Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yasamin Sarabipour. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Yasamin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was 5 years old my parents enrolled me in an art school which was focused on providing pupils with minimal directions but ample freedom to be creative in their design and painting technique. Over the next 10 years of attending classes, the experience of interacting with fellow young artists inspired me to challenge my painting style and remain fascinated with various forms of artistic design and technique. During my time there, I submitted one of my paintings to the Kanagawa biennial world children’s art exhibition and won the gold medal for my entry. Later as a teenager, I got interested in Iranian handicrafts, folk wear and textiles. I joined folk dance classes and the elegance and vivid colors of the traditional Iranian dance costumes absorbed me. I also attended sewing courses after school during my high school years and later moved to Paris to study my Bachelor of Arts in Fashion design and Haute Couture. These experiences, study decisions, the influence of the rich artistic history of Iran, my homeland, and the support of my parents and siblings shaped my creative path.

Yasamin , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Yasamin Sarabipour. I was born and raised in Iran and lived and worked in France and the United States. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in fashion design and haute couture from the Paris American Academy. I recently graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in costume design from the UCLA school of Theatre, Film and Television. I have worked as a fashion design assistant and knitwear director for Jungera, as well as a fashion show and showroom assistant for both Rick Owens and Jenny Packham in Paris. Additionally I have worked at numerous shows during Paris Fashion Week.
I arrived in the US to study theater arts at Santa Monica College in Los Angeles. During my studies at SMC, my passion for fashion and costume exhibitions led me to be a regular volunteer curation assistant for the FIDM fashion, Motion Picture and TV costume exhibitions. This allowed me to study and experiment with the film and TV costumes closely as the primary source of research and attain a passion for history and art, an eye for detail and patience.
In theater and the performing arts, I have worked at the Independent Shakespeare Company and South Coast Repertory in California. I have recently designed the world premiere of Quake opera at UCLA Herb Alpert school of music and am currently the co-costume designer in residence for the American Contemporary Ballet.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I am driven for two key reasons. I am very interested in setting styles that visually present the creative process of designing and research. My ambition is to design and produce creative challenges in costume design for screen and stage. I aspire to be an artist who thinks independently and creatively, aware of the current and future social and cultural developments.

I have faced many challenges throughout my life and career, pursuing an education in art as an immigrant in two continents. I persisted through it because my life experiences and educational background as a woman and an immigrant has greatly enhanced my creativity in design and my understanding of barriers affecting under represented artists.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Designing a character and their costumes requires a deep study and research of human struggles and triumphs. I enjoy contributing to narrating human stories in film, television and performing arts. I also enjoy the collaborative nature of my job where I work with a creative team of artists in different fields (for example production design, set decorations, direction and writing among others) to create a compelling piece of artwork that is a movie, a TV series, a dance or theater performance.

Further, I think that artists can have a profound positive impact on current and future human beings across generations in every society. Dance and theater performances, every film and TV series often are watched by millions to billions of contemporary humans and many more in the future. The societal impact of costume designers in shaping the artistic and philosophical culture and history of humanity is both humbling and inspiring to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yasisarabipour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasisarabipourdesigns/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasamin-sarabipour/

Image Credits
Photo Credit for personal photo: Yasamin Sarabipour Quake Opera photos: Taso Papadakis two sketches: Yasamin Sarabipour