Behnaz Sarafpour (born 1969)[1] is an Iranian-born American fashion designer,[2] and fragrance designer.[3] She had a ready-to-wear line of women's apparel bearing her name, Behnaz Sarafpour, Ltd. from 2001 until 2014, and has her own perfume line.[4][3] Sarafpour has held design positions at Isaac Mizrahi, Narciso Rodriguez,[4] Richard Tyler,[4]Anne Klein,[5] and Barneys New York.[5] She has been based in New York City and Pound Ridge, New York.[3]
She attended Parsons School of Design (BFA 1992), where she was honored with the Golden Thimble Award.[7][4] She interned at Anne Klein, studying under Narciso Rodriguez and Richard Tyler.[1] Sarafpour's aesthetic is a layered look, often in the colors black, white, shades of grey, and metallics, and she likes a hand–dyed or hand-painted fabric.[1][2] She likes to experiment with fabrics.[2]
After graduation she designed for Isaac Mizrahi from 1994 to 1998.[1][6] She later became a womenswear designer for the Barneys New York private apparel label from 1998 to 2003.[1][6] In 2001, she founded her own label, and first sold it at Barneys New York.[6]
In 2002, Sarafpour had her first runway show at New York Fashion Week, sponsored by Style.com.[1][2] Other runway sponsors have included Moët & Chandon, Hewlett-Packard, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Tiffany & Co.[1][8] Her Spring 2005 sponsor, Tiffany & Co., allowed her to present the collection at the jewelry company's 5th Avenue flagship store.[9] In November 2006, Sarafpour designed a collection of clothing and accessories for Target Corporation's Go International.[4] Sarafpour also minted a limited-edition lipstick for Lancôme and jeans for Scott Morrison's Earnest Sewn collection.[10]
In 2007, Sarafpour was one of five designers whose work was chosen to feature in the Sportswear section of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London's New York Fashion Now exhibition.[12] Sarafpour was honored at the White House in July 2010 as a finalist of the Smithsonian's National Design Award in the fashion design category.[13]
