NEW LOOK: Handbag designer Tara Ghazanfar introduced London’s fashion set to the wonders of Persian cuisine Wednesday night.
Guests like jewelry designers Anissa Kermiche and Leila Kashanipour, influencers Soraya Bakhtiar, Nina Suess and Camille Charriere were among those who took in the feast of colors and spices at the Iranian restaurant Hafez in West London.
The occasion was the launch of the new fall 2019 collection for Ghazanfar’s handbag label Tara Zadeh, which she expanded to include a broader range of styles.
“I will always want to keep our signature Azar clutch in the collections, but I wanted to also bring in more new ideas. You still have this focus on geometric shapes and the play with color and texture, but also a dose of newness,” said Ghazanfar, who hails from Iran and is London-based.
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A former graphic designer, Ghazanfar took on the accessories market three years ago and quickly built an audience and key global stockists — including Net-a-porter, Browns, Selfridges and Moda Operandi — around her flair for bold colors and graphic, geometric shapes.
Her signature circular-shaped Azar clutch is a big Instagram hit, but while it will remain a collection hero, the designer felt it was time to broaden her scope — a smart move as competition in the contemporary bag market steps up.
“The business is changing because of the market share given to contemporary brands. There are a lot of new labels now but the way to stay relevant is by keeping your offer fresh and introducing new styles,” said Elizabeth von der Goltz, Net-a-porter’s global buying director.
For fall 2019, Ghazanfar added belt bags, bucket bags and cool cylindrical shapes to the mix, all done in bold croc-effect leathers, zebra prints and fun pink fur embellishments — a refreshing move away from the minimalist trend crowding the market.
The brand has also moved its manufacturing to Italy and will be working with the business accelerator Tomorrow in Paris to launch its first pre-collection.