Behnaz Sarafpour

Behnaz began her career in fashion when she moved to New York in 1989 to attend the Parsons School of Design, where she was honored with the Golden Thimble Award. Prior to launching her own collection in 2001, Behnaz worked with Richard Tyler, Narciso Rodriguez and Isaac Mizrahi, as well as holding the post of Head Designer of the Barney's New York private collection. She produced her first runway show in February, 2002, and received three nominations for the CFDA's Swarovski Award for Women's Ready to Wear. In 2004 Behnaz was a finalist of the first CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Since her label's debut she has shown collections sponsored by venerable luxury companies including Style.com, Moet & Chandon, Hewlett-Packard, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. Behnaz has worked on limited edition collaborations with Earnest Sewn on Earnest Sewn for Behnaz Sarafpour jeans, the creation of a Behnaz red lipstick for Lancme, and a 2006 Holiday collection for Target's Go International campaign. Her works have been exhibited at museums such as the FIT Museum in New York and the V & A Museum in London. In spring 2008 Behnaz introduced a capsule collection of luxury organic sportswear, and she continues to highlight organic pieces as part of her collections.In 2010, Behnaz was selected as a finalist in the fashion design category of Cooper Hewitt's National Design Award, and was a member of the jury for the National Design Award in 2012. In 2010, Behnaz was honored at the White House as a finalist for the Smithsonian's Copper Hewitt National Design Award, and joined the museum's jury in 2012. Behnaz has been named the winner of the 2013 National Design Award for fashion.