ArdAzAei Fall 2024 Couture: Dressing for Another Dimension

For ArdAzAei’s first collection on the official calendar, Swedish-Iranian designer Bahareh Ardakani created a dream world of other dimensions.

The trained gemologist looked to theoretical physics, geometry and the concept of string theory to create a lineup that was heavy on mathematically generated shapes. Calabi–Yau curves, a visualization of how the different dimensions could be connected, were taken straight off of a text tablet page then translated into textiles.

“This is my dream world,” she said. “There is this idea that there are more dimensions within the universe that the human eye doesn’t see, but also the fact that we put so much time into working on all the details that actually don’t show in that sense. So there are so many hidden beautiful details within every piece that I find very fascinating.

“It’s more of a deep dive into mathematics than previous collections,” she added.

An unusual inspiration to be sure, but nature mirrors math and many of her patterns read as blooms, including appliqués on the hip and shoulder of a cocktail dress, or layers of petals on the skirt of a boldly constructed ballgown. As a result, fresh pink florals also abounded, working with precision on the pouf of a fun minidress with looping folds, but overwhelming in the tumbling cascade of a skirt.

The folds of these shapes also appeared in retro-futuristic dresses and gowns that floated away from the body, reminiscent of early Pierre Cardin, but worked less well on layers of purple pleats that engulfed the shape. Elsewhere, sharply tailored shoulders carried her construction chops forward.

Ardakani also used 3D-printed embroidery patterns on her signature A emblem, for a sparkly waist panel of glass beads on a black gown.

Though she looks to other dimensions, the designer has firmly rooted her five-year-old house in this one and made a commitment to sustainability since its founding. There were eight looks made completely of GOTS-certified organic textiles.

Some of the looks would make for wild red carpet dressing — there were a few celebrity stylists spotted in the front row — but not all of the ideas tied together.

Ardakani views these pieces as wearable art, and chose the Musée des Arts et Décoratifs design museum to show her moving works. For those that aren’t quite couture clients, she plans to incorporate some of these new ideas and developments into her successful ready-to-wear line that will again be presented in September.