Singer-songwriter Umair Jaswal, who started off his career formerly with music group Qayaas more than a decade ago, has been a regular feature on Coke Studio for several years.
From the rock ways of Qayaas, to iconic Coke Studio appearances and his acting debut with period drama, Mor Mahal (2016), Umair Jaswal has come a long way.
After returning to Coke Studio 12 with an original solo song called ‘Chal Raha’, Umair Jaswal has now ventured into the fitness industry. He has recently launched his clothing line called Revamp and has opened up a gym, called Alpha, in Islamabad.
“I have been into fitness for almost 15 years,” Umair tells Instep. “I always felt that we’ve had very limited choice when it came to athletic wear and that we didn’t get the best quality.”
In the exclusive interview with Instep, Umair shed some light on the concept behind Revamp among other things. He said that there are international brands available across Pakistan but they are expensive and unaffordable for most people. “This is something I have been through myself. I used to buy a lot of athletic wear for myself and I used to think why are they so expensive and if they are so expensive why do we get such a limited range. So the concept came from there about creating an entire athletic range of our own,” he added.
As for how he came up with the name ‘Revamp’, he revealed, “As the name suggests I wanted to bring something that is an improved form of whatever is available in the market. That is how the name Revamp came into existence.”
He continued, “I felt that whatever is being sold in Pakistan in the local market is unaffordable or the quality isn’t that great. Even though there are local brands that are doing a great job, I thought athletic wear needed some improvement. Hence the name Revamp and I think it is resonating quite well with everyone out there.”
When asked if Revamp is inspired by Athleisure, which has picked up pace around the world, he responded, “Yes, my inspiration comes from there and internationally this whole thing about Athleisure has become really big and people are now moving towards it for their everyday needs. So, yes, understanding the global market and trends and how people are wearing clothes now is where it came from.”
Explaining the ethos behind Revamp, Umair shared that his style statement has always been comfortable and that he likes to be in clothes that he’s comfortable in. “I wanted to make comfortable clothes that are of good quality and provide a good fit. Something that I can wear to events and while I’m travelling or going to work,” he said, adding that what makes Revamp different is that it is affordable and is comfortable.
According to Umair, there is a huge amount of research work that goes into making certain things and because he has been in the fitness circle for a while now he understands the trends and fabric and what looks good on someone who is athletic.
He further added, “We have an outlet in Islamabad; however it is available online nationwide as well. Apart from that, there are a few gym facilities like some training programs from the gym (Alpha) and a number of diet plans that are available online. Nowadays everything is digital so we are giving training facilities and plans to clients who don’t have access to the gym. They can get online coaching and get online nutrition and diet plans.”
As far as expanding the brand is concerned, Umair informed that by the end of the year they will have stores in major cities of Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Peshawar.
When asked if there is a need in the market for athletic wear/Athleisure, Umair noted, “In Pakistan, there is definitely a need for good quality athletic wear that is affordable because here we get material imported from Thailand or China, which is not that great. There are a lot of people who love wearing such clothes but they don’t have multiple options to choose from. I have never found something in the middle. We are providing a range that is of good quality and is easy on the pockets.”
He furthered, “These clothes that I am making and the fabric I am using, a whole lot of research and work goes into it. There is a whole production team that looks after fabric and durability. It took me almost two years to finally put this brand out there because we really believe that we want to give back something to the country and its people. There is definitely a gap in the Pakistani market.”
Though Revamp has had its soft launch with the winter line, they are planning to do a massive one soon. However, Umair shared that he launched his gym (Alpha) and his range of athletic wear back to back because it made more sense. “The store and the gym are next to each other in Islamabad. Also, we are working on a nutrition store to bring the best quality, certified supplements and nutritious food to Pakistan through the right channels. I want my clients to have access to high quality supplementation as well as athletic wear and great gym facilities.”
Speaking about the ethos behind opening a gym, Umair said that he has been really inspired by how the concept of a gym works around a single idea of giving you an experience. “When I used to go to different gyms I would think that there is something lacking. Having said that, there are some amazing gyms in the country that provide everything, but I wanted to play my part in this fitness revolution that is taking place in Pakistan and I wanted my own brand - always been a dream to have a gym of my own.”
He added, “The gym is based on a franchise model and we are working on the Islamabad branch and we do plan to open more of these branches across Pakistan. The idea is to provide facilities that are at par with international standards all over the world.”
Besides his new ventures, Umair also spoke about the launch of his debut album. “The solo album was completed last year and he is planning to put out at least six new songs this year.”
He continued, “Since the idea of album doesn’t work in Pakistan anymore, I wanted to create an album so that I can have an artistic expression, a physical form of an album. We hopefully will have an event where we will launch the album and we will give away the album as a collector’s item to our top fans and it will be merchandised as well.”
On a parting note, when asked whether he planned to pursue an acting career or stay focused on music and fitness, he revealed that he will be acting again soon.
“I am looking at projects and we are in pre-production for a couple of them. As for future plans, I’m currently in production for a project that I am doing that will release post Eid and I’m super excited about it because it’s very fresh and something unexpected. The future is bright, it is filled with music, it has a lot of fitness related stuff and lots and lots of comfy clothing,” he concluded.
