Label: Valerio Design Inc

Designer: Ali Mokhtarian

Ali never attended fashion school, but majored in graphics design in his home country. He was born with artistic talent that initially manifested itself in his design sketches as a child, and later on with sewing. He developed basic stitching skills as an apprentice to a master tailor for less than a year, and then later advanced his own skills through practice and natural ability. He is an all around designer able to brainstorm new ideas, sketch designs, do the pattern work, cut and stitch a final garment to perfection. His work speaks for itself.

Theme of the new collection:
The collection aspires towards a casual, elegant theme and caters to the upper echelon of society. For instance, it’s for the fashion conscious, corporate type heading out after work for a night on the town and wanting to make an impression without looking overly pretentious. He appreciates unique, high-end, cutting edge, exquisitely stitched garments without having to go bankrupt to buy them. Furthermore, the collection offers styles that appeal to all social classes willing to pay a fair premium for quality.

Colours, fabrics and silhouettes in your new collection:
There are a range of colours in the collection as per the spring/summer appeal: orange, cream, various shades of grey, mocha, brown, blue, yellow white, black.
Fabrics include leather, leather prints, silk, suede, wool, denim, plad and nylon.

Style icons whom you most admire:
• Cary Grant for his effortless ability to shine and feel comfortable in his own skin. He never looked ill at ease in a suit, and continuously conducted himself with grace and elegance under pressure or in the back drop.
• David Bowie: from his avant guard look, to ziggy stardust to neoclassicist Bowie for his guts to experiment with different styles, go against the grain, and make a fashion statement that some say led to revolution without trying too hard.
• Sean Connery: As LL Cool J put it “he looks cool in anything”. He gave fashion meaning, etiquette, accessories and flare.

Celebrities you’d love to see in your clothes:
• George Clooney: It’s easy to design for the ideal client that looks good in all your styles even on a bad day.
• Kanye West: He looks good even when drawing negative publicity and he’ll rap about what he’s wearing in his songs.
• David Beckam: Every girl wants him, and every guy wants to be him right? His bold demeanor, down to earth personality, rugged good looks and stylish wife on his side add value to your collection
• J-Lo: Who can forget the Versace dress at the 2000 grammys? If she can get people talking about us ten years from wearing one style, it was worth her diva demands.

Three classic, versatile pieces you think everybody should have in his/her wardrobe:
The fashion world is a very competitive business, so be ready to commit yourself 100% towards creating the best collections. When in the process of brainstorming new designs, aim for originality and styles that set you apart from the competition. Do not allow doubt to distract you from your creative process. Rely on your belief in the quality of your work.

Trends for mens wear next year:
There won’t be any new groundbreaking trends next year in menswear as 80s styles will continue to dominate. Slim fit, two button suits will remain, and more double breasted jacket styles will emerge. Slim fit pants, slim shirt collars and the slim tie will also remain popular. Pink, burgundy, and similar shades for colours are still hip as are lighter fabrics.

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