Lara Dizeyee: Kurdish Haute Couture

Lara Dizeyee, whose family comes from South Kurdistan, was born in Vienna and raised in the United States. She graduated from George Mason University with a degree in international relations. She then lived and worked in Erbil (Hewler), working in the oil industry and in public administration. She served as human resources director at the American University of Iraq in Slimani.

She then decided to delve into her true passion: fashion. She started designing Kurdish costumes to show the the world the beauty of Kurdish culture and to raise awareness of her people’s story.

“I started designing my own line of Kurdish couture,” she writes on her website, “after spending far too long being unable to find the right designs, prints, and styles that could capture and fully express the richness of Kurdish culture. My designs express and reflect my feelings towards my motherland and show how beautiful traditional Kurdish clothing can be.

“I am proud to be Kurdish, so my couture line is designed with a sense of pride and appreciation. Using carefully selected fabrics and other materials from around the world, each costume I design is one-of-a-kind and tailored to fit the individual. Every piece is unique.”

Dizeyee’s branding, says Vogue Arabia, “compromises a nod to tradition, roots, and values while also playing to the imagination of the modern, typically future-looking Kurdish woman.”