The daily grind: Nida Azwer

Talented fashion designer Nida Azwer shares her day with us, starting with a hot cup of cardamom chai, and ending with a late night game of Catan with good friends.

8 am:

I wake up around 8:30am every morning. As soon as I wake up, I look at the time, freak out and then run to start my day.

9 am:

I quickly shower, change, eat a quick breakfast, which usually comprises of boiled eggs, and rush to work. As soon as I get to work, I have my cup of elaichi chai.



10 am:

As soon as I get to the workshop, my first meeting starts with the design team. We’ll have a discussion about trending fashions and styles of the week, or the collection we are working on. I try to keep these meetings as detail-oriented as possible to stay up-to-date with fresh trends of the week. We go through various trend mood boards, and do rigorous research in order to achieve this.

11 am:

I make my rounds on the adas, meet the production teams, and sort out other work related issues. This process also includes sampling different swatches with the sampling team, meeting the pattern makers, the hand embroiderers, as well as the dyeing team.



12 noon:

By 12 noon my appointments with clients start for the day and usually continue all the way up till 5:00-5:30pm. I chat with my clients, socialise, and have numerous cups of tea throughout the day.

3 pm:

Only if I’m lucky will I get a chance to sneak in a quick lunch at work. When I’m trying to be healthy, the beef lettuce wrap sandwich from Hoagies is my choice for lunch. It’s very healthy, doesn’t have too many calories, and is absolutely delicious. On days when I just want to binge, fresh street food, from close-by dhabas, is my go-to. I recently discovered this spicy potato mixed with masala, which has quickly become a favourite of mine.



6 pm:

I try to get off from work at around 6pm. After this I will usually go to my salon of choice, Shaheen’s, for a blow-dry and a manicure.

7 pm:

About a year ago, I started going to Core for spinning classes, right after work. I absolutely love it! I’m the obsessive kind, so even though I’d like to try out more classes, I’m completely addicted to spinning.

8 pm:

It’s time out! I try my best to do nothing at all for the first half hour that I get home and just unwind. At some point of the day, it’s absolutely necessary for me to do nothing at all. In this time, I read my prayers, have a cup of tea, sometimes read a book, catch up on phone calls and just relax.



9 pm:

Now that I’m a bit more relaxed, I’ll either make a plan to go out for a meal with friends, or I’ll set up a game night. As I said, I am the obsessive kind, and Catan is my new obsession these days. I have a group of friends that also share my love for Catan, and we try to play as often as we can. This time in the day is for my friends, whether it’s going to a restaurant, a fondue night at my house, ordering in Kolachi or Hyderabadi food. I’m a huge foodie.

1 am:

I take a quick light shower and start my bedtime rituals, which include applying lots of cream on my hands and feet, and coconut oil on my face and body. I usually go to bed right after this, as the next day is going to be another early morning.