Tasmit Afiyat Arny, a fashion designer from Bangladesh, recently showcased her collection at World Fashion Week and World Fashion Exhibition, China drawing inspiration from the groundbreaking mass movement that took place in Bangladesh this past July. Riding on the success of her participation in Shanghai, she is now heading to Miami, where she will present her latest collection. In an interview with Sheikh Saifur Rahman and Nadia Islam, she shared her exciting experiences.
Arny has once again made her mark in the fashion world by participating in the prestigious At the World Fashion Week, China held recently. After concluding her work in Shanghai, she has returned to her workplace in Qatar, sharing her unique experiences from the event. She will soon fly to Miami to present her collection there. A significant part of her collection at Shanghai Fashion Week was inspired by the global attention surrounding Bangladesh's July mass movement. Her experience in Shanghai was overwhelmingly positive, and she has received many promising offers. Arny said that it would be challenging to realize these opportunities without support and investment from both the government and private sectors.
The ‘Shikol-Baha’ outfit
Earlier this year, at the Shanghai International Film Festival, actress Fouzia Karim wore an outfit designed by Arny at the premiere of Kamar Ahmed Simon’s film, Shikol-Baha (The Silencing of the Sea Shell). The outfit, which received widespread praise, consisted of a sari designed with motifs inspired by rickshaw decorations and a blouse made from waste plastic. The sari had the words "Mayer Doa" (Mother's Blessing) embroidered with rickshaw decoration material on its anchal, while the back of the blouse had "Binodini" written on it. Another outfit featured a blazer made from fabric printed with 1980s cinema-inspired rickshaw painting.
In this way, Tasmit Afiyat Arny aims to combine traditional Bangladeshi motifs with international trends, designing clothes that represent Bangladesh. To this end, she recently participated in the World Fashion Week, China, where she shared the stage with globally renowned brands such as Armani and Louis Vuitton. This is a point of pride not just for Arny but for Bangladesh as well.
Since its inception in 2001, World Fashion Week, China has been held twice a year. This year’s theme was Sustainable High Fashion, focusing on designers who have elevated sustainable fashion created from local materials to the global stage. With that in mind, Arny crafted her collection using materials such as jamdani, nakshi kantha, gamcha, khadi, and Rajshahi silk, incorporating various rickshaw art motifs. Through these designs, she is trying to showcase the elegance and sustainability of Bangladeshi fashion on the global platform, according to Arny.
100% Sustainable Fabric at World Fashion Week, China
All the designers and brands at the World Fashion Week, China worked exclusively with sustainable fabrics, and Arny was no exception. One of her lines was titled Mayer Doa (Mother's Blessing). Here, she used Rajshahi silk blended with cotton, printing it with traditional paisley and floral motifs in golden hues, inspired by Bangladesh's rickshaw art.
For one of her collections, Arny created digital prints on khadi fabric, illustrating the faces of martyrs from the July movement. She designed garments from this printed fabric to pay tribute to the martyrs. Another standout design featured jamdani fabric paired with metal pieces, which bore the inscription Gonotontro Mukti Pak (May Democracy Be Free) in golden letters. These metallic jewelry pieces were attached to the jamdani fabric in a harmonious blend of traditional weaving and modern accessories.
Khadi, a highly eco-friendly fabric, is revered worldwide. In one of Arny’s designs, she printed news articles from the July movement on a khadi top, while the skirt featured a quote from Mugdha, one of the movement’s martyrs: "Pani Lagbe" (do you need water).
To honor the martyrs, freedom fighters, and war heroines of 1971, Arny also drew inspiration from the famous poem Bidrohi (The Rebel) by Bangladesh's national poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam. The designs featured images of the poet along with lines from his poetry printed on the garments, a collection that received widespread acclaim at Shanghai's World Fashion Week.
Arny’s International Journey
I'm chosen by the world fashion exhibition Shanghai CEO since I'm representing Bangladesh in global map for a long time and it's my 3rd international fashion show. The CEO of world fashion exhibition Shanghai Paco de Jaimes through mail. The organizer saw my work of sustainable luxurious fashion and wanted me to attend, showcase my collection since they want to promote sustainable luxurious fashion in global platforms and want to collaborate with internal creative ideas. My experience was really great. All the China investors, organizers and buyers love my collection since my all products are cent percent sustainable and focusing on latest trend. I would love to make a friendship bridge between Bangladesh and China through our business goal. And my goal is simple just go stride, said Arny.
She shared that this year’s the World Fashion Week, China featured designers from 90 countries, with only 10 unique designers chosen to participate in the fashion show, and Arny was one of them. Apart from the fashion show, her collection has been presented in several other cities as well. The show also provided opportunities for collaboration, which will help her in future projects. In addition to clothing, she has been asked to work on jewelry and other accessories. Shanghai has also provided a year-round store for Arny and nine other designers, where buyers can come to view and order their products.
Following the success of the Shanghai show, Arny has received invitations to showcase her collection in several other countries, including Peru, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia.
the World Fashion Week, China has signed a 10-year contract with Arny and other selected designers to expand the market for sustainable luxury fashion. Investors in China are also impressed with her work and have expressed interest in investing. Arny shared that her sustainable yet trendy collection was well-received by buyers as well.
Shanghai Fashion Week ran from September 27 to October 1. Arny returned to Qatar on October 3. In the conversation, she also mentioned that her next show will be in Miami later this month. It’s worth mentioning that she has already held two fashion shows in Qatar under the sponsorship of Qatar Foundation and the US Air Force.
In June, her designs for Stride Fashionwear received high praise at Arka Fashion Week. Arny skillfully incorporated rickshaw art into the clothing, which included a variety of miniskirts, crop tops, pants, and gowns for women, as well as shirts, pants, coats, and even lungis for men. Accessories included small iron trunks decorated with rickshaw painting.
Stride Fashionwear
Stride Fashionwear, the brand founded by Arny in 2013, aims to spread wearable fashion to fashionistas worldwide. In 2018, her design won the "Best National Costume" award at the Miss Landscape International competition, where she represented Bangladesh. That same year, Shirin Akter Shila, who represented Bangladesh at the Miss Universe contest in Georgia, wore an Arny-designed outfit in the final round, which was highly praised.
Arny’s use of rickshaw art motifs in her wedding dress and jewelry drew significant attention. A graduate with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in graphic design from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University, her designs often feature experimental geometric patterns and bold, vibrant colors. Her distinctive screen-printed designs set her apart from others.
Initially, Arny only designed for media personalities, but now her brand, Stride Fashionwear, caters to everyone. Stride also has its unique "measurement chart," allowing it to create perfectly fitting garments for customers of any size.
Arny emphasizes staying in tune with current trends as fashion continues to evolve.