Designer
Having studied illustration and communications in college, Samuel Vartan did not set his sights on fashion at first. Fashion found him.
Born in Athens, Greece, Vartan and his family moved to Montreal, Canada, where he lived until coming to the United States in 2003. As a young man he was passionate about illustration, music, and film. Vartan took a job in retail and found working on window displays quickly became his favorite task; putting different looks together and experimenting with combinations was a pleasure. In the evenings, he tagged along with a musician friend who was being fitted for stage clothes and became enthralled by what the designer was doing. He soon began sketching his own designs and found his skills as an illustrator translated easily into fashion design.
Thus, Samuel Vartan designs was born.
A business he ran out of his parent’s home, working on sketches in his bedroom and bringing designs to reality at his mother’s kitchen table. Friends, musicians, models and locals were soon wearing his creations. By 1998, Vartan had earned tremendous accolades and won the support of the fashion community at his first official runway show.
In a world of “fast” disposable fashion, Vartan’s designs are refreshingly personal. His history as a musician, illustrator, animator, film lover, and world traveler culminate in every piece he creates, pieces that can be worn for a lifetime. Heavily influenced by the refined, well-tailored, classic styles of the early 1960’s, Vartan’s collections are not influenced so much by current trends as they are by the timeless female icons like Sophia Lauren. Vartan cuts his clothes with a kind of elegance and minimalism that simply enhance the wearer rather than stealing attention from her.