DESIGNER NAME: Negarin Sadr
BACKGROUND: Negarin is an Iranian-American artist with a background in painting, sculpture and business. She has worked/lived in Iran, New York, London, Milan, and Zurich. The business' creation was driven by the desire to bring her background in the arts and passion for entrepreneurial business together. Having studied in New York, she trained at Donna Karan and Benetton.”
SIGNATURES: “Negarin is a mix of European elegance, North American energy and a touch of Persian heritage. It reflects my interest in the classic couture styles of the 50s and the bold architectural cuts of the 60s and 70s. Cuts are simple yet inventive, colour and strong prints are a signature characteristic.
Black is a safety net, a way to dress without having to think about it. But I want to offer women colour and show to them that colour can be easy too – it all depends on how you structure your wardrobe. I have conceptualised a collection where everything works together. You can put it all in a suitcase, shake it up and pull out pieces randomly and you will be able to wear whatever comes out and it will always work.”
TRADEMARK PIECE: “Our reversible Dharma dress, our classic collar detailed Jan Shirt, our Jo leather bomber jacket and our laser cut bags.”
IDEAL CLIENT: “I want to create clothing for the active urban woman of the 21st century. The Negarin woman is multi-facetted. She has a vibrant professional, social, and cultural life. She travels often for work and for pleasure, entertains, goes to the theatre and to museums or attends gallery openings. She also stays fit, loves the beach and enjoys life. She has a strong personal sense of style and is not afraid to mix classic with more daring designs. She likes simple cuts and wears colour. She is selective and thoughtful and gives great attention to quality and detail, she is trend sensitive.
I prefer not to put an age on the Negarin girl. Today’s women are fashion conscious from a very young age and should, in a way, stay young forever.”
THE COLLECTION: “Beatnik, rebel girl meets minimalism and modernity. Feminine colours and shapes show her soft, inner attitude. The tailoring combines her sense of style and independence with a strong sense of mind and capability. Her playfulness and energy emerge through the prints and bold colours - a dab of petroleum blue and rosa pink, combined with a young style. Midnight blue and rosa pink reflect her vibrant, rebellious attitude and confidence. To portray her softer, feminine side we have included a series of creams, nudes and paler shades.
CULTURAL INFLUENCS: “Architects and sculptors. Louise Bourgeois’ vision has always been an inspiration for me. It is not her technical capabilities that are inspiring, but rather her playful sensibility that evokes curiosity. She uses a terrifying creature like the spider and creates whimsical palatable art that becomes aesthetically pleasing to the eye. In fact, we used a bug print in this collection which certainly looks playful and girly! I have also been inspired by the way she used space, light and materials to create her works.
Daniel Libeskind is another hero figure. I follow his work almost religiously and find that his designs become more flawless as time goes on. He makes ‘impossible’ visions into a functioning reality and has truly revolutionised today’s vision of architecture.
Inspirational artists include Monet, Zaha Hadid, Matisse, Rem Koolhaas, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Daniel Libeskind, David Hockney, I.M.Pei.”
PLANS FOR 2013: “Having now established a core niche and identity, in 2013 I intend to take the brand to the next level in terms of scale and distribution. Ultimately, I envisage Negarin as a lifestyle brand, encapsulating everything from shoes to perfume and clothing to accessories.”