Bloom: An Expression of Womanly Resilience

Originally from Iran, designer Nastaran Poorsalehi is giving classic feminine styles a striking makeover. Growing up around a family of female garment makers, Poorsalehi fell in love with fashion at an early age. After learning to sew and attending courses in fashion design at Amirkabir University in Tehran, Poorsalehi’s mastery of dressmaking and stylistics inspired her to launch her Dubai-based brand Rosacanina in 2019. With the tagline “Put your feeling on”, Rosacanina’s classic silhouettes adorned with iconic feminine twists are meant to mirror the inherent strength and power of women. Her collections Dobare Zendegi and Golden Wings have garnered international popularity and have become well-recognized in the United Arab Emirates. Her most recent collection, Bloom, recently debuted at Middle Eastern Fashion Week in Dubai.

Combining striking edginess with elements of classical femininity, Poorsalehi’s Bloom collection is inspired by her own reflections on womanhood and strength within the context of a woman’s courageous battle against breast cancer.

“I wanted to show through this collection that even when cancer alters a woman’s outer appearance or brings pain into her life, it doesn’t signal an end. Rather, it marks the beginning of a renewal, a bloom into a new version of herself,” says Poorsalehi.

These thematic elements are ubiquitous in her collection. Many of the pieces in her collection utilize classic silhouettes, yet Poorsalehi adds extravagant, eye-catching elements to these silhouettes such as long trains, plays on volume, striking cuts, and rich materiality. Her designs implement symbols of courage and resilience, as seen in one of her pink gowns featuring the “golden wings of resilience” and massive dress backings in the shape of the breast cancer symbol. At the same time, Poorsalehi doesn’t shy away from alluding to the painful destructiveness of breast cancer. She implements long braids and gems in the form of cancer cells to encourage women with breast cancer to embrace their appearance during their journey, no matter how much it is altered. Each garment depicts a woman’s journey through their fight with breast cancer, from darkness and uncertainty to hope and embracement. Although the collection centers around the theme of breast cancer, every woman can relate to feelings of hopelessness, and Poorsalehi aims to use this tragic theme to uplift women around the world.

Poorsalehi challenged herself with the implementation of sculpture-like silhouettes and notable garment volume. In line with the message of her collection, she avoided synthetic materials that are typically used in sculptures, and instead opted for more organic materials like paper-mâché to represent cancer cells and model the breasts of her designs.

“For the first time, all 18 pieces in the collection were directly related to breast cancer, offering a creative and artistic interpretation of this difficult theme,” says Poorsalehi. “The focus on spreading hope, rather than just creating something beautiful, is what makes this collection unique.”

Her favorite piece from the collection features a paper-mache bustier, which Poorsalehi says is the perfect embodiment of Bloom’s message. That even in times of despair, uncertainty, and an event as tragic as breast cancer, the beauty of womanhood’s resilience consistently radiates from within.

Poorsalehi elaborated on her unforgettable, and incredibly emotional experience during Middle Fashion Week. Having dedicated many weeks to researching breast cancer and its development to respectfully represent them in an artistic sense, Poorsalehi was met with an overwhelming amount of support during Bloom’s debut. Many cancer support groups and women’s organizations praised her for using her creativity to depict a universal, womanly journey.