Designer Amiri supports Iran protests at Paris Fashion Week
PARIS, France — Los Angeles-based designer Mike Amiri, who is of Iranian descent, wore a T-shirt loudly showing support for women protesting in Iran at a well-received show at Paris Fashion Week on Thursday.
Amiri's namesake label has some big-name fans including Harry Styles, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber.
His latest collection, presented in Paris, was a nostalgic nod to early hip-hop and two-tone style, with monochrome jackets, backwards flatcaps — and the sort of loose-fitting trousers that have replaced skinny jeans for fashionable musicians.
"Menswear and tailoring is about being super-comfortable but still luxurious," Amiri said backstage after the show. "We always put volume in there."
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But as well as the clothes, Amiri also made a statement with his T-shirt, which carried the slogan of recent protests in Iran — "Woman, Life, Freedom" — in bold letters.
"I felt like I have a bit of a platform here and it feels weird not to use that in a way that... lets them know that we understand and hear their struggle and hopefully makes people more aware of the suffering that's going on," he said.
The unrest was sparked by the killing of a young woman in custody in September after she was detained for allegedly breaching Iran's strict dress code.
Amiri, 46, grew up in Los Angeles, which has the largest Iranian community outside Iran — giving it the moniker Tehrangeles.
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