Lawung founder sets sights on building 'golden tower' in Manchester

Faizal Atcha, who launched Lawung whilst he was still a teenager, now sells his brand in 29 countries, including the USA and the Middle East.

In Ramadan this year his company supplied upwards of 500,000 items in selected stores.

Lawung is one of the biggest names in men’s Islamic fashion with dedicated franchises.

As well as brands for men the company has a range of Islamic wear for children and women.

Whilst primarily involved in the textile and fashion business, the LW Group, which manages the brand, has diversified in the past decade into property, medical supplies and asset management.

Faizal, 39, grew up in Preston and still recollects working and studying to get his ideas off the ground over 20 years ago.

He said: “I still remember balancing my studies and coming up with exclusive designs for the thobes.

"It was something I was very passionate about at the time. Things just seem to take off as demand for the new style Islamic wear were something young people in particular were interested in.

“It was new and fresh and in this business you have to stay abreast of all the changes.

“The designs are manufactured at our own site in China, which employs over 300 people and these are then shipped across the world. 

“The fashion side of the business has been mega successful and gone beyond what I had thought it would be.

“Our main business is still the textiles and it continues to grow each year. In recent years we have seen a 47 per cent increase in profits due to the demand for trendy and fashionable Islamic wear.”

Lawung (Image: Lawung)

In 2009 Faizal was honoured with his first award in Blackburn as part of the Fusion Awards, where he was named Entrepreneur of the Year. 

At the time his fledgling business was looking to expand to the Middle East. Whilst others were importing Islamic fashion from abroad Faisal became one of the first brands in the country to look to export his designs into the region from the UK.

His latest plans include the development of a £20m ‘Golden Tower’ project in the Piccadilly district of Manchester, opposite the train station and close to Property Alliance Group’s Oxygen Tower. 

The land has been cleared and is ready to be built on.

He said: “We have plans to build the tower in the coming year and it is going to be something quite unique and different for the skyline of the city.

“The building will be 15 stories high and will include luxury apartments, each one with dual aspect views of the city. There will also be a triplex apartment with a roof terrace.”

LW Group (Image: LW Group)

Faizal also revealed plans to develop 300 apartments in Rochdale and previously teamed up with Amir Khan as he looked to develop the land behind his wedding hall in Bolton.

Whilst he still works from Preston, Faizal has offices in Spinningfields and Mount Street in Manchester.

“I still spend as much time as I can in Preston and still live here with my family.”

Faizal has a real passion for cars and has owned a Ferrari, a McClaren, an Aston Martin and a Lamborghini among others.

He also revealed he had a great love for horses and owns four mares and a stallion.

 “Supercars are something I have always loved and I do like to drive the latest car on the market.”

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The ever-changing world of fashion was not for everyone and Faizal was keen to stress the importance of ‘originality’ to any up and coming entrepreneur.

He said: “Within the Asian community we have the tendency to quickly fabricate and jump onboard others road to success.

"I’m all about innovation, if you have an innovative idea that is niche then definitely move forward and pursue.

“Hard work always pays off and these days it’s all about portraying the right image on socials too and be honest and fair with work and build good networks.

"You are only as good as your network and always be good to people whilst you are climbing the ladder of success.”