Spotlight on Amir Taghi
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Emerging luxury designer Amir Taghi is gearing up for a busy year ahead.
“In 2023, I’ll be on the road almost every week,” the New York City-based independent designer, who cut his teeth at Adam Lippes, Oscar de la Renta, Monse and Proenza Schouler, told WWD of upcoming trunk shows and events in Houston, Los Angeles and Miami. The events will be stand-alone and with select retail partners, which include The Conservatory, Five Story and Curio.
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“Our direct-to-consumer business has grown to another level. The [customer] retention is amazing; e-commerce has not been our strongest suit, but doing trunk shows and going to the client has been our most successful. I feel like the person who’s buying it is not necessarily 25, she’s a 45- to 60-year-old woman who wants to try things on, play with it and see how she can style it within her wardrobe.”
Since launching his namesake label in 2018, Taghi has homed in on clean lines, draping and colorful custom prints with a through line of influences from his Persian culture as well as his Texas upbringing. For spring, the designer dug into his roots, referencing his fascination with the Qashqa’i Nomads — in the highlands of Iran, near where his grandparents were born — while expanding his signature tailoring, feminine dressing and debuting knitwear.
“I was drawn to their use of saturated shades of fuchsia, marigold and poppy mixed with quirky floral prints and accented with layers of macramé and gold beads. I worked with fellow Iranian artist Haus of Milad to create two distinct prints. We drew inspiration from The Qashqa’i handwoven rugs and the setting where they lived. My love of menswear tailoring continued this season, with a study of exaggerated lapels,” he said of the collection’s eye-catching printed frocks and signature tailoring (including a strong bustier and duchess satin coat), new silk-cotton artisanal knits and macramé fashions, and colorful, feminine separates. The brand’s allure lies within its versatility, prominently displayed through spring’s modern assortment of enticing, office-to-event wardrobing with thoughtful details referencing the designer’s heritage.
“Since Mahsa Jina Amini’s death in Iran in September, I have seen the courageous women and children hand-in-hand with men protesting the gender apartheid that started in 1979 when the Islamic Republic took power,” the designer said. “The protesters are more than courageous, they are putting their lives in risk to fight until the end of this regime. I have two aunts living in Iran so my support runs deep. When I visited them in the past I was always in fear that somehow they would jail me for being who I am, so I can’t imagine living a day to day life that this is always a possibility. I stand with these brave women.”
