An exclusive interview with Rojan Hooshyar, the creative director and designer of La Femme Roje.

WRITTEN BY MORGAN LEET

Iranian Canadian designer Rojan Hooshyar fell unequivocally in love with fashion at just seven years old. The young Rojan was unable to resist her deep admiration for her mother’s clothes and would slip her small feet into the high heels, swimming in the too-big dresses. As she played throughout her home in her makeshift wardrobe, her neighbor, who was a tailor, spotted her passion and brought her to her home to adjust the dress that she was wearing. “She showed me her tailoring machine, her big box of strings and buttons, and so many other exciting things about the world of cloth making. The neighbor moved out of that building a few months later but the fascination for fashion that she spiked in me has still remained,” says Rojan.

The love that was sparked then only grew throughout the years, as she received an education in management, her Master’s Degree from the University of Tehran, and later a certificate in Shoe and Bag Design and Patternmaking from Arsutoria school in Italy. Blending her passion with her education and knowledge she was ready to then pursue her entrepreneurial dreams with the creation of her fashion house, La Femme Roje, in 2013.

Rojan knew that she could create something new and exciting with La Femme Roje, as she recalls how “I used to always get lots of compliments for my style and my ability to mix and match different pieces of clothing and adjust them the way I wanted. My looks were different and very uncommon in Iran’s fashion back in the day, and I wasn’t afraid to try out new things. Most of my friends kept telling me to take this passion and hobby more seriously and turn it into something bigger, and that’s how La Femme Roje was born.” The unique blending of textiles, patterns, and cultures that you are able to see represented in the La Femme Roje collections now perfectly emulates this original vision of individualism.

Further setting her brand apart was the early goal to combine Iranian and Middle Eastern fashion with modern and sustainable elements. Rojan felt a responsibility after learning more about the unethical aspects of the fashion industry, vowing to make a difference. “Most brands and big names in this industry don’t care that much about the negative impact they are making on nature, the workforces, and even people’s mental health. The triangle of designers, manufacturers, and buyers don’t pay a lot of attention to how their clothes are made, what they are made of, who has made them, and how much waste it will create. Therefore, I aimed to have a brand that advocated for the workers, for the environment and for sustainability. In La Femme Roje, we praise and support artisans and local tailoring artists, shoemakers, and workforces, and also encourage our customers to make more ethical fashion choices and purchases. We design and produce only one collection per year and each of our collections are inspired and based on a story that is rooted in Persian and middle eastern culture,” Rojan tells us. She has succeeded in her mission through her highly sustainable and vegan brand that places a focus on providing fair wages for artisans who handcraft their goods around the world. The importance placed on these aspects of the businesses draws away from the traditional fast-fashion approach and focuses on slow-made goods, that are created to last the test of time in both style and quality.

Now based in Vancouver, Canada, she hopes to bring a taste of the Iranian fashion scene with her; which in recent years especially has been booming with creativity, stunning designs, and beautiful photography. With Canada’s more minimalistic approach to fashion, Rojan wants to ignite a spark of excitement in the industry by showcasing Iranian and Middle Eastern influences in her designs. “When people picture Iran and the Middle East, there’s a false image of how this region looks like and feels like,” she explains. “The first thing I’m aiming to do is to change that image and to show how colorful and diverse the Middle East is. Persian art, architecture, and culture are some of the most ancient and fascinating in the world and I want to combine these beautiful cultural heritages with innovation and modernity.”

This concept can be seen throughout the recently launched Khatoon Collection, which draws from the power of silenced women. Rojan notes that this collection is for “all the women in Iran and the Middle East. We hope for the day when women in that region have equal voice and power in society.” The use of black throughout the collection further narrates this story of her roots, as it is the color of choice for Iranian women when selecting clothing. Rojan hopes that when people wear the beautifully crafted collection they “feel powerful, reckless, vivacious, and valorous, and know that they can do whatever they want and wear whatever they want.”

For more information visit: lafemmeroje.com and @lafemmeroje on Instagram.