Away From The Social Stereotypes
Being creative is like embarking on a never-ending journey… Being able to find your own style regardless of time and place, to share your soul, to share your dreams with other people… Karim Chater aka “Style Beldi” is the creator of the frames that isolate you from time and space with their bold style that redefines fashion and the authentic style brought by its geography. It would be unfair to frame what he does with fashion. Karim gives us compositions that also cover the cultural accumulations of different geographies, and we are dreaming of the next stop.
How did your relationship with fashion begin?
Since my childhood I’ve always loved anything related to fashion, being able to dress up and express who you are, showcase yourself through clothing… However a lot of times I wasn’t able to afford good pieces, especially before my teenage years, so I took refuge in thrift shops and found my secret island that I can go to, spend a little bit of money to look styling, and be satisfied with my look.
What urges you to create?
What drives me to create content each day is the thought that nobody knew me before starting this journey, before working hard, and with determination and self-discipline many people from around the world are discovering my art every day, that’s truly an accomplishment that should be conserved, and that’s what gets me up in the morning with excitement and enthusiasm, everything that happened in my career is because of hard work, why throw that away because of laziness?
How do you feel about being creative in today’s world?
I feel that I should give the best I have and extract every atom of creativity I have in me to give to this world. I’m very satisfied with the job I have, creativity has become more acknowledged in today’s world, everyone’s working hard and adding their value and that’s a YES to a more creative and self relying world, away from the social stereotypes that are ruining creative potentials.
When hobbies become your job, sometimes we unavoidably want to get away from them. What do you do to get away from work, to have fun?
The best escape is a world without social media, going out with friends, a day in nature away from technology, and just having fun without the urge to take out my phone and document what I live.
Compared to a few years back, what kind of changes do you observe in yourself?
Over the years and especially after starting Style Beldi I’ve become more confident as a person compared to before, I finally know my path, my passion, and what I probably will be doing for the rest of my life, and that wasn’t the case 3 years ago.
A false fact about fashion?
“It’s easy to be a fashion expert, just throw on some clothes with different colors and patterns and that’s it”. Fashion is so much more than that, it’s a way of life, of being authentic, anyone can wear fashionable clothes with some help, but adding that unique touch and personality to it is what matters, to be satisfied and content with your way of expressing yourself throughout your appearance, that’s fashion.
What has been the best advice you’ve received so far?
The best advice I’ve ever received so far is from a teacher that said to me: “Karim, if you don’t see yourself giving your best in education and succeeding in this domain, be brave and make the decision to do what you’re comfortable and satisfied with, what you’re sure you’ll be successful at.” I took that advice seriously and did what I felt was right, I stumbled across many obstacles on the way but it all was worth it. He was the only teacher that took the effort and said that to me.
What is keeping you busy lately?
Lately, I’ve been working on creating content every single day with my friend @che_rasta from the beginning of Ramadan until the end of it; showcasing Ramadan vibes in Casablanca and introducing talented Moroccan people to my community, it’s very challenging and fun at the same time and I’ve received so much support from people who are just getting to know me and my art.
An Instagram account you check every day?
Frankly, I don’t have a specific account that I check every day other than mine, I like to see my Instagram profile and observe what are the things that need improvement and what is to be changed.
Someone you want to work with?
I don’t have someone exactly in mind, to be honest, I want to work with a lot of creative people out there, collaborate on big projects and share our values and ideas together, that’s happiness to me.
What’s next?
I’m planning on mixing fashion and arts with travel, South Africa is on the top of the list, I feel that it’s my second home and I’m pretty sure people will love to discover South African cities in an artistic way.