September 17, 2022 |
The last time Paria Farzaneh staged a catwalk show, it was September 2020. All the way out in Amersham, Greater London, the countryside bliss of Missenden Farm was quickly disrupted by a swarming drone and a wave of pyrotechnics, which shadowed Farzaneh’s troupe as they emerged from the distance in unison; as if preparing for battle. It was Farzaneh’s response to the racial injustice protests that swept the globe that summer, and the wildfires that raged along America’s West Coast.
Today’s outing was a little closer to home. Staged in a community garden hidden just behind Tottenham Court Road, with neighbouring tenants watching from their balconies, Farzaneh dedicated her latest outing to Iranian nomad tribes. The country has one of the biggest nomadic populations in the world – around 1.2 million people. “Although facing many challenges of the modern world, nomadic tribes in Iran still refuse to give up their life on the go and settle down, as many have done before,” penned the designer in her show notes.
Farzaneh signatures were on top form – exquisitely cut cargo trousers, diamond-shaped nylon shirting, sleeveless gilets – many worn beneath netted overlays. Bubble skirts and form-fitting frocks, also in techy fabrics, saw the designer expand on her womenswear, which has grown to become a central part to her business through the pandemic.
On the topic business, Farzaneh’s brand has one of the most distinct design lexicons operating in London today. She’s a designer who has long worked on her own terms, and quickly removed herself from the wider industry attributes she sees as bullshit. Quite nomadic in spirit, you could say.
Photography courtesy of Paria Farzaneh.
