I was trying to navigate through all the noise recently as to why I set up The Purpose. I want to take this opportunity, to reflect on what brought me here, and to share with you my journey so far. Behind the luxury there is a story – a real story, behind all the gloss and glitter lies the truth we like to hide. 

So let’s talk numbers. As we live in a society obsessed with numbers, you are not relevant if you don’t have a certain number of followers on Instagram. You don’t matter if you don’t have the views on TikTok. You are not pushing yourself hard enough if you don’t post three times a day. You are not successful if you have not posted about your basic bitch Matcha latte by 10 AM.

Open your eyes – you’re addicted to an algorithm. We are so busy trauma bonding online, we forgot to stay present and just be. And just to be absolutely transparent – I was stuck in the same trap. I lived so others could view my every move. I thrived on those views. As much as I was trying so hard to be my authentic self, I was being a cubic zirconia whilst buying diamonds for my clients on their black Amex cards with no limits.

I have always been creative. That creativity was a gift, passed down from my older siblings, for which I have always been deeply grateful. In recent years my creativity has felt under siege, overwhelmed by the constant pressure to be number one. To chase experiences, to hit views, to stay relevant. It was getting exhausting. I was burnt out. I was done.

So I’m taking it back. I’m reclaiming my creativity from the algorithm that  stole it. The moment you stop caring about what others are doing, the moment you let go of seeking validation from absolute strangers, that’s when you take back control.

I began my career in fashion 17 years ago. It was a different time. It felt like a community, one rooted in artistry, expression, and collaboration. We created for the love of creating. Now, that community feels fractured, disjointed. There’s very little camaraderie. Ten of those 17 years, I spent at a luxury travel magazine.

I travelled the world. I stayed in the kind of places that most people only dreamt of, but as beautiful as it looked on the outside, it wasn’t my dream I was living. Don’t get me wrong, it was a wonderful experience, but something was lacking. Something didn’t feel right. Purpose – my life lacked purpose. 

As a freelance creative, I have always gone where the work was. My roster of clients ranged, from High Street brands to the ultra high net worth brands. When one part of my work was tumbleweed, I always had something to fall back on. Over the years my multifaceted creative work ethic, became my saviour, but it was also my downfall. I wasn’t satisfied. I needed something that gave me purpose.

The Purpose was born last summer, but unless you were in my inner circle, you wouldn’t know that I launched it from a place of Epersonal despair. I was at my lowest. Years of professional missteps, pretending in rooms with the super wealthy, attending parties that glittered with perfection. Behind all that glamour, I was hiding. And last year, I fell hard and I wasn’t ready for that fall, but I had to earn my truth. 

I had spent so many years running, living out other people’s dreams, making sure I was seen in all the right places. The hotels. The drinks. The private planes with clients. I made sure the world saw. But the truth? If it looked too good to be true, it most likely was, and I learned the hard way. The life I’d built for myself, the life I thought I wanted – had become a prison, bound by NDA’s. Performing for the sake of perception. I didn’t own my life anymore. And when I finally tried to escape London, I ran from one narcissist straight into the arms of another—as if I was addicted to chaos, to emotional volatility. I hit rock bottom. I was done.

And that’s when my late father sent me the sign I didn’t know I needed. When he was alive his home was always my sanctuary, the place I’d run to when I needed comfort. So I went back to take care of my mother, who needed me, and in caring for her, I unknowingly began to heal myself. I remember sitting in my childhood room. The windows open, the July sun streaming through in a perfect golden haze. I felt creatively drained, mentally low and emotionally diminished. And I asked myself: what’s next?

what is my purpose? Why do I keep finding myself here – again? Sitting on this same bed, in this same room, feeling like I’ve come full circle?

It was constant conversations with friends that saved me. Their words became the balm I didn’t know I needed. And just when I thought my story was done—The Purpose was born. I could have easily followed all the rules of the algorithm. Played it safe. However that was never the plan. I wanted to create a platform for the underdog, a home for the stories that were built through great sacrifice, and sleepless nights wrapped in tears.

Whilst healing from the trauma of the last seven years that I had avoided for so long. I faced it, and began to work my way through it and recovery. I began to read again, and it was the words of James Baldwin that gave me comfort and hope. And whilst I healed, fractured relationships that were once upon a time were so important to me, they began to flourish again – and a life that was so vacuous once again became beautiful.

Not long ago, a PR girl told me my website numbers weren’t “sufficient” – despite the fact that she was the one who approached me. I smiled. Since officially launching in June, The Purpose has been invited to Vogue events, invited to major fashion weeks, reviewed countless luxury restaurants, and collaborated with some truly incredible brands an artists. I’m backed by a small but mighty team of brilliant writers – all of whom pour their hearts into every word they write. 

So, no, Emily, the numbers might not be where you want them to be. But I’m not here to chase quantity. I’m here for quality. I’m the lone wolf, shouting about the stories you need to hear.

And, like I told her, something that Anna Wintour once said to me: “Everybody starts somewhere.”

So let me stop hiding – and tell you the truth. It’s been hard. So hard. I’m South Asian. Doors weren’t always held open for me – I had to kick them down. For years I whitewashed myself just to fit in. I buried my heritage under layers of racial ambiguity, until that became my identity. But not any more. I’m proud of my roots. My parents made sacrifices so I could breathe, with age comes the wisdom to appreciate that. I’m proud of the failures. They’ve brought me down and built me back up again. 

The Purpose exists for those who never had a platform. And when time came to build my team of writers, something beautiful happened. Without even trying, every writer I brought on happened to be South Asian or black – the ones often forgotten, sidelined or dismissed. And this door was wide open for those untold stories.

Yes this is a magazine that will review luxury retreats, holiday destinations and the finest of cuisines. But, it will also be covering stories that need to be heard. These will be found in my regular ‘Editor’s Note’ contribution and my ‘In Conversation’ articles. Here you will find interviews with people who have beat the odds stacked against them, overcome the trauma that tried to drown them and the inspirational stories from the most remarkable people that I have been honoured to sit with and have an in-depth conversation with. 

Here is my promise, and let me make it loud and clear – I did it all. I built something from nothing, I’m hyper focused to keep outdoing myself. So I’m going to stop here with a much deserved message to myself: 

 Taheed you are your own #1 and that’s the only thing you need to remember. 

And when I stopped running, I found  My Purpose. Enjoy, there is so much more to come! 

Much Love 

Taheed

A special thank you to my sister. Forever my muse. Forever the person who knows me better than I know myself

Edit | Sabrina Khan