Paria Farzaneh is London’s hottest menswear talent to know now
“I think it’s the lost beauty that comes from Iran that inspires my designs,” says Paria Farzaneh. Aside from its practicalities fashion has, at its core, always been about expression, and through her collections that are brimming with cultural references, the menswear designer has been expressing her pride towards her Iranian heritage since her debut at London Fashion Week in 2017.
Last summer, when Frank Ocean wore her pieces for his headline set at Lovebox, Paria became the new it-designer name to drop into conversation. But for her it’s not about the accolades or celebrity endorsements. Instead her goal is to, through fashion, change tired misconceptions about the Middle East and set the record straight on skewed perceptions while spotlighting the beauty that emanates from the region’s culture. “Most people don’t know how much art and culture there is, and not just in Iran. The Middle East holds lots of hidden treasures, which is not always the first topic that is discussed when it comes down to it,” says the London-based designer.
Born in Yorkshire, Paria would visit Iran annually with her family and stayed connected to her roots through her parents’ insistence on speaking Farsi at home. While she was toying with the idea of becoming a psychiatrist before beginning her A-Levels, a creative career soon came calling and she enrolled at Ravensbourne to study menswear from where she graduated in 2016. “I’ve always liked the idea of a woman dressing a man,” she says. “It’s powerful.”
At Ravensbourne, Paria decided to treat her study years as the rest of her working career. “It gave me the strength to push for what I believe in, ” she says. This tenacity was evident in her first collection, a guerrilla-style presentation on the Strand that garnered her early critical acclaim and marked her out as a designer intent on setting her own agenda. And while she picked up press for her renegade ways, Paria believes that it’s her message that will carry through. “If you have something to say that resonates with a large audience, that’s what will make you stand out,” she reasons.
For AW18, she cemented this message, focusing the collection on 12 recurring male characters from her life in Britain and Iran. Set in an Iranian restaurant, the collection drew influence from workwear and examined how a man’s profession dictates his dress. Fusing traditional Iranian tailoring techniques with British shirting and tracksuits, the collection was decorated with intricate embroidery and Middle Eastern pattern – a lesson in modernity and cultural synergy. This melding of cultures continued at Paria’s SS19 presentation (her first as a NEWGEN One to Watch) where the designer showed her collection of printed baggy shorts, bombers and khaki shirting off the back of a lorry on London’s Southbank.
It’s an exciting start for the 24-year-old designer, and she’s only just beginning to give us a glimpse into what’s to come. “My past season concepts have only scratched the surface of Iranian culture,” she says. “You could say that there’s an inherent need in me to change the narrative for all Muslims. I don’t speak a political language with my work and it’s not about cultural appropriation, it’s about sharing the richness and beauty of my heritage.”
See Paria Farzaneh’s work at pariafarzaneh.com
