When I was a young adolescent, I had a classmate who came from Iran to live with his uncle and cousin. In my free time, I would drop in on Hassan and his relatives, who time after time demonstrated to me the fine arts of Persian cuisine, delicately balancing spices like cinnamon and saffron, dried limes, and exotic herbs. At the table, they taught me their alphabet and assorted phrases from their language—Farsi—some of which I can still recall today.When I later went away to university, the Shah of Iran was overthrown and, sadly, I lost touch with my little buddy Hassan. I will never lose touch, however, with the richness and antiquity of his people’s culture, which boasts one of the richest artistic traditions in the world.
Recently on Totem Fashion, I spotted a collection by designer Boris Bidjan Saberi, which jogged my childhood memories of my exposure to Iran.
Boris Bidjan Saberi was born of a German mother and a Persian father on September 11, 1978 in Munich, Germany. A precocious young lad, Boris began developing a line of accessories while still in school, which comprised leather bags with refined finishes of wax, oil, sand, and water.
In 2006, Boris launched his line of menswear, which expressively conveys feelings of freedom and innovation, all the while focusing on functionality. Rooted in street culture, Boris mingles post-Gothic trends with shadows of an engaging hip hop style as he gives poetic tastes, rational scents, and a touch of skateboarding to casual urban wear.
Click on the slide show below and journey deep into Boris' heart on a quest for all that is Persian within him!
Slide show 2009 a/w collection Copyright by Boris Bidjan Saberi.
