This British-Iranian Designer Is A LVMH Prize Semi-Finalist
Paria Farzaneh, who draws heavily on her Iranian heritage as inspiration for her menswear collections, is amongst those shortlisted for the prestigious award. Did we mention that she’s dressed Frank Ocean?
Winning the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers is one of the highest honours out there for an on-the-rise creative and can provide a career springboard unlike any other platform. Emerging British-Iranian designer, Paria Farzaneh, with her menswear label Paria/Farnazeh, has been shortlisted for the prestigious award – although she’s already created quite the name for herself.
She swiftly gained recognition when Frank Ocean wore one of her designs to perform at Lovebox Festival in London, and since then her designs have been picked up and sold by Farfetch, SSense and Galeries Lafayette. In her East-meets-West menswear collections, Farzaneh channels London’s athleisure-leaning streetstyle, while incorporating traditional Iranian prints, colours and fabrics.
Fashion conglomerate LVMH looks after a plethora of luxury fashion brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Bulgari, Fendi and Celine, to name but a few. Since its inception in 2014, the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers has attracted entries from aspiring designers in over 100 countries.
Farzaneh belongs to an elite group of only 20 semi-finalists, handpicked by an expert panel led by Delphine Arnault, the executive vice president of Louis Vuitton. The semi-finalists, representing 15 countries, showcased their collections during the penultimate round of the competition at Paris Fashion Week, presenting before a panel of 63 industry experts from around the world.
The all-star line-up included editors of world-famous fashion magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar US, directors of leading fashion schools and institutes, influencers and top models, and an array of entrepreneurs, CEOs and creative consultants. The semi-finalists now wait to find out who will proceed to the final round, comprising a group of only eight designers.
The winner, to be announced in June at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, will receive a €300,000 prize, (approximately Dhs1,256,000), as well as a highly-coveted year-long mentorship with LVMH. Luxury online retailer 24 Sèvres has promised to not only make the winner’s collection available later in the year, but will also launch a capsule collection including the designs from all eight finalists.
A vibrant celebration of her Middle Eastern culture, Farzaneh’s designs often marry both traditional Middle Eastern patterns with more typically Western pieces, including hoodies, puffers, cargo pants, and bomber jackets. Her distinctive style is perhaps epitomised in her ongoing collaboration with Converse to produce trainers featuring classic Iranian repeated patterns and floral motifs.
Farzaneh made her London Fashion Week men’s debut for spring/summer 2019, which was inspired by Iranian New Year, and held the presentation in an Iranian restaurant. She hopes to change perceptions of the Middle East through her designs, even if only in terms of aesthetics, telling Dazed: “Whoever has this garment has a piece of home. You didn’t go to that country but you have a piece of the culture there with you. To me, that’s really, truly beautiful.”
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