FAMEED KHALIQUE, FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR, FAMEED KHALIQUE

Posted in People on 3 February, 2024

Realising his ambition to become the go-to guy for cool materials, Fameed Khalique discusses what’s involved in creating arguably the world’s largest collection of luxury surface designs.

Words: Emma Kennedy

Fameed Khalique has many admirers, though few will know him by name. But anyone fortunate enough to spend time frequenting the luxury hotel scene will undoubtedly have come across his work. Chances are they will have perched upon barstools clad in one of his leathers, brushed an unknowing hand across one of his sumptuous textiles, or stepped back to admire the craftsmanship of his marquetry wall coverings. I could go on – his collections are extensive – but you get the picture.

Instead, it is the ever-growing swathe of world leading interior designers who turn to him to supply, source, or create the ultimate finish for their project, who will receive the credit. But that’s fine, and certainly not something that would worry Fameed. He’s far too busy dreaming up and fulfilling his next commission.

His London showroom, a cornucopia of decorative finishes and textiles in myriad materials, is the result of 15 years work – since the launch of his eponymous business in 2008. The curated collections on display are exquisite, most if not all of which have gone on to star in hotels, yachts, private jets, and residences across the globe. Mother of pearl panels shimmer softly next to framed eglomise glass artworks. Curious birds look out from hand-painted chinoiseries above jewel-coloured surfaces of semi-precious stones. Intricate embroideries lie quietly in plan chest drawers, surrounded by richly hued wood veneer wallcoverings in Art Deco inspired patterns. It’s a visual feast that keeps on giving.

Private project by Hill House Interiors

Following a warm welcome and the offer of a glass of champagne – alas it was 10.00 am and I had an interview to conduct – I start by asking Fameed to take me back to the beginning. The story that followed was as eclectic as his collections and included producing ‘the world’s biggest fashion show’ (Fashion Aid to be precise), magazine publishing, a gay cab firm, and a model agency – in no particular order. To do his story justice would require a standalone feature, but beginning at the bottom and finishing at the top of every company he worked for was a recurring theme. Finally finding his creative feet, following a stint working at Alma Leathers (owned by his brother) he decided to fly solo and Fameed Khalique LTD was born.

“I walked away from Alma, with a huge mortgage, an expensive lifestyle, and no real plan,” he begins. “But I did know something about leather and decided that’s what I was going to sell.” First stop was the leather fair in Bologna. “It was huge. There were 19 massive halls, and I literally walked up and down every single aisle. To this day I still do that at the trade shows because this is how you find that one little booth selling something incredible.”

Becoming an agent and securing UK distribution for a US leather company, Fameed began selling. Before long, he was approached by fabric companies and by his third collection, he had one clear thought; “I was in the gym one day, and decided I was going to be THE go-to guy for all cool materials. Not just leather, but everything.” At that point, this was quite a bold ambition. “I had no formal training, and no one really knew me – I was basically still just knocking on doors with my suitcase.” Despite his bold ambition, under the surface he was plagued with self-doubt. “I had a genuine fear people were going to laugh at me, but I remember going to see the designer Bill Bennette who asked me why I was so nervous. When I told him, he just looked at me and said ‘No-one’s going to laugh at you. You have a very good eye.’”

Clockwide from top left: Starburst; Ava; Laurence; Broderick. Photography for these four images by Chris Everard

Fast forward fifteen years, his showroom is now home to possibly the world’s largest collection of surface materials, and there is little doubt he is that go-to guy. Stocked with quite literally thousands of different finishes (most of which are stashed away behind the current collections) it is a far cry from where he started. “To be honest, the collections have just evolved over the years. We are still the agent or distributor for a few things, but most of what you see here now, we create. All the semi-precious stones, all the embroideries, most of the decorative finishes, the leather finishes, the wall coverings, and the accessories are all things we have dreamt up ourselves.”

Vesper Bar at The Dorchester

Surrounded by evidence of that ‘very good eye’ Bennette had observed, my own eyes settle upon Starburst, the latest addition to the collection of handcrafted wood veneer wall coverings. The bold geometric patterns with strong Art Deco overtones, are both glamorous and opulent in equal measures. Already gracing the walls of the Vesper Bar at The Dorchester and The Baccarat Bar at Harrods, gives an indication of the calibre of his clients. Assuming there is a full design team tucked away behind the scenes, Fameed corrects me. “No, we are a very small team, and there aren’t any designers.” Registering my confusion, he continues, “Let me tell you how the wallcoverings came about. Originally the collection consisted of three standard patterns, which were doing very well for us. Everyone loved the product, but I wanted to develop it into something else, something special and accessible.” Working with a designer friend and the workshop who had created the original designs, Fameed sketched out his ideas to extend the collection which now comprises six new Art Deco inspired designs, in a rich mix of colourways.

The craftsman behind the finishes is obviously key when looking at a new idea. As I was admiring some intricate embroideries, delicately resting on the worktop beside me he continued. “So, for example, when we did the first embroidery collection eight years ago, I found this incredible workshop in India who were already producing work for Hermes and the like. I had the idea to take couture techniques, and to translate them into embroideries for interiors. I talked through my ideas in the workshop, and from there they created swatches. It was all pretty basic, but that was how the first collection came about. We launched it, and like everything else in our collections, people come in and when they see something they like – whether it’s an embroidery or a wallcovering or whatever, they get inspired and ask, “Do you think you can do this?”  I’m always open to ideas. I love trying new things and often will say yes – even when I probably shouldn’t – but saying yes invariably means we end up creating something that will become a new collection.”

Mandarin Oriental London

To emphasise his point about saying yes to everything, we discuss one of his latest projects, the much-celebrated London Peninsula.

“Six years ago, we were approached by a procurement company who asked us to look at some fabrics with a view to recreating them, to meet the required performance standards. Unbeknownst to me, the procurement company had gone to Chelsea Harbour, and everyone had apparently said no. I was their last resort! However, what I later realised was it wasn’t that no one else could do it. They didn’t want to do it. With this project, the owners, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, wanted everything independently tested. And the list of standards was the most onerous I’ve seen in 20 years of working. We ended up producing 5000 metres, for every sofa, and then we did wall coverings, and leathers for all the desks. It has turned out to be one of our biggest projects.”

“It’s funny,” he says, “One of my biggest challenges is that a lot of people don’t know that hospitality makes up 50% of our business. I have literally done hundreds and hundreds of hotels across the world. Most five-star hotels in London have my finishes. The Mandarin Oriental is all our fabrics and leathers, Soho House buys fabrics from us, we are working on the Savoy refurbs, and the new Rosewood Chancery. It’s what we do day in and day out,” he says before adding, “And it’s all driven by my desire to create. I want to help the designer deliver exactly what they have designed. Otherwise, what’s the point?”