Nina Doroushi’s fashion journey was triggered by taboos surrounding sexuality which lead to a fixation on the body, anatomy, skin and flesh. “Latex seemed to be the optimum material that came closest to conveying the skin more explicitly than the naked body itself”. Nina Doroushi trained at Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne in 2015, after which she went on to intern for Iris Van Herpen, as well as an acclaimed latex fashion house.
Nina Doroushi founded her eponymous womenswear label in 2017 as a response to being bored of “generic fetish-wear”. The London born and based designer created a concept that takes an untraditional approach to latex fashion. Centred around dressing for pleasure and ritualistic self-seduction, the collections pay homage to the divine feminine spirit and plays with contradictions: demure, yet exhibitionistic, fetishistic elegance, severe, yet delicate rebellion and retro glamour. Doroushi often draws inspiration from her Persian heritage and uses elements of Grecian silk drapery to clash with Venusian hourglass silhouettes. In the spirit of the Surrealists and modern sculptors, who venerated the female torso, the part in which they considered to have had the most erotic appeal, the Nina Doroushi dress is easily recognisable by a signature button tab opening either on the centre front or back, for quick and easy removal and to accentuate the contours of the torso. Colours vary from translucent womb-pinks, flesh and villainous shades of black and red. Nina Doroushi debuted her first collection inspired by Sufi mystic, Rumi where latex calligraphy letters were laser-cut and glued onto a translucent flesh-toned base dress.
Nina Doroushi is a direct-to-customer, made-to-measure and bespoke brand which she believes to be an effective solution to adopting sustainable practices in fashion. Arguably, such luxuries are exclusively available to wealthy clientele, however Nina Doroushi encourages consumers to invest in one of a kind, timeless pieces that last, rather than buying masses of cheap, “soulless” fast fashion. “This way, not only are we collectively engaging with the solution, we are supporting true artisans, our ethics are intact and luxury can be attainable by a wider range of people.”
By: Paul Winstone