Montreal Fashion Week started on a high note with Pedram Karimi, a Montreal designer who is well respected by the fashion community. While many are anxious to get in with the new vibrant spring clothing, Karimi’s futuristic flair makes a good case for this bitter winter weather all year round.
The ‘wet’ look is what Karimi was aiming for and everything tied in nicely with the offbeat theme; the design of the runway show, the models, the evolution from whites to greys to blacks and the ending of the show with a seafoam pastel green and a splash of red and silver.
For Karimi, the best part of conceptualizing his designs for the Galactic Wet Dreams collection was “finding fabrics that could translate the way [he] hoped they would.”
And he did just that. His collection had that somewhat sporty vibe to it like his previous collections, but this time it was all about the layering, the plunging necklines, and the turtlenecks. Karimi’s overlaying involved ponchos on top of long sleeves, shorts and leggings—keeping the oversized and futuristic style in mind. His clean lines and soft aesthetic, through textiles of laser quilted nylon, polyurethane, spandex jersey, crushed silk and velvet, made the genderless look the focal point of the show.
“I hope both men and women can have fun with the pieces I’ve created and wear them as they please and I hope that I can make a difference that goes beyond just clothing,” said Karimi.
Karimi was born in Iran and later moved to Austria in his teens. He began his fashion studies at London College of Fashion and then graduated from LaSalle College in Montreal. Karimi is known for his minimalist approach and clean aesthetic. He is devoted to his past and the different cultures he has been exposed to, inspiring the concepts and unconventional fabrics of his collections.
“My designs are a product of my current and previous surroundings, my upbringing and the picture of the future that I fantasize about,” said Karimi.
His presentation dizzied us up from the beginning when a fashion film, the first in a series presented by Triptyque, was showcased on the runway screen. The room was dark, with nothing but the lights from the short video and flashing cameras. The film presented the gender confusion theme of the collection and featured a girl transforming into a boy when she emerged from a pool of water. From that moment, we knew we were in for an unconventional and eccentric show.
There was fog everywhere and the models evoked such serious and powerful emotions, setting the tone for Karimi’s monochromatic, uni-sex and genderless pieces. The industrial and haunting music was perfectly fitting for the collection’s colour palette of grey, beige, white and black, along with the angular and architectural shapes and cuts. From the patent leather caps to the wet, slicked-back hair to the platform tennis shoes, there were moments where there was no distinction between the men and women on the runway.
“Fashion has always been a tool to influence a society for me,” said Karimi. “Hopefully I can continue to make a difference for men and women out there and continuously interact with them.”
