When it comes to Hollywood awards shows, the over-the-top fashions on the red carpet are what most viewers really want to see. For a young Pedram Taheri, that’s where he found his calling.
“Even as a child, I always had an opinion about clothes,” he says.
Taheri grew up in Iran, but after his father died, he and his mother immigrated to the United States. They settled in Baton Rouge, and though Taheri studied interior design at LSU, he decided after graduation to focus on his first passion.
It wasn’t long before his designs started showing up in boutiques on both coasts and as far away as London and South Korea.
Evening gowns with plunging necklines, expensive fabrics and intricate beadwork—the looks he creates are made to be televised. That’s why they’ve been seen on the likes of actress/model Amber Rose and Real Housewives star NeNe Leakes, who hunted him down on Instagram for a jumpsuit she had seen.
In 2017, Taheri plans to finish a bridal ready-to-wear line and spend more time in Los Angeles working with clients there. You might also catch him on an upcoming episode of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress.
Taheri is already in such high demand that brides are looking at a year-long wait for a couture gown. But no matter where his fashion sense takes him, it’s clear he still has a soft spot for working with brides-to-be on their dream gowns.
On when he works best:
“I’m up until 3 or 4 in the morning on the computer—sketching, brainstorming. At night when everybody is sleeping, that’s when my brain really works. I’m calm, nothing bothers me, and that’s when the creativity flows.”
On the mark he wants to leave on fashion:
“I want to be the fashion house where people say, ‘I wish I had that, just that one piece to hang in my closet.’ I want it to become that fashion house that is respected in the industry among people who love high-end fashion. I want this to be a brand that is well recognized everywhere.”
HOW TO:
Work with a bride on an original gown:
“That bride feels so special starting from scratch with you. The whole process is very interesting—every time they come in for a fitting or whatever, we are closer to a finish line. They get to see it happen as it’s all sewn together. At the final stage, it’s like ‘Wow!’ It’s complete. So we pop Champagne, they bring friends and family, and we celebrate. It’s really special.”
