araz yagh nakhjavan tapeh

This collection is inspired by the notion of displacement as a result of political instability- specifically from the revolution in Iran during the 1970s. Growing up in a Persian-Armenian household the stories of pre-revolution Iran, aka “Takavori jamanak” (the king’s time) in Armenian, would often come up at the dinner table. My parents being only 11 and 15 experienced a shocking shift in lifestyle. Schools, no longer co-ed. Girls above the age of 8 would start veiling. Freedom of speech, belief, political expression etc no longer existed in the same way. Families: separated, parents: forced to flee to fight for a better future for their children.

I MERGED OUTERWEAR REFERENCES TO REFLECT THE RIGIDITY OF LAWS/CENSORSHIP, WITH ‘PARACHUTE’ VOLUMES TO CREATE ‘HYBRID’ GARMENTS TO PORTRAY THE METAMORPHOSIS FROM FEAR/UNCERTAINTY TO FREEDOM, SELF-EXPRESSION AND THE FIGHT FOR A BETTER FUTURE. This collection aims to acknowlege the harsh and shocking toll that displacement can have on a person but also to shed a light on the sometimes seamless process of adapting to a new culture and different way of life all the while staying true to your roots.

This collection is a tribute to all those who have been/are being forced to start from zero , and pushing through to find the light at the end of the tunnel.