Designer SEPEHR MAGHSOUDI masterfully combines his love for tailoring and fashion design with the craft of art in his creations. For the JUNE 2016 issue of MMSCENE Magazine we talked career startups, inspiration and creative process with the talented Iran born designer name currently based in Netherlands.
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Maghsoudi easily crosses the bounders of a designer definition; with his multidisciplinary approach in the industry his career describes a millennial on the move.
Read more after the jump:
How did you get into fashion?
As long as I can remember it was always part of my life. As a child I would sit beside my auntie and grandmother as they were sewing clothes for clients. I had an obsession with gathering fabrics. My uncle and father worked in the fashion industry as well. My dad had a clothing line. When I visited my father’s studio they made me a black silk shirt just in one hour, I thought that was so cool. The lines, architecture and art became more and more important to me. I dreamt about being an architect but during my study I found out it wasn’t the right choice. At that point I searched further and found what I was missing; film, art, architecture and fashion were very important to me so I ended up at AMFI, that school was exactly what I had been looking for, the place where I could study what I really loved.
Are you self taught or did you study fashion design?
I studied at AMFI (Amsterdam Fashion Institute), one of the best fashion schools, worldwide.
How did you come to start your own line?
Working in Paris, and applying for internships – I was in my third year of school at the time – I dreamt about starting my own label. So I worked day and night to save money for my first ‘ready to wear’. In 2008 my first line was produced in Holland and I had a selling point in Paris, near the Louvre. This was a great way to start and over the years that followed I created 13 couture collections and a number of ‘ready to wear’ lines.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
Starting from the Persian Empire, wandering through dense forests, climbing high mountains and crossing wild rivers, my adventurous quest for the west, has resulted in fairylike collections as visions from a dream. My inspiring journey full of unconditional love, reflected illusion and dark sensuality goes on, taking me worldwide to design for international artists, films and top industries, reflected in the covers of various magazines. In short a brand whose motto is: “beautifying life”!
What is your connection to Iran today?
All my collections are based on my child memories in Persia (Iran). I think about it alot, and I love it. It’s a beautiful country with an amazing history and culture. There are many collections to come with Persia as inspiration.
Is there any place in the world you haven’t been to yet but would like to visit from a professional perspective?
I would love to travel more often. Because the more you see of the world, the better the story is in your design. My designs will become more sophisticated every time I travel.
I traveled to several locations last year and found out that some parts of the world are drying out and other parts are drowning in greed. The feeling I got while seeing this, is reflected in my 13th collection, named “13”. I would love to visit Mexico, Los Angeles, New York, Mongolia, Japan and more.
How would you describe your personal fashion style?
Every day I change my mind, one day I love sport and the next day I want a party vibe style. People know me by dandy style, but the older I get the more interested I am in different styles/combinations and the softness of fabrics. The fabric that you wrap around you is called: clothing.
Do you wear your own design?
Yes, I now have a lot of men’s pieces that I can wear. I get a lot of positive reactions, like: ”Where did you get this?”, ”I need that shirt”, ”cool jackets bruu.”, . It’s nice to wear clothing that is unique in today’s mass production and fast fashion society.
You are also into painting. Do you identify yourself more as a painter or fashion designer?
I am an artist. I make sculpture, painted, clothing art-pieces for companies and I also design logo’s and corporate identities for companies. Creativity can lead to different channels. What most people don’t know is that I train young students and encourage them to get more out of their lives, and to enhance their working experience. When I came to Holland I didn’t have anything, I couldn’t even speak the language. When I told my teacher I wanted to become an architect, he laughed at me and said this would be impossible. This made me even more ambitious. In 2004 I achieved my architectonics diploma. And after that my design & styling diploma at the university of Amsterdam. Now I own a successful company.
The story that I want to teach children and students is: no matter what people say, you can accomplish your dreams, nothing is impossible if you follow the dictates of your heart. Work hard, believe in yourself and persevere.
Last year I organized a series of creative workshops for young people in my studio, based on this philosophy.
What are your favorite colors and fabrics?
My favorite color this year is: Metallic blue. You can see it in my last collection called ‘’13’’. To me, this colour stands for “life”. I love to work with silk-lace-wool, natural fabrics, they last longer and you can use them to make amazing designs, they have a better appearance, better fit and they last longer.
What is next for you, professionally?
For me 2016 is the year to focus on different projects and line development, internationalization of my brand and creating inspiring new collections and shows.
Everyone always loves my coats and jackets (tailoring), theycertainly are one of my strongest points. So I thought: what if I would create the perfect coat, design and refine it to perfection. I started changing every part little by little and after 15 samples we had coats that looked and felt great. This line will be available soon: a coat that you can wear all the time, suitable for any occasion.
I am also working on a men’s shirt-line, a super cool one, like a fresh breath of fashion. It will be available in the stores by the end of this year. And there isanother clothing project I am working onthis year.
Currently I am designing my 14th couture collection called: “Scream under water”. It will be presented during ‘Paris Couture Week’ in January 2017. For me this is something amazing. I have been dreaming about presenting a show in Paris for as long as I can remember and now my dream comes true.
Like I said before: no matter what people say, you can accomplish your dreams, nothing is impossible if you follow the dictates of your heart.
Designs by Sepehr Maghsoudi from Collection ’13’
Hair Styling and Makeup Hair Point by Colby van Tol, Marcel Alberti & Selena de Vries
Models Jeremy, Ruych, Jory, Pedro, Seb and Sascha all at FIC Model Management
Photographer Armando Branco
For more of the designer’s work log on to sepehrmaghsoudi.com
