TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PARIA FARZANEH SS19 LC:M PRESENTATION

THE PARIA FARZANEH SS19 LC:M PRESENTATION “7” pairs the young British-Iranian designer’s Persian heritage with themes of renewal and functionality.

On a sun-drenched afternoon in London, the city’s fashion fraternity assembled en masse to catch their first glimpse of Paria Farzaneh’s SS19 presentation. A rising star of the British scene, Farzaneh’s ability to find her own personal truth and weave it with unflinching honesty into every garment has seen her stocks ascend in recent seasons, and rightly so.

As a mix of traditional and modern Iranian music heralded the commencement of the presentation; Thick truck tension curtains of three lorries which had been parked in a crescent formation were pulled back to reveal a diverse series of Iranian rooms. This dramatic opening moment felt like a symbolic revelation, pulling back the curtain on Iranian culture to challenge the West’s pre-conceptions. “It’s about bringing the beauty of my culture to the West, where it isn’t always presented in the best possible way by the media. It’s less about politics and more about culture”, Farzaneh says, proudly.

Within the aforementioned rooms, Farzaneh and her team had lovingly recreated seven scenes, a number which holds special significance in Persian culture, linking back to the ‘haft sin’ otherwise known as the seven essential symbols of Persian New Year. Within this framework, Farzaneh reconstructs the progression from material to spiritual, exploring the cycle of birth, death and renewal and it’s within the theme of renewal in particular that the collections key pieces really come to the fore. “Some of the jackets change into something else. For example, one of them functions as a bag – the same with the pants, which unzip into shorts”. Combining the delicacy and ornateness of Persian prints with the more functional, utilitarian elements of work and sportswear provides the backbone to the collection, with a focus on pieces with a double purpose very much symbolic of the collections’ overall duality. These pieces also provide a reminder of the connection Farzaneh creates between elements of every-day life and the unexpected; “For me I’m influenced by so many elements of every day life. The prints were on my grandmothers table, and now it’s on somebody’s shirt”.

For those keeping an eye on Farzaneh’s work, you may remember that the designer appeared as part of an all-star line up (pun intended) of creatives at the recent One Star Hotel pop-up in London, producing a series of workshops in the basement that allowed participants to create one-off versions of the One-Star Mid using her fabrics and patterns. Here at The Drop Date, we’re pleased to see the relationship with Converse continue into SS19, with all the presentation models wearing unique patterned versions of the Chuck Taylor All Star ’70. While no release date has been mentioned as yet, it’s safe to say that the show’s footwear was another highlight that demonstrates Farzaneh’s ability to seamlessly incorporate collaborative elements into her brand narrative. “Converse are just simple, they’re effortless. You don’t have to try hard: it’s such a classic silhouette that goes with everything.”

Take a look at the collection in full below and hit the banners to explore the current PARIA FARZANEH range as well as the latest CONVERSE products which are AVAILABLE NOW.