A brilliant damahi, on the wave of music

When the music notes are shining under the local lighting of a concert stage, the singer, musicians and even the performing performers seem like attainable stars for every music fan; But what creates this passionate atmosphere at a music concert, apart from the passionate nature of the music itself, are the lights and costumes. Designing and choosing clothes in a concert is as important as choosing music pieces. Damahi is one of the best domestic music bands that always appeared on the stage with smart and attractive clothes and has taken this point into consideration in their everyday clothes and album cover photo. In this article, we will review the clothes of this music group.

Concert dress design is a forgotten thing

The show stage is the best opportunity for a dress to be seen, and the set stage of a concert has no small amount of show scenes. Perhaps due to the scope of the wide audience and music being more inclusive, the designer's hand is more open and has more power to arrange a glamorous show of clothes; But above all, a singer's clothes contribute to his visual identity as an artist, and this shows the importance of costume design in concerts and music tours.

Madonna's warrior and character-driven outfits on her Rebel Heart tour, Michael Bublé's suits, and even the casual looks of Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, all involve a complex, collaborative multi-step design process that's as interesting as making a superhero costume. This process is sometimes forgotten in the design of costumes for domestic concerts in Iran, and even if it is considered, it is so far from the main concept that it further creates a distance between the audience and the artist.

Damahi music group, born in the heat of the south

Damahi Group was established in 2013. This group was able to gain popularity by accompanying the “Do-R-Mi-Fa-Peace” filmmaking team in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and performing concerts in the cities of this country, and as soon as they returned to Iran, they encountered an interesting audience. The Damahi group, which released its first album named Damahi in 2014, has been trying to combine the elements of Iranian folk music since the beginning, and this approach can be seen well in the design of this group's clothes. Their music, which is in the category of music of the nations, was born from the heart of Hormozgan and Hengama Island, and actually the journey of Reza Kolghani, the singer of this group, to this region. In addition to his young and talented group, Damahi has also used well-known local artists in the production of his works, which shows the originality in this music.

Reflection of beach motifs on fabrics

Damahi concert clothes are generally full of traditional motifs and patterns. Geometric, vegetable, triangular and rhombus motifs, each of which have specific meanings and the clothing designer has chosen them intelligently; For example, in the study of triangular and lozenge-like motifs that emerged from the heart of southern Iran, we can point to their Sassanid origin. An equilateral triangle that expresses divinity, harmony and proportion in nature and existence and defines the ancient and sacred number three. Rhombuses are formed from the juxtaposition of four triangles; The four triangles that symbolize the four main elements of nature, i.e. earth, water, air and fire… but this is not all of Damahi's face. In the short cover history of this group, everyday and modern and casual clothes are also seen. The young people of this group are not far from the ordinary fashionable and plain-clothed young people, and they observe the border between being artists and being people-friendly.

The first concert

Since his first concert in October 2013 in Bandar Abbas, Damahi combines simplicity and at the same time flaunting traditional motifs well and provides the audience with his mixed music. In this concert, Kolaghani, the singer and founder of the group, wore a black vest with traditional triangular cream embroidery similar to mirror embroidery; The percussionist wears the traditional dress of the Hormozgan people, and the electronic guitar is played in the hands of a man wearing a t-shirt full of printed designs reminiscent of ancient Iran.

The last concert

The band's last concert was held at the London Jazz Festival on November 20 this year, and the band's costumes shone beautifully under the warm lighting. The black and white and simple palette of the group distinguished Colaghani's turtleneck and shell shirt from the rest; A shirt that danced along with the soft movements of his body on the wave of music. Damahi's dresses in this concert, just like their other performances, appeared unassumingly and were seen as attractive at the same time.

Sadaf Taddardar, designer of Damahi clothes

Sadaf Tadredar was born in London in 1355 and graduated from theater stage and costume design, and therefore has a correct understanding of the stage. By studying in the theater, he has gained sufficient knowledge in the field of myths and motifs, and for this reason, he has a high skill in using these motifs. Sadaf Zadardarzadeh, who has collaborated with musicians, theater actors and other artists in his career, has always displayed his personal interest in music, dance and theater in his works. So that signs of these interests can be found in all his collections. The patterns that have decorated the simplicity of the delivery clothes in detail are his signature.

Concert dress design, how and how?

Ariane Phillips, the costume designer who has worked with Madonna more than anyone, describes designing a concert outfit as an opportunity to let ideas shine and to showcase interpretations that will make sense alongside the music; But what is the process of this design? In an interview with fashionista.com, Phillips stated that, like other creative processes, ideas are first written on paper, then the designer depicts them and provides them to the head of the music group so that the designs are approved and put into practice.

Ideation and selection of concepts

The important point is at the very beginning of the story and preliminary ideation. What concepts should be considered and what motifs and fabrics should be placed together is a point that requires intelligence and knowledge. In addition, the audience community should also be considered; The fact that a concert is held in Milan, the capital of fashion, New York, the ever-awake city, or Paris, full of tourists, definitely has a different atmosphere and design than a concert in a traditional venue, and considering these differences is what makes concert dress design valuable.

Although the skeleton of this process is probably the same in the whole world of fashion; But there are definitely differences in the details. For example, it is necessary to consider the possibility that the music group entrusts the design and production process to the designer with full confidence and wears the final work.

Fashion artist, manifesto for style

Harry Lambert, the style designer of English singer Harry Styles, believes that an artist's fashion is a means of expressing his thoughts; Especially when the artist does not agree to interviews and conversations with publications, these are his clothes and style that speak for him. Damahi's way of inspiration from the culture and tradition of Iranian climates not only affects the audience with his music, but also in his clothes, he takes the audience to the warmth of the south and the freedom of the sea waves. If we consider that the artist is responsible for the effect he has on the audience, it must be said that Damahi has handled this responsibility well so far. .

Damahi, a utopia of notes

In the legends of southern Iran, it is said that Damahi is a huge fish whose habitat is the Persian Gulf and in its heart, it had a utopia for everyone. Today, an old neighborhood in Bandar Abbas has the same name.

The Damahi music group is young, but Joyai has hidden its name in the alleys of folk music and has established itself in the hearts of the audience with steady and slow steps. Damahi itself has become like a utopia of notes with its integrated approach; A utopia that has room to combine all the songs and opens the scene well for these notes.