With an exquisite taste in jazz, an impeccable appreciation towards The Godfather and armed with a “You think you have freedom? Try walking into any place without money" kind of attitude, we bring into the limelight – Thariq Fuad, a 19 year old who owns a growing Colombo-based designer clothing brand targeted at both men and women alike with an unique dapper style. Not just that but he’s also the Founder and President of the newly established The Yield Club – with “affluence, opulence and intemperance” being the club's only one of its kind motto. 

Hi Thariq, tell us a little about your business club and your clothing line. 

Well my clothing line was an idea I took action on right after I watched The Social Network to be completely honest! It is something I have always wanted to start but I never took an initiative. When I finally did, I surprised myself. My business club, The Yield Club is to inspire others like me and to help them take that leap of faith and in the process learn how things work in the world of business. 

What inspired to become an entrepreneur at such a young age? 

Appreciate the question. Look around yourself, everyone’s running a race. The rat race. Trying to get themselves ahead. The only problem is they follow an order of the plethora of stages in one’s life and they refuse to live on their own terms. I beg to differ. You have to always do what you love and what gets you excited. The rest is conversation. 

What do you believe strongly in that most people would disagree with? 

I don’t mean to sound controversial but I’d probably go with the education system. I believe our education system is flawed. Not just here, universally. Young ones need to have their minds moulded on the fundamental everyday things of life. I mean like, cashing a cheque, interpersonal development, importance of family and such things. These are things I wish I learnt in school but thank the stars I learnt to do trigonometry. 

Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone and you saw things from their point of view. Were you better able to resolve the issue? 

Arguments only occur when you have a self-centered point of view. If one could just let go of their ego and see the logical reasoning as to why there is a disagreement, there will be no argument. I disagree with my mom a lot, you know, over little things. But then again she has to put up with me and my brother AND my sister. Haha! 

What does your closet look like? 

I don’t know if it is true what people say, ‘you can judge a man by his closet’ but I think it is very true. You can. You have to be dressed well to be addressed well. I believe in having a few good clothes rather than a lot of knockoffs. I barely have and wear crew neck t-shirts, mostly shirts and polo t-shirts. Other than that I have quite a plain closet haha. Simple man, simple needs. 

In addition to The Yield Club and the clothing business, if you could start any business in the world right now, what would you start? 

A hedge fund. I would start a hedge fund and kick back a major portion of the profits to the impoverished. To me, it is not about being wealthy; it is about making a difference. The way things are, I strongly believe money is one of the major tools to do so. 

What would you say is your greatest achievement so far? 

It is the little things in life that are your real achievements. When people mention achievements, one’s mind automatically thinks academic, financial, and political or fame for that matter. Although those are achievements, it is really way beyond that. Achievement is learning from your mistakes rather than dwelling on it. Not a lot of people are ready to take the risk of making a mistake; they’d rather not do anything at all. I am still a growing individual and I do have a long way to go, but my greatest achievement, my most prized possession is my ability to attempt and implement ideas without being afraid of the outcome. If one can master this, everything becomes possible. 

Where do you see yourself in ten years? 

In ten years I would be 29 years old. I don’t mean to sound cheesy but I see myself happily married and surrounded by good people and good things. I definitely hope to settle down by then. What happens in between in these years is where the thrill is. 

What have you got to say to the youth of Sri Lanka? 

Guys, read what I’m about to say over and over again until it is drilled into your heads. People will put you down, people will make you feel worthless, and people will say things that will hurt the crap out of you. All this will naturally make you feel bad and the best part is, it is sometimes people you’ve known all your life, people you never would have thought would do so. But DO NOT care about anything they say. DO NOT second guess yourself. If you think it is right, do it. End of story. If our generation could build such a mindset and keep striving, we’d become unstoppable. The world is ours. Use that energy and drive positively. 

11 things you need to know about Thariq Fuad 

1. Favourite movie: The Godfather. All three (Ditto). 

2. Favourite Avenger: Ironman. 

3. Describe yourself in one word: Curious. 

4. Favourite book: I got two - Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Art of War by Sun Tzu. 

5. Favourite place to be: private cafes and coffee shops with less or no crowd at all. 

6. Favourite quote: “Nobody knows anybody, not that well” 

7. Cherished memory: The first few years of my life when my family and my grandparents lived together. 

8. Must have holiday: There is apparently a cruise that takes you around the world as long as you want. That. 

9. Weird thing about you: I talk to myself a lot with different scenarios in mind. 

10. Favourite store: any store that gives back has my respect. 

11. Who is your favourite director? Martin Scorsese 

For more information follow him on: 

Instagram: @thariqfuads 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheClubYield and www.facebook.com/thariqfuads 

Interviewed by Zainab Faizal 
Photographs by Kushan Pathiraja