No, this isn’t a post about memories of Amsterdam and well…other unsavoury nights… but actually a girl who has a natural high and doesn’t need the help from illegal substances. Amy Sarabi, the 2nd of my fellow American roomies at Hyeres might be a name that some of you recognise if you follow the goings on in Gen Art, where Amy was featured as part of San Francisco’s Fresh Faces in Fashion Gen Art event last year.
For a girl who gets the giggles in an instant, who gets easily amused by almost anything, she creates work that is quite frankly stunning and on a technical level that is so high and precise, that it’s almost frightening. I have seen Amy at work as she participated in the Arts of Fashion masterclasses in Texas and in Miami, so I have seen her at a non-giggly state, yet because I knew her as person first, designer second, her work is even more astonishing to me (does anyone else get that surprised feeling when they see a friend they know intimately do something really impressive in their vocation/career?)
Anyhow, inspired by the gills of a mushroom (yes, it really doesn’t have to be lofty at all… check out your veggie drawer pronto), she explored pleating techniques, unconventional materials and shapes that literally stand away from the body and encase it in an entirely different way from how we think clothes should do. Right now, she’s stocked at San Francisco boutique MAC (Modern Appealing Clothing… does exactly what it says on the tin, me likes…) and her pieces cost a pretty penny because so much work go into them and Amy works alone, slowly but steadily to ensure she meets demand at her stockists. The level of detailing and craftsmanship is most definitely evident in her work which I had judged during the Arts of Fashion competition last year where she also won an award.
Giggles to gills, fungi to fashion, I just can’t stop alliterating… I’ll let the beautiful images speak for themselves (they were a pain to download at 80MB each but worthwhile…)…
Oh my goodness, this is just amazing! I’m very unaware of the fashion coming out of SF (I’m from the Bay Area) so to hear about this from StyleBubble is quite delightful. Thank you for sharing — the pleating is amazing…
Her creations are exceptional and innovative. Fantastic shapes and textures in every one.I have never seen anything like these before.
really amazing details and the mushroom likeness is so intricate and beautiful that i’m almost surprised to not have seen it before.
Wow. Simply amazing. I love the second look best I think but they’re all mind boggling.
I am studying Menswear and we did a project last term for John Richmond. My whole project was based around funghi, in particular an old book I found with some great illustrations in. Unfortunately it was only a 2d project but it is great to see a 3d outcome. My designs were quite different but had a similar theme with the pleating. My tutor thought I was mental. I would like him to see these. Amy has done a really great job.
I have a sudden urge for Porcini on Toast.
Haha, the above comment made me smile.
Amy’s designs are so amazing. I really love them!
often i’m bored with architectural clothes from new designers- it seems the more harsh and colourless and odd, the better! but i am flawed, how do these clothes come from someone’s brain?! how do you get fabric to do that?! ayeeee
amazing detailings.
K
These are ravishing. The fabric forms referencing nature remind of the Art Nouveau period–as if we are returning to that desire for natural forms and fluid lines, rather than referencing the actual period.
amazing
woah awesomeness. i just had mushrooms for breakfast. such intricate detail in the clothes are amazing.
shit. school she went to is right down the street but crazy expensive. would love to have gone there. haven’t wanted anything as much as i do that ruffled shrug/shoulder piece in a while.
Well done Amy –
The comments are interesting to read – the clothing is beautiful – elegant photos are the best way to enjoy these shapes and of course at our favorite SF haunt: MAC the perfect place for such taste treats.
CCA FAshion is excited for you!
Amazing and she works alone…doubly amazing!
Beautiful beautiful beautiful
They are like sculptures.
Very well done.
I want number one and number three.
I’d definitely wear.
oooh, if i had enough money, i’d certainly shop at mac… it’s like a museum in there!
as for these, ami sarabi’s work is like sculpture… beautiful.
Incredible.. Delicate yet structured and still very wearable! I think The Clothes Horse is on to something with the Art Nouveau vibe. I’m hungry now though…
This isn’t supposed to sound weird – they make me want to stick my hand into the ruffles!
goooorgeous!
jaw to the floor.
stunning.
Yeah! Amy’s the best!
I’m the photographer that worked with Amy on these images and I just have to say it’s inspiring to have her here in SF. They’re even better in person!
The texture modelled after the underside of a mushroom cap is incredible, I want to run my tip of my finger over it. I actually have a craving for mushrooms, I can’t say that’s ever happened before! Portabello mushrooms grilled with red peppers and a topping of goats cheese is quite tasty if you’re feeling the same!
These pieces are astonishing. Especially the first one.
these are stunning, and especially appealing to me at this time. i’ve just finished studying all sorts of plant life, form, and function for a huge biology exam – and to see how all of that can be executed into beautiful clothes is even more mind boggling (and much more aesthetically entertaining) than learning the actual fundamentals of fungi. wow!
Wow the inset on the last dress is my fave. This is totally amazing! Your friend is incredibly talented.
These are so beautiful, I want to cry.
This is this most refreshing design I have seen in years. From her inspiration to her form and precision, this designer needs to be put in stores/magazines all over the world. I want to buy every piece in the above collection. How do I get my hands on them?
Dear Susie, I am sorry but this looks very close to horrible…it reminds me of mushrooms and is so untasty to wear… WHO will wear this frankly? I do like innovative ideas and art and fashion combined but I must say, I do not understand all these just out of fashion school over the top and NOT talented types of outfits… and you know it too: there are a lot – too many of them and we should not make people believe that this is somehow cool. Sorry Susie!
Well… idil, suffice to say, I don’t agree with you… I WOULD wear Amy Sarabi’s collection…call me odd, strange or all the above… in fact, I may be going to San Francisco this summer and if I do, my first port of call will be Amy’s studio to an ensemble together… that’s just my opinion and my taste… you might think it’s bad taste but then so be it!
I’m in love with those photos. So well shot, styled, and lit. And so tactile.
I NEED that last dress… the mushroom-cap texture is incredible.
A response to idil vice:
I suspect you don’t TRULY appreciate innovative design because even if these mushroom pieces aren’t ones you would necessarily wear yourself, you would still respect them for being NEW and EXCITING. If this sort of thing turns you off, you might be happier pouring over pages of the next J. Crew catalogue – there’s tons of “wearable” designs in there.