Hello! My name is Rojin Behroozmand. I’m a 26-year-old M.S. student at Thomas Jefferson University, East Falls campus in my second-year of the Fashion Design Management program and a Graduate Assistant at the Design Center.
Born and raised in Iran, a country with an ancient and rich history of art and culture, I have always envisioned my path in life to practice art. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree to explore this passion in a lively environment like theatre with a primary focus on Stage Design. I devoted most of my off-campus time working as an assistant to professional costume designers at some famous theaters in Tehran. I had an intriguing journey in various principles of art that taught me how to think as an artist. However, for the next stage of my life, I decided to go further and chose fashion as I saw it as theatre being lived on a daily basis.
My desire for entering the world of fashion was further motivated by my eternal love for clothes shopping and styling in my daily life and the fantastical voluminous garments that I saw on theatre stages, movies, or on runway shows. My favorite brands are the ones that embrace the sensibility of the old with the style of how we live today. On the top of the list are Delpozo, Oscar de la Renta, and Carolina Herrera.
The lack of enough resources and connections with the professional world of fashion industry in Iran, as well as the existing restrictions on how to dress up in public, led me to look for related programs outside my home country. Eventually, I found the Fashion Design Management program, a tailored course for me to pursue my goals.
After I was admitted, through a generous assistantship I was placed at the Textile and Costume Collection. What could be more inspiring than being around archival fashion garments, accessories and textiles from different eras, countries and cultures? Not only was it a lovely experience, but also an opportunity to learn from the curators.
In my first few months at the Design Center, I learned how the archival pieces are taken care of, inventoried and organized. I saw first-hand the process they go through from the time they are received until they are ready to go to the collection rooms.
The highlight of my time here has been the inventory work that required research, hands-on jobs and some problem-solving skills in order to complete the project credibly and without mistakes. I first inventoried a collection of gloves that I had to document in a spreadsheet, measure and come up with descriptions about their details, materials and trimming. The next step involved photography. Finally, I did a thorough check of all the data to get them prepared for going live in the online collection.
At left: suede gloves by Vera Gutmann for Vera Vogue, entirely handstitched, c.1950s
My second inventory project that I’m currently working on is a bigger, and a more challenging, collection of handkerchiefs some of which feature prints from well-known artists.
While there is no end for learning in an ever-evolving industry like fashion, I feel lucky that I have the chance to follow my passion in life being mentored by the best professionals in my favorite fields.
