Maryam Yazdanpanah

I am an interdisciplinary artist and fashion designer, and the founder of SAAKU, a label I established in 2016. My path spans both creative and academic disciplines. I hold a Master of Science from RMIT University in Melbourne and an MFA in Fashion Design and Society from Parsons School of Design, where I received a merit-based scholarship.

My practice merges conceptual design, textile craftsmanship, and narrative thinking. Clothing for me is never just garment construction, but a medium through which emotional depth, personal mythology, and lived experience take form.

Influenced by both Iranian and Japanese philosophical and aesthetic traditions, I develop story-driven collections in which each piece gives rise to a character that metaphorically embodies the spirit of a warrior. Through this language, I explore transformation, love, resilience, loss, and self-inquiry.