Iranian fashion designer, Nima Behnoud and friends engaged in experimental garment alteration which became emblematic of the youthful underground scene in Tehran in the ‘80s. Today the same hunger and fascination has turned into an organized clothing line, NIMANY. Now their dream is to use their brand to share their magical teenage years in Tehran. Quotes by Persian poets, highlighting the visual artistry of calligraphy, tell the story of their culture through fashion, inserting their art into daily life. He is the first fashion designer who implemented Persian calligraphy in the form of clothing.

Despite stereotypes and recent media coverage depicting Iran as a nation of black shawls, he says that Iranians are very savvy when it comes to fashion, and as stylish as any fashionista in Europe or North America. “The current fashion scene is just as active as Milan or Paris,” he says. Even with government restrictions on dress, Nima says that Iranians use their creativity to enhance fashion in Iran; he views most Iranian women as “semi-designers”–using flourishes or color or design while staying within the boundaries of the law. “I don’t look at fashion in Iran as a limitation,” he says. It is just another challenge for the everyday person in Iran, who tend to be very innovative people.

With his use of traditional script and modern chic, there are few designers who can represent the Persian culture better than Nima Behnoud. “I want people to see the beauty of our culture,” he says. “Iran’s history of art, poetry and music has a great richness and deserves the attention.”

Celebrities like Heidi Klum, Pras Michael of the Fugees and Alexandra Richards (Keith Richards’ daughter) may not realize they are wearing ancient Iranian poetry by Rumi & Hafez, but they are certainly aware of its artistic beauty, and are helping to expand Nima’s reputation as a cutting-edge fashion designer in Manhattan.