What people are wearing in Tehran
A new generation of Tehran creatives share how they dress, why they dress that way, and what it means to carve out personal style in a city where every district, reaction, and rule shapes how you show up.
Through the curious world of her viral videos, Ella Lotfi seeks to break barriers and redefine movement.
Ella Lotfi’s instagram lately begs a lot of questions. In one video, she’s at the gym using a chest press with her legs, and in another, she climbs a staircase in a manner that can only be described as being akin to an upside-down spider, while 2 other guys fall down the same staircase like […]
Amiri and Zuckerberg to release a new wearable tech offering
In an Instagram post shared yesterday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the Iranian designer Mike Amiri seemingly hinted at an upcoming collaboration release at a live show for the popular business podcast Acquired. Zuckerberg was heard speaking about collaborating with Amiri on eyewear designs, which could signal Meta’s intention to double down on their strategy […]
A Time Capsule of Consumerist Culture
Designer Paria Farzaneh has created a striking and thought-provoking piece, named ‘Memory Suit,’ that serves as a cultural archive. The blazer, made of transparent PVC, is not so much a prêt-à-porter piece of clothing, but rather a display case for a curated collection of everyday Iranian objects from 2015-2024. The clear material of the blazer […]
The Persian Fashion Grad Making a Statement at Paris Haute Couture Week
Opening the FDI Düsseldorf graduate show at La Galerie Bourbon, during this season’s Haute Couture Week in Paris, Kimia Motamedi‘s spectacular collection stood out like a fever dream of culture clash. The 25-year-old designer comes from Iran, which as she tells us herself, is a country that holds thousands of years of artistic heritage. Yet […]
In Conversation with Niousha Noor: Can the Quintessentially Iranian Cycle of Intergenerational Trauma Be Broken?
At the heart of The Persian Version, an American comedy-drama directed by Maryam Keshavarz, lies a message about cultural identity and family relationships. The Sundance award-winning film is loosely based on the director’s life, who grew up in the United States, and was recently released in Europe—perhaps intentionally or by pure coincidence—at the beginning of […]
The Beginner’s Guide to Persian Slang, Volume 2
There was a time recently when I had forgotten that perhaps I shouldn’t speak to others the same way that I do with my friends. Slang is often used as a way to form a special type of communication with a particular subset of people—and this is where concepts like ‘code-switching’ come from—where certain groups […]
Ali Moradizadeh’s Photographs Capture the Raw Energy of Black Iranian Street Culture
In southern Iran, a new generation of Black Iranian youth is making their mark on the country’s cultural landscape. Bandar Abbas in particular has slowly been emerging as a creative hotspot of talent, and through a striking series of film photographs, Iranian photographer Ali Moradizadeh offers an intimate glimpse into this dynamic world, celebrating the […]
Sahar Jaberian’s FYAB Collection and Tehran’s Fashion Renaissance
Sahar Jaberian, a visionary fashion designer from Tehran, is revolutionizing the city’s fashion scene with her innovative designs that transcend conventional boundaries. Having graduated from the prestigious Istituto Marangoni Paris, Jaberian brings a unique perspective to both womenswear and menswear, pushing the limits of creativity and expression. At the heart of Jaberian’s work lies the […]
Decoding Persian Adolescent Slangs: A Beginner’s Primer to 25 Essential Expressions
The Persian language, revered for its beautiful poetry and literature, has been revered for millennia and at times in history has even served as the language of culture in the wider Middle East region, as well as in Central and South Asia. It’s a language that today is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and […]
