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New York-based Bahar Shahpar is a fashion designer with a diverse background in event production and publishing. Before having success as a fashion designer, she owned an art gallery in San Francisco and also designed accessories in London.

Having finally decided to focus on her passion, Bahar, debuted her first collection, agricult, in 2005. One year later, she decided to launch under her own label and has been featured in domino magazine’s 2007 Green List and magazine like Lucky, NYLON, ELLE, Vogue and WWD. She is currently in many major stores around the country with a collection that is fun, functional and very stylish.

I had a chance to talk to her in the Bahar Shahpar studio in Soho.

Shabnam Rezaei: Tell us about yourself.

Bahar Shahpar: I was born in Iran. My father was going to Grad school at the time in the United States. My mother and I went back and forth a lot. We then moved to Atlanta around the time of the Iranian revolution for the next ten years. I went to high school in New Jersey and then Duke for college. I moved to California for five years and have also lived in London for about a year. I settled in New York four years ago. I studied Developmental Psychology so my schooling was not in fashion. I did make-up artistry for about ten years. I also tried art direction, and event production. In San Francisco, I also had an art gallery and started dabbling with an accessories line, which then led to this.

SR: How do you combine all these interests?

BS: I often struggled with how to combine my interest in fashion, which seems rather super

ficial, with my philosophical ideas about simplistic living. Ultimately my cultural background is important. I have a strong connection to my family and it enriches my life. I also speak Farsi, albeit with an accent, since I left when I was three. My mom taught me reading and writing and I really appreciate that now.

SR: How did you get to fashion from psychology?

BS: I have always been fascinated with identity. Psychology was the academic extension of that, exploring themes like nature vs. nurture. As a kid I was always better at math than English and was not encouraged towards the arts. I remember giving away dolls and making sure they had three different outfits to wear. In college I was able to explore fashion more. If I dyed my hair, people would look at me a certain way. If I wore a longer skirt or dressed like a hippie, different people would talk to me. That resonated with me and I kept testing boundaries. I still don’t draw very well but color, fabric and texture are my palette. Towards the end of college, I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas and they got it for me and I started a business with one of my best friends. I asked a lot of questions, interviewed people and just got into styling. I freelanced during this, working on make-up, fashion shows, waitressing, opening my art gallery. Through that, I was exposed to a broader world of design.

SR: What was your art gallery like?

BS: It was in downtown San Francisco. I wanted to create a space for younger emerging artists. We moved into the basement of this space and had shows and created a culture of community. We grew into a bigger space and connected with other businesses. Eventually it was stifling to me because it was

so extremely free flowing. I had a very specific vision of what I wanted so I moved to London to do accessories, which had been a hobby of mine. I spent about a year there and was struggling with where the line would go. It wasn’t until I got back to New York that I focused my energy on the concept.

SR: How did you get to here?

BS: At first, I got investors involved to pay for the collection and business and then after a few bumps in the road, I launched under my own name for Spring of 2006. I did almost everything, including production and PR, for the collection and got amazing response. One dress, the floral jumper, for instance got a ton of exposure in places like the Wall Street Journal, Lucky, Vogue, and many others. I am very focused on a clean tailored fit. My clothes are not made for just skinny models. They are feminine, comfortable and functional. Form and function qualify equally in my work.

SR: What sort of materials do you like to work with in your collections?

BS: I love to work with all natural materials that have texture and come from the earth. Not because I am a hippy or anything but because I feel they carry a history with them. I used feather and was also obsessed with vintage leather. My mother doesn’t understand it. She says I like “old and dirty” things. We promote fashion forward items that are organic yet have style I use organic cottons, silks, vintage items and hemp. I like to have sustainable design.

SR: What kind of advice do you have for younger readers who may be thinking about fashion as a c

areer?

BS: Educate yourself. I wish I had more of the technical skills. Be honest about who you are and what you can do.

SR: What drives you?

BS: The need to express myself. Living in a city that is so fast-paced, I am constantly striving for a person-to-person connection.

SR: Desert island, three things, what will you take?

BS: A picture book, my chapstick, because I am addicted to my chapstick and scissors because I think you can do anything with scissors.

PersianMirror Quikfacts:

Favorite Color: It changes but red. I am a fire sign
Favorite Food: Zereshkt polo
Favorite Drink: Whiskey
Favorite City: New York

For more on Bahar Shahpar and where to purchase her fashionable collection, visit www.baharshahpar.com.