Today, we are interviewing Tara Vatanpour. From a multicultural background, Persian-Azari, American, and French, Tara Vatanpour is an installation art and performance art based artist, as well as a luxury wear fashion designer, currently based in Paris. From a solid educational background in Fine Arts, she has today exhibited in the Venice Biennale, London, and Paris. Her artistic research subjects are the following: trauma, memory, immigration, and intimacy, which are sought to be represented in her clothing as well. She created Tara Vatanpour as an official brand 6 months ago, seeking to create a gender-free and sustainable art and fashion brand. Featured above is one of her design’s photograph.
How did you get into what you do right now? Please tell us more about your journey?
Art and fashion have always been a part of my life. I have been in art classes since the age of 6 years old, and I have been fascinated by styling and fashion since I am a young teen. However, I did not allow myself to fully explore these two passions professionally for a few years because I did not believe in myself, and I did not believe that I had anything interesting to offer the world. It is when I started a self-love healing journey that I realized that I could not refrain from being creative. I hated the job that I was in, and every day I wanted to die. So I finally had the courage to love myself enough to quit that job and start on a journey to achieve a vision of my dreams where I could really give something meaningful to people.
Who are your role models?
My partner, to start off. They have achieved so many beautiful goals of self-love and of creating a career for themselves. Working hard and actually getting results. My second role model is my cousin, who is a multi-business owner and opened my eyes for the first time when I was a teen on the possibility that I was smart, and I too could be rich like him. He inspires me with his courage, his resilience, his creativity, and how relentlessly he achieves his business goals. I really want what he has, business and vision wise. And thirdly, any young fashion designer like Alexander Wang, Neo Designs…Whenever I come across an inspiring brand, I am reminded that my dream is possible. That I am not better or worse than anyone and that I, too, can realize my dream and be a designer. They encourage me by being human, too, and being awesome.
What inspires you?
My pain is what inspires me. My pain pushes me to create to get out of it. Then sometimes, my healing also inspires me. My emotions and everything that I feel in my body. I just feel like it is not meant for me to keep inside; otherwise, it would kill me.
Please tell us about your fashion brand.
Tara Vatanpour is meant to be a brand that people would go to if they want to commission a piece of art or a piece of clothing. But also to become an innovative luxury fashion brand that really has a statement on trauma, healing, and life. Clothes are not just clothes, they are art. The Art side is made of installation art, painting, and performances that are exhibited internationally. Tara Vatanpour makes these pieces available online and creates this bridge between Fine Arts and Luxury Fashion.
Here are some of the designs by Tara Vatanpour:
What’s your most memorable experience?
In terms of business, learning about marketing without having known anything about it before, but thinking I knew it all. I had to first break my ego and then fail multiple times before finally starting to understand and be willing to learn.
Which social media channels work best for promoting your work? What exactly do you do on the social media channel that makes it work for you?
Instagram works pretty well, but I am not keen on social media. I prefer real-life events. Instagram is pretty easy because you can market for cheap, and everyone is on it. So it is a better reach. I also use it to network. When I meet people, it is the platform that I prefer alongside email, to connect.
What’s your greatest fear?
To never achieve my dreams and lose everything that I love because I work very hard. I wake up each day committed to my vision, and so a lot of emotions are put in there.
Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood better before you ever got started?
I wish I had known that it is ok to fail and learn. I think I knew it because that is something that people say, but I don’t think I actually understood it properly until I lived it. And I have so much more peace today when I have to learn something new because every time I fail, I know I am getting better. Before, every time I failed, I thought I was not worth anything.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
Perseverance, Self-love, Service, Politeness, Spirituality. If something does not work, maybe it’s not meant to be. I do my part, then I let go the best I can, and I try to love myself. If I had not applied this strategy in my business journey, I think I would have died of anxiety and overload of emotions.
What keeps you going when things get tough?
Making Art and Fashion is my life’s purpose. This is how I breathe. That’s how I keep going. Many times it is tough. But I just have to remember it is tough because I am learning and growing. When I look back at tough moments of my life, I can see how it made me grow and helped me. So I find that often I just need a change of perspective to keep going.
Any message for our readers.
You are awesome. You are lovable. I believe in your dreams. You can do it. It just has to be a small action every day.
How can people connect with you?
You can email me, the address is on my website. Or connect with me on Instagram.