Fashion designer Cyrus Nazari was born in Tehran, Iran, before immigrating to Paris, France, at the age of 12. He completed his secondary education before pursuing his fashion endeavors at the ESMOD Fashion School in Paris, where he completed a double degree in Fashion Design and Patternmaking.
When deciding which career path to take, Nazari’s parents sparked his original interest in fashion. “My father was always an impeccably dressed man from head to toe and similarly, my mother. She is extremely fashion-conscious and well-dressed. Because of them, I learned how to tie my tie before tying my shoelaces.”
His experience working in couture houses inspired him to develop garments for his clients with the same quality, and later on in his career, he opened his development and production house in Los Angeles. Fil and Needle is an environmentally-conscious brand, where 100% of the garments are produced in the USA to reduce the carbon footprint in the manufacturing process. The private label’s mission is to avoid the transport process and promote job creation at home.
Nazari knew he always wanted to create his fashion brand, describing, “For any designer, your line is essential. I am no different. And as an artist, I want to express my point of view. There are many themes of confidence, sex appeal, and freedom in my designs because that is how I think of women, or at least what I believe appeals to strong women.”
Influenced by the 90’s, Nazari loves the colors, shapes, and draws inspiration from seeing people out and about living their lives. Some of the incredible designers that he admires are Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Muglier and Alexander McQueen.
Nazari’s brand includes active, leisure and streetwear. His recent collection is all about the bold and stylish LA woman that consists of high-end dresses and tailored transitional pieces that can be worn from day to night. Nazari designs to empower women and enjoys creating garments that are full of geometric shapes, allowing the materials to flow with the female form.
Looking back on his success thus far, Nazari notes that one of his greatest achievements was having his Fil and Needle atelier come to life, as well as working with many labels along the way.
Nazari has been in the business for over 30 years, and working in the fashion industry has always been his biggest passion throughout life. “I enjoy the fact that it never ends. The job is always evolving with the times. You must redefine yourself a few times a year because if you blink, the trend and the moment have changed. It’s always exciting and never boring. Every single detail from fabrication, construction, finish -- to campaigning and photo shoots. There’s a lot to look forward to, and it’s always interesting to see how new work is received.”
Nazari’s goals for the future include continuing to grow his brand and design clothing that makes women feel beautiful, comfortable and confident in their skin.
When asked what advice he would give fellow designers breaking into the industry, Nazari says, “Learn very early that you are unique and different, and that’s what should show in your work. At the same time, no one ever got anywhere without hard work and the skill set to put a vision into reality. Work on your craft every day. Trends will change, the quality of your work should never.”
Check out The Cyrus Nazari Collection online.
