If one was to look up the definition of larger than life, finding Hassan Sheheryar Yasin’s name next to it would not come as a surprise.

The HSY acronym no longer just represents a brand, it stands for a lifestyle. With a career in fashion spanning over two decades, there’s barely anyone, within the industry at least, who doesn’t acknowledge that HSY is a force to reckon with. Having conquered and triumphed in all possible fashion avenues, it was only a matter of time before other creative mediums began calling.

Over the last year, we’ve seen Yasin host a Koffee with Karan-esque chat show titled Tonight with HSY, which is being renewed for a third season (“The numbers were phenomenal,” he claims) and don the cap of stylistic director for Asad-ul-Haq’s blockbuster, Dekh Magar Pyaar Se.

Sheru (a loving industry moniker for the vivacious designer) is also the first Pakistani couturier to start his own lifestyle blog, the World of HSY, launched just over four weeks ago. With so many new projects branching away from couture, a trek to his Gulberg studio to catch up with the ex-debating champion-turned-designer was on the cards.

HSY, now a blogger too

Once we’re settled into his chic, wood paneled office, Yasin starts talking about the blog (“My favourite new project,” he says) and the ideology behind it.

“My motivation to start the portal comes from a certain sense of responsibility to communicate with the vast and varied fan following that has supported me through the years,” Yasin explains.

It was during the time he was wrapping up the second season of his show that Yasin decided he needed his own platform to be able to keep up with his loyal following. “I asked each one of the celebrities on my show how they stay in touch with their fans and it was a recurring question because it holds a lot of significance for me. I feel that without the unwavering support of a fan base, it is very difficult to be hugely popular in this day and age,” he elaborates.

The blog is his way of giving back to all those who look up to him and to share a little of his lifestyle with them. “I want the posts, which are updated daily, to be fresh and accessible. One of things we’re really going to be pushing this summer is to motivate people to get fit because it’s something I really believe in,” he says. A single glance at Sheru’s well-toned, muscular body proves this.

Getting friendly with the public

Talking about the blog and the many directions it can take (“Who knows? This might just lead to a TV show spin-off or a lifestyle publication called the World of HSY. Maybe it can even lead to a book!” envisions Yasin) leads us to his chat show.

Yasin’s taken to TV like a duck to water and it seems like a natural progression for a man with his charisma.

“My questions by this point are mostly improvised. I’ll do a bit of research on the guests before the show and maybe call up a couple of their close friends for some dirt, that no one gives by the way, and then just play it by ear,” he confesses.

Also read: ‘Tonite with HSY’ – shaken, but not stirred

But beyond just enjoying his hosting duties, Yasin claims that the show has been a game-changer in terms of his fan following and has even led to some changes in his business model. “The kind of response I’ve had to the talk show makes everything else pale in comparison.

"While we’ll always be a luxury brand we need to cater to a wider audience. So you’re the first ones to hear about it, but we’re introducing a new line, HSY Limited,” he reveals excitedly.

I get so many wonderful compliments from fans just while I’m out and about that it’s overwhelming. And the show made me realise that while we’ll always be a luxury brand we need to cater to a wider audience. So you’re the first ones to hear about it, but we’re introducing a new line, HSY Limited,” he reveals excitedly.

The new label will focus on bringing the HSY aesthetic to an affordable price range nestled between Rs. 3000 to Rs. 8000, with Yasin pushing to try going even lower.

Approaching the silver screen

Yasin’s lifelong fascination with television and films has only grown with his chat show. It opened a door the audacious designer always knew existed but only really materialized after Tonight with HSY.

“I was at a dinner party and saw Asad-ul-Haq there. So I went up to him and told him how I loved his work and would love to collaborate on a project in the future. The next morning he called me from my hotel lobby in Karachi and told me to come down so we could discuss the said project. I was really taken aback but as soon as we sat down and he told me the story of Dekh Magar Pyaar Se (DMPS) I was hooked,” Sheru states.

"Dekh Magar Pyaar Se director Asad-ul-Haq gave me free reign and let me conceptualise the looks for both Humaima Malick and Sikander Rizvi’s characters," says HSY

Yasin is suddenly more animated, with eyes agleam as he talks about his debut film experience.

“What I loved about it was that I was given creative license. Haq gave me free reign and let me conceptualise the looks for both Humaima Malick and Sikander Rizvi’s characters. My aim was to keep the style accessible so the looks are fusion but there’s an emphasis on eastern. I want people to not only be able emulate their style but to also find the characters relatable. Humaima running around in a couture gown doesn’t gel with our reality, a shalwar kameez does. I wanted to retain the element of relatability so that the characters are more believable and engaging. Bollywood might get away with a lot of fantasy but our cinema is just undergoing a revival and in my opinion it’s extremely important that people see something they can identify with and come back for.”

With shooting wrapped up, Yasin is all praise for the DMPS team but confesses that he faced certain technical issues he hadn’t even factored in his wildest imagination.

“It was definitely a learning curve for our team as well. We hadn’t realized that a single sequence could take days to shoot, which meant that by the second or third day the outfit was completely in tatters. So I’d get a call from the director asking me for the second replica and I was like, wait what? I would call up Salwa (the Hand of the King at HSY) at 3am and tell her to get the workers in and we’d pull an all-nighter and have the outfit ready in time for the shoot. It was manic. There was a wedding sequence and they went through two or three super-heavy, signature HSY bridals while shooting and I was just aghast! Those were mini-heart attack moments but it was something new we learned to keep up with,” he says.

So with a film and chat show under his belt, Yasin’s clearly beginning a new chapter in his career.

“I was just offered an acting role by Fox India but I turned it down as I thought the character was insipid and thought it portrayed our country in a negative light. That’s something I could never bear to do but I’m also looking a few other scripts these days and this is just the start of my cinematic journey. Making a film is on my bucket list and I’m going to cross that one off soon, I hope,” he says with a smile.