Shahzaman himself doing his best to answer their questions. Despite the blog's popularity, the extremely stylish expert has still made sure to keep the blog ad free. 

"The blog was never meant to be commercial. I didn't want to make money off of it. I just wanted to sell concepts, style and inform people," added Shahzaman.

In fact, style was something that Shahzaman could always relate to. "I was always interested in style but not so much in fashion.  Fashion changes every day but your style stays with you. Your style would depend on your body type, your complexion, tone and contrast. Anyone interested in dressing well should know what their style is and should select the right fabric and colour combination accordingly," said the style guru. When asked how he kept up with the current trends, Shahzaman hailed the Internet. "These days, the Internet is a great source of learning. However, one must know what they are looking for because it is very easy to get lost or carried away."

His blog series titled, "What I am wearing today" features a different tailored suit every day and offers advice on contrast, colours and even informs the public about proper dressing rules and etiquette. The popular blogger also owns his own tailouring shop inside Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel where he personally helps customers pick out the right colour and patterns before talking them through a proper fitting. 

Shahzaman's goal for the future is to branch out and open a second store that specialises in making tailoured suits the old fashion way. 

In the age of the Internet, it is easy to get lost in the world of fashion and style but it is often times individual bloggers such as Shahzaman that help people find their right style amidst a fog of questionable fashion options and choices. 

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Model: Tanzim

Wardrobe: Ecstasy

For more, be sure to check out: https://kingofdhaka.com