Interview
I definitely learnt a lot by now. I used to
think in silhouettes and dresses. Now I
create armours!
What made you change your ways?
Haha well, the academy told me to
start thinking as a kid. At first I didn’t
get it but then I started to think about
it. As a kid I never drew butterflies,
birds or flowers. I drew Architecture
and constructions, as detailed and crazy
as possible. My background influenced
these details, they were everywhere
and you saw them constantly.
They punish the known the hardest, to
make everyone fear the government.
Caught with some others we were supposed
to be hung. But we convinced the court
that we were transvestites, which unlike being gay, is legal. I never feel bad about this
though, it is part of my story.
Were you always into fashion?
Yes, definitely when I was ten, eleven, I
used to create garments for my friends
out of a bed sheet, I would let them
walk the catwalk followed by me, as
the designer of the show… I couldn’t
study fashion in my country and
ended up studying computer software
programing. I graduated as an engineer,
which I’ve never been happy with. It was
only until I got to The Netherlands that
it became possible for me to follow my
dreams and start my fashion education.
Can you explain yourself further?
Why is it part of your background?
Well, I’m Persian. I come from Iran.
The architecture there is extremely
detailed,
especially the ancient architecture,
which fascinated me the most.
But I must say, I don’t dwell on the
past. I learn from it and try to use it as
inspiration for the present.
I saw some pictures of your previous
work, do you think that covering
the face and veiling the model has
something to do with your past?
Yes definitely, in my country there are
a lot of problems with the government.
We have to live as another person
outside of our homes. I didn’t grow up
in a religious family, so when I came
home from school, where they spoke
of everything in a religious manner, my
parents would tell me not to believe
anything they said. This was strange for
me as a child. When you grow up you
realize you can’t just say anything you
like. You have to hide your sexuality
and hide the person you are.
But you’re here now? So is that the
reason you left Iran?
Well, since I was sixteen I was a political
activist. I had been followed for years
until at some point they caught me for
being gay. I was thrown in jail and they
were going to make an example out
of me because I was known in the gay
scene.
grandma, who was a big part of my life
at that time, she was so beautiful I used
to pretend she was my mother when I
went to school. In my dream she was
young and beautiful, when in reality
she is now old and dying. This brought
me to my main theme. The Thin line
between reality and imagination.
It makes you who you are?
Yeah! My past has always influenced my
work. In my previous project I told the
story of a child and his imaginary friend.
I focussed on my childhood and the little
fascinating things I did. I used to cut the
wings of dragonflies to watch them die.
Not to be cruel but to get a better
understanding of death. Death has always
fascinated me and has been a continuous
theme in my work. For example, when
birds died in storms, I used to collect them.
I created a cemetery in my child-hood
garden and gave them al a grave, a name
and a story to match. Al the memories of
unravelling my childhood gave me a dream
about my
38
Why here?
Well, I had to flee the country because
I was caught for the second time.
My mother drove me to the border
with a fake passport, with me laying
in the trunk of the car. They told my
family, who had connections in the
government, I had to leave the country
or else I would get the death penalty for
sure. I crossed the border into Turkey
and from there I flew to Amsterdam
where I would change flights and
continue my journey to London. A
dealer had booked me the transit but
decided to take the flight himself.
So there I was stuck in Amsterdam. I
made the decision to stay and went to
the police to tell them my story. They
were incredibly nice and understanding
and now so many years later, I’m even
getting my Dutch citizenship.
I think everything happens for a
reason, good or bad… five years ago I
came here with nothing, I started to
build up my life and devoted it to my
fashion career. From thrift shops to
designer stores, from studios to Willem
de Kooning. I worked my way up and
learned a lot. And now here we are.