Imagine being the first Iranian to compete with sustainable fashion designers from around the world at the age of 23. Zahra Ghanei, a graduate of fashion design from Al-Zahra University in Tehran, has turned this dream into reality. With perseverance and creativity, she was able to walk a turbulent and inspiring path from university to Redress fashion show in Hong Kong. In this interview, we went to Zahra Ghanei to learn more about her professional path and the challenges she faced as a young Iranian designer.
He is now working as a freelancer and developing his personal brand. In this conversation, he talked about his experiences during his studies, internships, cooperation with international brands and participating in competitions. Zahra talks about the path she took, the ideas behind her collections and the unique experience of running a global fashion show.
If you are a fashion design student, new to the field, or interested in the world of fashion and want to learn about the challenges and opportunities of this path, this talk will provide you with a real perspective. In this interview, valuable tips and direct experiences from the professional ups and downs of this field have been shared.
Studying in the field of clothing design: advantages and disadvantages
Zahra points out positive and negative points about her studies in fashion design at Al-Zahra University. He says that the educational content in the field of clothing design is not very up-to-date and is very different from the needs of the labor market.
“Given that two years of my education passed during the Corona era and most of the classes were held virtually, the learning of practical lessons was almost zero. The focus was on theoretical topics, while the field of clothing design requires practical skills.
One of the positive points that Zahra mentions about university is creating strong connections with talented friends, professors and people active in the fashion design industry. These connections not only helped him find job opportunities, but also made him meet influential people inside and outside of Iran.
These challenges showed him that it is not possible to enter the labor market based only on university education, and that more efforts and practical experiences are needed in addition to education.
I asked him if he advises those who are at the beginning of the path and want to enter the field of fashion design to choose this path. He replied: “It depends on the circumstances of each person. It was a very good situation for me; Because I was able to come to Tehran, study in this field, work and gain new experiences with a – I can say – very low cost. But only studying in this field does not make them successful in this direction. Because in the university, the focus is more on the design than the implementation, while in the industry, the discussion of implementation is more important. Therefore, in addition to studying at the university, it is necessary for students to acquire the necessary executive skills through participation in other classes, internships or gaining experience in different places.
We know that one of the challenges of fashion design students is entering the industry after graduation. Zahra has experiences of internship and building a personal brand, I asked her to tell more about her career path in the field of clothing design.
“From the very beginning when I entered the university, I was interested in designing traditional Iranian clothes and sustainable fashion. So, I followed the brands that were active in this field. For the internship, unlike some of my friends who waited for internship opportunities to be offered to them, I took the plunge myself. I prepared my resume and emailed the brands I was interested in. “One of my best experiences was an internship at Leila Kashani Maison, which helped me a lot in the Hong Kong fashion show.”
Many fashion design students want to have their own brand. In a part of the interview, Zahra mentions the challenges of creating her personal brand. These experiences showed him that the path to success in the fashion industry is not limited to design, and that it is possible to work in other areas as well.
“In the early years of my studies, like many fashion design students, I thought that I should have my own brand. During the Corona period, I had a lot of time and decided to start implementing my plans. But very soon I realized that being a designer is not enough to have a brand; Must have knowledge of marketing, management and teamwork. Also, with more study and experience, I realized that the world of fashion is much wider than clothing design, and you can work in fields like styling or writing about fashion, and by the way, these are new in Iran and have a lot of room for improvement.”
He also says about the future of his work: “I decided that if I want to start my brand again, this time I will start with more capital, or even with the help of an investor with more experience, together with a strong team. In my opinion, I will be more successful this way.”
One of the fascinating topics in today’s world is earning dollars through freelance work. By doing these projects, Zahra has not only gained a variety of international experiences, but she has also earned dollar income. This path allowed him to collaborate with foreign companies as a freelancer while developing his own brand.
I asked him about ways to do global projects and earn dollars. Zahra replied: “I entered this path completely by accident; When freelancing was not common in Iran yet, I was looking for a way to upload my portfolio and work online to send links to brands instead of a PDF file. The reason for this was interesting. He explains that he refused to share the file directly to the employers due to the non-compliance of copyright in Iran.
“In my searches, I came across freelance sites. Although as someone who lives in Iran, I could not officially register on these sites, but I did upload my work. By chance, I was offered projects from different countries such as China, England and Türkiye. This event became an opportunity for me to work as a freelancer along with the development of my personal brand. In addition to good income, this work has also brought me valuable experiences. Considering the fact that in Iran I have not seen any class, university or institute that fundamentally and fully deals with fashion design education and explains the key points of the industry, this work was an opportunity for me to learn and improve (at the global level). »
Up to this part of the interview, we talked about internships, establishing a clothing brand and working in foreign projects. Zahra was also interested in participating in dress design competitions since she was a student and by following domestic and foreign news, she was able to participate in various competitions. He believes that participating in competitions can be an opportunity to be seen and expand the communication network.
“For domestic competitions, the university had a major influence. The professors would introduce the competitions or the university itself would sponsor the competition. It was in university that this path became clear to me that competition can also be a place to be seen and gain experience. “As someone who studied this field academically, I was able to meet people who are also active in the industry.”
She says she still follows news from fashion associations and institutes like she did in her first year of college to keep up to date with job opportunities, contests, and events.
“In my opinion, every person active in this field, especially students and newcomers, should look for news and fashion events in Iran and the world 24 hours a day.”
Zahra further pointed out an interesting point about winning in dress design contests, which is less discussed. “Because of the sponsors who have the races, there may be some taste decisions made in the final stages, which is quite normal,” he explains. I want to say this from experience that if you don’t win a race, it doesn’t mean you should question your ability. You may be a very talented designer, but you can’t win because you don’t match the sponsor’s brand DNA. This type of tasteful behavior exists everywhere, but in Iran it is more intense and may cause disappointment. Know that this in no way indicates whether your work is good or bad.”
He says about how to participate in foreign competitions: “The easiest way is to search on Google. Also, spaces like Instagram are very helpful. “By following the pages that introduce domestic and foreign festivals, you can easily find out about them.”
One of Zahra’s most important experiences was participating in the Redress international sustainable fashion competition in Hong Kong, where she was able to appear as the first ten finalists of this competition. The next part of the interview is dedicated to talking about sustainable fashion and the process of conceptualizing, executing and showing her clothing collection for the competition.
Zahra Ghanei became familiar with the issue of sustainability in fashion from the very beginning of entering the university. He came across the concept of sustainable fashion in the research process related to an article about the traditional clothes of Iranian peoples. This experience made him gradually research and study more about this topic. “At first, I thought sustainable fashion was limited to using scraps and upcycling,” she says. But after reading and researching more, I realized that this issue is much broader. Sustainability is a culture; A way of life that has been proposed not only in fashion but also in various arts such as architecture, photography and interior design for years.”
She explains how the competition came to her attention: “The Redress competition is one of the largest and most prestigious sustainable fashion competitions in the world, held every year in Hong Kong. I have been following this race for several years. For the first time, about three years ago, in 2021, I decided to apply for this competition. At that time, I had a project that I had completed from the sustainable fashion training course in Iran, and I uploaded it as a work sample.
But when I reviewed the forms and compared my work to the standards of the competition, I realized that I still had a long way to go. At that moment, I realized that sustainable fashion is much wider at the global level than what we pay attention to in Iran. That’s why I decided to work more on my designs and later, I participated in this competition with my thesis project, which was based on my article about the investigation of the clothes of Iranian ethnic groups and sustainable fashion. Fortunately, I was among the finalists this year and I just went to Hong Kong. We had a fashion show there and a lot of exciting challenges that we will talk about later.”
Skills needed to participate in world competitions
One of the key points that Zahra said about participating in international competitions is to be professional and focus on a specific field. He believes that success in such competitions requires years of effort and trial and error in a certain direction.
“For foreign competitions, it is very important to be a professional in a specific field in which you operate. That is, if I am a fashion design student or a graduate, I need to know exactly which part I am focusing on. For example, if my topic is sustainable fashion, exactly in which field of sustainability do I work?
The people I met at the competition, who came from other countries, each focused on a specific sector and had different ideas. In my opinion, anyone who is going to apply for competitions and achieve success should have worked on a particular subject for at least several years and have reached a level of professionalism that they can show off their work well.
The problem is that when you apply, they also ask for your resume and portfolio to compare and see how the collection you applied with is related to your work history, education, and previous collections. They are looking for a comprehensive and complete person who has followed a certain path and has not jumped from one branch to another. They want to know that you have a specific goal and this competition is just a step on the way to reaching your goal, not that you want to completely change your career path with a competition. They put a lot of emphasis on this issue and they want to make sure that you have a specific goal in your career and you are moving in the same direction.”
Sustainable ideas and methods from the perspective of global participants
“This was one of the most interesting parts of my racing experience. Everyone came from a different part of the world with a different idea. For example, one of the Spanish designers was working on natural dyeing using bacteria. Another designer focused on traditional handloom weaving from Vietnam, upgrading those old techniques in a way that could be used in more advanced countries. Another designer created a knitwear collection using second-hand yarns and vintage knitwear.
Zahra further explains: “One of the common points that existed among all the designers was that the designs were in such a way that they had the ability to adapt to body changes; That is, not in the free size common in Iran, but the clothes were designed in such a way that they could become bigger or tighter with body changes over the years.
For example, some designers went for techniques like pleating and origami. These methods not only contributed to the issue of zerowaste, but also enabled the clothes to be completely adaptable to the body’s changes over time. Many of the designs were also modular; This means that one dress could be worn and styled in several different ways. In general, I realized that each person has reached a different solution for sustainability in the fashion and clothing industry, depending on their background, whether it is their field of study, cultural background, etc.
Fashion sustainability criteria from the perspective of Redress organizers
Zahra mentions three important points in the process of evaluating clothing design competitions.
1- Creativity in ideation and execution
“First of all, creativity was very important to them. What idea you can reach and how to implement it according to the conditions and limitations. It was very important for the judges that you can present practical and creative designs with limited or recycled resources.
2- The importance of mass production and real influence
“Another issue that none of us had considered was whether these clothes could be mass produced or have an impact on the fashion industry. It was very important to the judges that our designs were not just appealing for the fashion show, but had a real impact in the fashion world. We were always asked: Have you thought about mass production of these clothes? Have you considered the time required to produce them?
2- Creating awareness and value in the customer’s mind
“The judges were very emphatic that we don’t sacrifice sustainability for customer needs. While designing, we have to ask ourselves if our customer cares at all if this dress was produced with methods such as dyeing with bacteria or zero waste? On the other hand, can we create this concern in the customer’s mind with our designs that this dress is special and he can use it for more years and pay more for it?”
Sustainable solutions in the fashion industry
“We had a challenge with a clothing factory that produced at least 50 million men’s shirts annually. They themselves had found solutions to reduce their production time and waste, and they used creative systems that were patented by themselves and are now being used in large factories in other countries.”
He says about the sustainability challenge: “One of the interesting parts of this experience was the challenge they organized for us to visit a factory in Vietnam. We had to design a sustainable garment from three t-shirts that had been removed from the production line due to defects such as fabric tearing. The interesting thing was that they wanted us to consider what the production time would be. One of the team members even measured the sewing time with a stopwatch and the whole garment had to be sewn in under two minutes.
Or, for example, we had restrictions on materials and clothing components; For example, if we used more than four or five buttons, we would be asked how we were going to convince the customer to pay more for this number of buttons. These were details that we did not pay attention to before and it was a very interesting experience. We learned that in addition to thinking about sustainability, we need to think about whether the customer will buy the product or not. The goal was not just to design for a fashion show; We must be able to design a product that can be sold.”
Costs and financial challenges
One of the concerns of participating in international competitions is its costs. About the costs of participating in this competition, Zahra says: “For applying, they announced that anyone can submit it even if they already have a ready-made collection. This is a huge help for those who have already worked on their outfits or have several looks ready and can make managing costs much easier.
But for me, who prepared everything from zero to hundred just for this competition, there was a cost to prepare the collection. Of course, some of the fabrics I used were scraps and many people had used the same material. Some used new materials, but their methods were stable. As a result, the costs really depend on the style and idea they have for the design and how they manage their costs.
To send the collection, this competition had a sponsor, but because I was Iranian and there were sanctions, they had to pay outside of their sponsor’s routine. They spent about $500-$600 extra to be able to ship my collection. If their sponsor did not agree, my work might not reach the competition.
All travel and accommodation expenses for all 10 finalists who went on this trip, both during the two days in Vietnam and during the week we were in Hong Kong, were fully covered by them. In total, I personally spent about 10 to 12 million Tomans. In my opinion, it was worth it because the nightly rental of the venue we performed in was HK$5,000, which was covered by them. If we wanted to hold a fashion show in such a place ourselves, the costs would be much higher. Of course, it is possible to participate even with zero cost, it depends on how we want to manage our costs.”
In the continuation of the interview with Zahra Ghanei, the first Iranian finalist of the global Redress sustainable fashion competition, she talked about the ideas and the process of preparing her collection. He enthusiastically explained that this collection, entitled “Mystery of Untamed Lands”, was a continuation of his university thesis project. Zahra, who is from Yazd, has always been interested in the architecture and clothing of the people of this region, and this interest has been reflected in her designs.
Inspiration from Iranian climate and culture in the design of the collection
Zahra explained that while researching for her thesis, she realized the importance of climate in people’s lifestyle. He believes that the people of these regions have preserved their culture and traditions by respecting nature and using available resources, and this issue is in line with the concept of sustainability.
Being interested in the architecture and culture of the desert regions of Iran, he used these elements in his design.
“Since I am from Yazd and the desert region, I realized that the people of these regions have not been able to fight with nature; Instead, they have adapted themselves to harsh climatic conditions. This view of harmony with nature was the idea that I used in designing my sustainable clothes. With this, we return to our traditions and stop this practice of consumerism that is imposed on us by the countries of the first world.
Inspired by the simplicity and harmony in nature, Zahra created a collection that not only represented the aesthetics of these regions, but also displayed a concept of sustainability.
Sustainability techniques in design
In designing her collection, Zahra emphasized the use of sustainable techniques. He explains that in these clothes, different parts can be easily replaced and repaired; This feature helps to prolong the life of clothes and conserve resources.
“For the sustainability part, I researched the sewing techniques used in traditional Iranian clothing. These methods can be modified in the industry to produce stronger and more durable garments that last longer. These clothes were designed to be repairable; That is, if any piece of clothing was damaged, it could be easily replaced. This feature was due to their special way of pattern making and sewing.
Material selection and use of local resources
One of the highlights of the Mystery of Untamed Lands collection was the choice of sustainable and local materials. He used Khosdori shawls, which are hand-woven by women in the south of Iran, in his design. These shawls, which are usually used for traditional tents, became modern clothes to introduce a part of Iranian culture to the world. Inspired by the shine of light on natural surfaces such as soil and water, he used simple materials such as coins and sequins to decorate his clothes. These decorations not only gave visual beauty to the clothes, but also had a direct connection with the nature and culture of the region.
Zahra also used scraps of velvet fabrics that she collected from different maisons. He says about this:
“For me, the black velvet was a symbol of the desert nights, and the white decorations on it were a symbol of the bright stars of the desert sky. I also used old lace and velvet fabrics, which are usually used in Iranian homes for curtains and back covers, to revive the sense of nostalgia and Iranian authenticity in my clothes. “I like to encourage people to buy and wear a piece of their own culture.”
In the end, he explains that this collection was far from everyday and practical because it was designed for a fashion show. He is trying to implement these ideas in the design of everyday clothes as one of his future plans.
For Zahra, participating in the Redress fashion show was a unique and unforgettable experience. He says with excitement about these moments:
“It was truly an amazing moment. I never imagined that at this age I could have my first fashion show. “When the music started and the models came on stage wearing my clothes, one of my biggest dreams came true and I couldn’t hold back my tears.”
He explains that due to the fact that there is no professional fashion show in Iran, this experience was new and challenging for him. From intense exercises to coordinate with the models to fitting the clothes and checking their coordination with the music and movements of the models, all of them brought stressful moments for him. However, with the help of professional mentors and numerous exercises, he managed to present his collection on stage in the best possible way.
Referring to the backstage of the fashion show, he talks about the exciting moments and the pressure that the teams experienced to perform perfectly:
“This experience wasn’t just about performing the costumes, but I learned a lot about working behind the scenes; From coordinating hair and makeup with clothes to how models change clothes in seconds. It was very interesting and informative for me to see all these efforts and coordination behind the scenes. However, unplanned events also happen; Like the storm that happened right before the performance and caused the program to be postponed. »
Suggestion for new designers
Zahra advises those who are interested in entering the world of fashion design to persistently pursue their goals.
“My suggestion is that if someone has a dream, they should pursue it persistently. You don’t have to wait for opportunities, you have to create them. Whether in Iran or outside Iran, you have to find your own way. No one is going to say “enter our contest” or “design for us”. You must be someone who persistently pursues your goal despite all the limitations.”
In the end, he says to those who still haven’t found their destination in the wide world of fashion: “If you still don’t know exactly what your goal is, experimenting is the best way.” Many experiences are free. Doing internships, participating in competitions and being active in academic societies can help you find out what you are interested in and talented in.
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