I was homeless & lived in my car – now I run a successful clothing brand worn by celebs including Man Utd stars

A CLOTHING entrepreneur went from being homeless and living in his car to running a successful business – with major celebrities among his clients.

Sohail Rashid, from Liversedge in Leeds, is the chief executive and founder of streetwear company Aime Dieu.

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Things were not always easy for the self-made businessman as he lived in his car for years.

While struggling with a “messy divorce” three years ago, Sohail was sacked from his job as a bank mortgage manager. 

The redundancy meant the entrepreneur had to sell his home and spend cold nights in his car. 

Sohail, 45, said: “I even had to use the showers at my office because I was cut off from my family with nowhere to go.”

But his life took a major turn when he decided to embark on a business adventure in the fashion industry.

The dad-of-two used to watch entrepreneurs on TV Shark Tank in hopes to learn how to build a company from scratch. 

He designs and sells hoodies, jumpers and shirts with the support of his wife who takes care of the accounting. 

“One day I came across many footballers’ Instagram profiles, and I realised they all had one thing in common. They had ‘love God’ on their bios. 

“Then I thought why not use it for my brand but with a French touch. That’s how I created Aime Dieu,” he explained.

ROCKY BEGINNING

Sohail said the company had a rocky beginning struggling to make ends meet with his newly built business.

He said: “My first purchase came from a US client. I used the money to buy pizza for me and my children. 

“At first it wasn’t a consistent flow of sales. During cold weather I used to sell more hoodies but then sales would plummet during summer.”

Sohail also revealed he didn’t want to show people who he was in fear of judgement.

He said: “South Asians are not normally in the fashion industry and I didn’t want to put people off.

“Every time I sell items to big footballers they get confused by me when I stop at their front door. They think I’m a delivery man. 

“On one occasion I met former Manchester United player Eric Bailly and he said to come by his home to drop off an order to his massive house. 

“When I stopped at his multi-million pound mansion, he thought he had ordered delivery or something. He was so confused.”

BREAKTHROUGH DEAL

But his huge breakthrough came when he signed a partnership deal with Leeds United FC earlier this year.

He proudly watched his favourite team wearing his brand – including the chairman Andrea Radrizzani.

Aime Dieu has now grown into a major brand with celebs all over the world wearing his clothes. 

Barcelona’s Raphinha, ex-Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, Eric Bailly, and former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal all wear his brand.

He also landed world famous clients – including big boxer superstar Amir Khan and Bollywood actors.

Sohail said he has more dream clients in mind.

He said: “I am a big Suits show fan, so hopefully I can send them my products to one of the main characters.”

“My life has changed massively. I went through a massive struggle and very long hours that I still work till this day. 

“My perseverance got me going. You have to think outside the box and make it work. I wanted to give my project my best shot. 

“I believed in what I was doing, and the celebrities were giving me really good feedback every time. It has been a great ride.”

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk