(Designer Halleh Atri)

In December 2019, UoF did a social media blast offering our subscribers the opportunity to have their work featured on our Instagram and Facebook channels. We proudly posted each entrant’s designs and then picked one designer to be the recipient of a free one year all access subscription to UoF. The lucky winner was Halleh Atri, a 33-year old designer based in Iran. Here’s her story:

Halleh did part of her studies in Australia as a textile engineer, fiber scientist and researcher. Her enthusiasm for fashion started only four years ago when plans to complete her doctorate fell through. To overcome the disappointment of not completing her doctorate, she began taking part in fashion design courses and immediately fell in love with everything related to it. She did a few online courses and during her research discovered University of Fashion.

In Halleh’s own words:

“I found University of Fashion the most comprehensive online source for learning. My plan is to keep learning as much as I can…and this subscription is going to help me with that a lot, especially because I am about to start another fashion course in Europe.  Yeah why not? I mean we often think our dreams never change, well I am a living proof that sometimes the only thing that we need is new dreams and mine is creating aesthetically beautiful outfits which bring joy and smile to wearer faces even for a short time.”

(Halleh Atri Sketches)

Halleh’s aunt is a professional dressmaker and also a certified Somebana flower maker (a very old Japanese technique to make flowers usually from very expensive fabrics). She used to watch her aunt working when she was a child and her aunt has certainly been her first inspiration.

(Halleh Atri- Somebana Handmade Flower)

Halleh’s future plans include starting her own business. In the meantime, she is designing, sewing, styling and even flower-making all the time. According to Halleh:

“The entire process of creating a look to me is like writing a story and I am still a researcher but here, instead of researching scientific topics, I research fashion. As an engineer the first thing that we must learn is coming up with a solution, as someone who practiced PhD, the most important thing that I learned is never giving up until I find a way out…During creating an outfit, especially the pattern making and sewing process, I sometimes find myself incapable of working out the problem and this is when my past experiences help me and miraculously I find a way out! University of Fashion tutorials help me a lot during these situations. And, now that I have a one-year subscription I am planning to go through draping tutorials and lectures first. I may refresh my drawing skills too. ”

(Halleh Atri-Sketch)

(Halleh Atri – Sketch)

According to Halleh, “Unfortunately we live in an era of climate change and fashion/textile is the second most polluting industry, therefore the future belongs to those who practice sustainable fashion.” We applaud Halleh for her talent and for her commitment to sustainable design.

Join us in wishing Halleh lots of success in her future career as a fashion designer!