Pairi Daeza, when fashion is political

Pairi Daeza is a brand founded in Italy by two Iranian sisters who fight to raise awareness and help exploited tribes of embroiderers.The interview with Nastaran.

Nastaran And Yasaman Rezaee they are two sisters with different backgrounds, one is an engineer and the other an architect, but they have Iranian roots in common and the desire to fight, also through a fashion collection. Pairi Daeza in fact it is much more than a brand:it's one story of courage and struggle inscribed in the embroidery made by the last of the last, it is a voice that is raised against a regime, it is a bridge between Italy and Iran which wants to create awareness and awareness.For years Nastaran and Yasaman tried with their skills and passion to build something in Iran, but then they had to give up and try to carry on those values ​​elsewhere.In fact, their brand is created for a new generation of dreamers, a generation that raises its voice against oppression.A generation that is free, even compared to gender roles, than in the leaders Pairi Daeza, which means “enclosed garden” in ancient Persian, are interchangeable.

“The personal is political” is a feminist slogan from the 1970s:written for the first time by the author and activist Carol Hanisch she was referring to the fact that the problems emerging in feminist consciousness-raising groups were indeed personal problems, but also problems of society.If you are Iranian, according to Nastaran, the mere fact of existing is a political act, as is your every action.There were also some tears during this interview, ones that Nastaran can't hold back when talking about violence and gods abuses suffered by his people:I am tears of anger on which everything that these sisters of his is based, that is a brand that engages in politics through the redemption of age-old traditions and bringing an extra piece of awareness to the West.“We were born and raised there:everything we have, from values ​​to family, was given to us by Iran, but the government is intent on destroying everything.In schools, for example, the diversity of the various tribes is not described as an asset, but an attempt is made to fuel the hatred between the various souls of the state", says Nastaran.“Our mother was an architect and our parents have always been extremely open and generous in letting us explore and discover what was around us with our own eyes.”

Life in Iran and the origins of Pairi Daeza

And what did you discover with your own eyes?
My sister Yasaman took several trips to Iran, during which she was able to discover these marginalized artisans who live below the poverty line while creating incredible handwork.Processes which, moreover, risk no longer being handed down because they are made by tribes who are very oppressed, because they don't even have the right to have an identity card and don't go to school.Yasaman dedicated several years of his life to seeking out these tribes, to work with them and create a network.We started this project in 2015, at an experimental level:we wanted to understand how we could be able to integrate the personalities of each worker in modern industry.At first it was an experiment, then a year before the movement Women, life, freedom then we decided to launch it all over the world, with e-commerce and with a commercial partner.

How was your life in Iran?
We were born under Ali Khamenei under this dictator government, we have never seen the times of Shah, when Iran was a monarchy.In the schools we attended you were brainwashed about Islam.Fortunately, our parents' generation, who grew up under Shah, who was still a dictator but nothing comparable to Khamenei, helped us to have a more open vision than what we were taught at school.At home we were told the exact opposite of what we heard in the classroom, so that we could have a healthy vision of reality.

The personal is political

So is there also a political statement behind Pairi Daeza?
Being Iranian, just existing as a human being is a political act.One side is so much to blame and the other is so right that it is an issue that goes beyond politics:it is a human rights issue.The government is not followed by anyone except those who are part of the mafia, which is supported by the government, and it is everyone's duty to fight it by any means.

Practically how is your form of fighting structured?
We give material help to communities of artisans in difficulty, but ours is also a message of awareness.Some of the artisans we work with actually live in situations that are harmful to human rights:imagine not having an identity card, a document, you do not exist, you are not a citizen.The numbers of deaths in Iran that you hear are only those who have been recognized, because they have documents, imagine all those who don't have them and are killed, no one knows outside the country.Making our voice heard is certainly an act of courage, but also of love towards our land.

The Women, life, freedom movement, of which you are part, is a great hope for Iran…
Women are truly the bravest part of our society.Since Khomeini came into power he began to cancel all women's rights, and we immediately took to the streets.The world is only discovering this now because now even men have understood that if you remain silent when they steal other people's rights, then you will be the next to lose yours.Now we are stronger because we also have men on our side and the new generations, through social networks, have finally made our voice come out of the country.Courage is contagious:if you see someone fighting against injustice, then you can't keep quiet.

Are you ever afraid?
The risk always exists for us:our parents still live there, as do our relatives.Plus now that we've exposed ourselves like this we can't go back anymore, because they'd probably arrest us at the airport.It's a pain on two sides:from the point of view of the rest of the world, which does not always understand that we have nothing to do with our government, and from the point of view of our government, which is a terrorist government and which has canceled all our dreams.

Pairi Daeza's commitment to sustainability

How did you start here in Italy?
Initially we opened the VAT number, since 2022 we have been registered as a Benefit company, because for us the objective is to reconcile our economic needs with the economic and social needs of the communities with which we work.

Let's talk about prices:one of the criticisms leveled at high-end sustainable brands is that they cost too much…
We must first pay our workers a fair wage.We have a big goal, but we must have our own economic sustainability to be able to achieve it, so our prices are justified.As far as fabrics are concerned, we collaborate with a fabric brand deadstock of the highest quality and certified, therefore we, relying on him, are certain that the materials really come from warehouse inventories and that they are of a very high quality but, working with very low volumes, it is obvious that the manufacturer cannot lower the price.By not exploiting the economy of scale we pay for all the fabrics as if they were samples.But if you don't want to run the risk of overproduction you have to buy little material, and the less you buy the more you pay for it, that's how it works.Most of our production is Made in Italy, but the handwork is managed in Iran, and the costs of this management are very high.It's not easy, I realize, but if you want to buy something truly sustainable, those are the prices.Our philosophy is to offer the highest quality garments, with a history and political commitment, we cannot make them pay less.By buying our garments, however, you are not just buying clothing, but you are contributing to a story of hope.