Life and sole

Brand collaborations can be a double-edged sword. For all the talk of complimentary markets and words like “synergy”, diverging ambitions and lack of chemistry can leave one party feeling short-changed. For designer Paria Farzaneh, whose eponymous label blends streetwear with references to her Iranian heritage, advocates for fair pricing, and amplifies marginalised voices, mutual understanding is key. “My own work is to push the limitations of what we can actually design, so it can be hard working with a bigger corporation,” she says. However, her recently announced collaboration with footwear brand Hoka was an organic, long-evolving process. “I’d requested some shoes for a runway show and I was really impressed with their practicality and how they withstood the test of time.” Four years and one pandemic later, Farzaneh’s take on Hoka’s Restore TC Chukka has arrived. 

The shoes expand upon the original TC Chukka model with a thicker heel, a higher topline, and playful use of textiles. Mohair detailing on the tongue adds a lustrous finish, and the speckled jacquard print on the upper soles is a digitised rendering of traditional Persian ghalamkar fabric, a Paria Farzaneh signature seen elsewhere in the brand’s mesh bags and earlier collaboration with Beats headphones. Inspired by a bakery near Farzaneh’s studio, two colourways of deep chocolate brown and creamy red velvet add another layer of customisation. “Even though the silhouette was a pre-existing one, the upper has been changed and developed by me. Having the print in a Jacquard with these reflective ticks resonates back to the brand.” 

In a fashion landscape renowned for carefully calibrated image-making, Farzaneh’s success lies in keeping it real. Much of the campaign imagery was shot in Hull where Farzaneh grew up and reflects her democratic vision for fashion. “The image of the shoes on the chips was taken in my dad's takeaway: they sell pizza and chips and doner kebabs and burgers. Once you place a product in an environment where it correlates with a lot of people, I think then it becomes more engaging.” That candour extends to her politics, about which she is vocal on social media. “The box colors are kind of obvious. I'm not going to get into it too much, but there was no comment there when I delivered the box,” she notes wryly. 

Farzaneh will be launching the shoes with a free event in Sydenham venue Kingswood Arts, with tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis. “I've spent a lot of time going out in London, going to so many different nights and being part of so many different communities. It was really important that we could have a free event, so that people who are fans of the brand could come and experience it and feel like they're leaving London for the evening.” On the lineup is Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, friend of TANK James Massiah and acclaimed DJ Pariah. “I remember saying it should be Pariah for Paria!” she laughs. Above all, Farzaneh wants her work to speak for itself. “If you are an artist, you can be quite selfish, and you can fully lock off to what is going on outside. But I think it's about taking everything that's going on and being able to communicate that within your work. Having that makes people feel hopeful.”