L to R, Photo: Michelle Blioux, Model; Zadasha White - Amy Sarabi - Artwork by Amy Sarabi--All images courtesy of Lifetime
Seems like it was just last season (season six to be exact) that we got our fix of “Iranians on TV”–via the tiny Persian designer, Shirin Askari–on Lifetime’s Project Runway.
Wait…it was.
But now, there’s a new Persian girl–who’s also (originally) from Texas like her predecessor–to watch on the show of shows in Fashion, Iranian-American fashion designer: Amy Sarabi.
“My parents came to the United States in 1979.” Sarabi tells us. ”They landed in Texas where they attended Graduate School. I spent the majority of my childhood growing up in Plano, Texas: I have an older brother, Shahin and an older sister Shiva.”
The 26 year-old designer’s fascination with fashion emerged early in life: “I was always buying garments and turning them into something else, I have a vivid memory of myself standing in front of my mother’s mirror at about 6 years old putting a nightgown on the wrong way intentionally and wearing it as a little jacket.”
Already placing in the “Best 3″ category on her Project Runway scorecard for her unconventional approach to simplicity while remaining authentic to the texture, look, and earthy color pallete of the delicious burlap creation she sent down the runway on Episode 2: The Fashion Farm, Amy’s had a stellar start on Project Runway this season.
And although she may not have enough time to “make things for [herself]” to wear, we’re confident that the “silk organza”-loving, and progressively artful honarmand (artist), Amy Sarabi will in no time be a respected voice in the fashion world, and rule her scene. (As most Persian women seem to naturally do.)
A true Persian girl at heart, Amy admits to us that her own personal style consists of wearing “a lot of black.” Her design aesthetic, however, is far from being monochromatic. It’s rich and kaleidoscopic.
Enjoy Persianesque Magazine’s exclusive interview with the fashion-theory-au-fait and forward-focused, global design-house-in-the-making source: Amy Sarabi. Read the full story
The sexiest and most controversial Iranian stand up comedian has arrived!
Meet Mehran Khaghani, whose only time spent in the ”komode” (closet), is to choose an outfit for one of his many gigs!
A former PM for the office of the President of Provost at Harvard, Khaghani is an Iranian-American comedian who happens to be gay, but more importantly: lives and thinks fabulously.
“I’m tied to the most beautiful culture on the planet,” Khaghani proudly tells us. “Our poetry, music, architecture, the beauty of our hearts…And of course, seeing the Iranian people, and their faces, demonstrating against the Iranian election this past summer brought up the most intense feelings of solidarity and love. I just kept crying, sometimes out of sadness and sometimes out of sheer inspiration.”
L to R, K-von, Snookie, and The Situation -- Photo Credit: K-von
At a recent industry party in Hollywood, CA, Italian-Americans and Iranian-Americans had a little more than just their homeland flag colors in common. Iranian-American comedian, K-von, was hanging with MTV’s Jersey Shore cast members and current media-obsessions, Mike “The situation” Sorrentino and Nicole “Snookie” Polizzi.
Having been on “a handful of TV shows,” K-von is in talks with producers about being on yet another show. ”This was a great networking party for me and it became even better when the stars of one of today’s most talked about reality shows walked in the door and joined our table.” Says the “Bad Boy of Persian Comedy” of the partial Jersey Shore crew that “showed up 15 minutes after” he did.
“We talked about the show, their success, the fact that they get paid to go to parties now, and the rest was very casual stuff.” Adds K-von of his time with The Situation and Snookie. “I also congratulated Snookie on getting on Leno–since that’s been a dream of mine for years. Most of all, I listened to them talk, so I can eventually use that harsh ‘New Joisy’ accent in my comedy act. I can’t wait.”
The concept of ethnicity-driven shows–whether in the reality genre or not–is not only interesting but a foreseeable staple category contender in your future TV-show line-up.
So? Is it time for a Persian-filled-cast series on MTV?
“Of course,” K-von tells Persianesque Magazine. “I have been giving them ideas for possible shows for 5 years now. I think I’m like an annoying kid that keeps asking his parents for things. I bet I can wear them out! I think they should have a show where they send a beautiful Persian girl and a half-Persian comedian around the world to party at the most exotic hot spots and do on-site filming of the trip. Each week it could be somewhere different like: Dubai, Hawaii, Thailand, or Paris. It’d be a mix of the Travel Channel and the Real World; I would call it ‘Persians in Paradise.’”
Click here to connect with K-von on Facebook or, click here to follow K-von on Twitter.
L to R: Big Bad Boo Studios Founders; Aly Jetha and Shabnam Rezaei
Washington, DC–The 1979 revolution resulted in a clear and massive brain drain for Iran and created an estimated annual financial loss comparative to the yearly cost of the Iran-Iraq War: Causing Iran to miss out on the power of its people’s collective intelligence. However, the flip side is: Iranians live all over the world now and some have had a chance to spread their reach over the last 30-plus years–unceasingly growing; with healthy force, and in hypersonic form.
Persianesque Magazine’s Iranian-American Woman of the Year for 2009, Tehran-born super-entrepreneur Shabnam Rezaei is a classic example. It takes a lot to be featured as our Iranian-American woman of the year, but Shabnam Rezaei has more than enough accomplishments to put even the most eager shaagerd avval (top student) to shame.
Washington, DC–Marking the 30-year anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s existence and reign in Iran, the year 2009 went by…well, fast. The summer of 2009, not so much.
The Iranian election–which took the world by shock with its results and brutal force used on Iranian citizens by government-led orders–began in June and lasted throughout the summer: Most of which, we spent watching videos of our fellow Iranians in distress and under severe and inhumane conditions. Seconds seemed like hours and hours seemed like seconds as we were entranced and lost in an intense phase of tweet-based news flowing out of Iran–much due to the effort of citizen journalists, social networking and micro-blogging sites–but one substantial and influential player in the game of reportage that needs to be credited is Pulitzer Prize-finalist Iranian-American journalist, and Persianesque Magazine’s “Man of the Year”: Borzou Daragahi.
After years of quietly and elusively adding his mark to LA’s concrete landscape, Iranian-born artist ABCNT started to gain rising recognition in the Iranian-American community with his iconic political posters of Neda, Taraneh and Mossadeq in the wake of this summer’s stolen elections in Iran.
Shot and directed by Nima Nabavi, this short video reveals some of the mechanics that drive this hidden artist to create.
In addition to singing with Freedom Glory Project–a band he co-founded with members of the Iranian band, Hypernova–Johnny B. sings and writes for his own band, Electric Black.
I caught Electric Black live at the launch party for their new CD, on the Lower East Side at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan. Seeing Johnny B. perform onstage together with the female accordion player, female guest singer, male guitarist, male harmonica player, male upright bassist, male trumpet player, and male drummer–before a mixed audience, in a public venue serving alcohol–was a reminder I was not in Iran!
The often-monikered “Bad boy” of Persian comedians, K-von whose name means: “Saturn”, in Persian, is by far one of the smartest and funniest Iranian comedians coming out of the West Coast. While he did grow up in Las Vegas, we assure you, you will not sense even an inkling of teardrop-drought while enjoying his side-splitting and constantly overflowing fountain of stand-up.
However, being able to send you into a roller-coaster of laughter via his hilarious comedy sets is not the witty Persian comedian’s only talent. Kayvon Moezzi (his real full name) is half Scottish, but he can also cook andteach you how to make ”Zereshk-polo with Joojeh Kabob” - thanks to his ammeh (aunt: dad’s sister) – on a budget.
Real, good-looking, fresh, and hilarious are just a few words that come to one’s mind when watching K-von’s authentic and unquestionably rare comedic style.
Any fashion-conscious eye who has had a chance to see sharply fashion-savvy Iranian women in all their haute couture galore around the world (especially in Tehran), knows that Iranians are by far of the most fashionable sect on the planet. (In fact Iranians single-handedly made summer 2009, an inspiring and fiercely-emotional-yet-green one.)
Now we’re delighted to introduce you to the first Iranian fashion designer, Shirin Askari, on the show of shows in fashion: Project Runway.
In the words of Project Runway’s gorgeous German host, Heidi Klum: “In fashion, one day you’re in, and the next day… you’re out.” And we believe that as long as the fresh-faced designer continues to “make it work” a la’ Tim Gunn’s request, Shirin is sure to be in for a long time to come.
WASHINGTON, DC — “We’re kind of like UGG boots: brown, fury, and sweaty… and nobody can figure out why we’re so damn trendy,” quips the skiing/snowboarding Iranian-American comedienne and regular E! commentator Nadine Rajabi in a segment of her Showtime Comedy Special, Hot Tamales about being Persian. “I’m moving back home because my mom’s been having trouble paying both [of] our rents,” says the riotous and multitasking modern Persian-beauty.
The wife of Tom Hanks and Harper’s Bazaar writer, Rita Wilson interviews one of the smartest journalists of all time, the ultimate Iranian female role model: Christiane Amanpour.
Washington, DC — Anyone who has seen the aftermath of the Iranian election on the news or online, has been undeniably rocked to their human core by the violent backlash Iranians have received for speaking up and asking for their long-overdue freedom(s). Yet, the original party-people and poets of the world: the Iranians, have taken their rebuttal to Ahmadinejad’s statement about the people who protested the outcome of this year’s Iranian election (and his “presidency”) to a new, perhaps romantic level.
The Shahnameh (Book of Kings), was written by Persian literary-master: Ferdosi (also spelled Ferdowsi). The Persian literary masterpiece, amassed over several decades in the tenth and eleventh centuries, is a collection of some 60,000 couplets full of Persian Miniatures created to illustrate scenes from the Persian epic, and has now reemerged in the form of HYPERWERKS‘ highly-entertaining comic book series: Rostam – Tales from the Shahnameh.
WASHINGTON, DC – From the release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi (who is incidentally half-Japanese) to the elections in Iran, Iranians continue to be quite the headline-nabbing theme du jour. And we’ve got another one for you to add to the list of Iranian notables: Dr. Reza Aslan. An assistant professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, Aslan is a coveted commentator on CNN, CBS, NPR, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
