Bijan’s Way

Iran, as a country, and the people of Persia have a lot for which to be grateful -- the history, the architecture, the poetry, the books, and science that goes back to a few thousand years.

In recent years, we had a woman getting a Nobel peace prize and another woman going to the moon; men who started eBay and men who are responsible for Google and Nassau’s big mission going to Mars; a woman getting an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and a man getting France’s Cannes Film Festival Director of the Year award. My list could go on and on and for those interested to know more Google famous Iranians of the century.

When it comes to fashion, though we consider ourselves Tres Chic from the olden days of French influence in our language, music, and culture, and we take pride in owning designer watches and handbags of today's modern designers, we had no one to speak on our behalf and fill the list of our fashion desires.

In 1959, the Empress of Iran brought the world’s attention to the paisley pattern, sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quilt makers.
She wore a fifteen meter long paisley pattern dark emerald green velvet densely studded with the finest diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls. From the history of the paisley pattern to the second introduction of this old kidney shaped Persian pattern by the Empress, we once again enjoyed our little mark in the fashion arena.
In 1976, a handsome talented young fashion designer turned our attention to Beverly Hills.  He opened his exclusive boutique on Rodeo Drive.  It could be visited by appointments only and was described as "the most expensive store in the world."
He was no other than Bijan Pakzad, known to most only as Bijan. This brilliant giant of marketing, with his exquisite taste and standard of excellence, fit for royalty, decided to do what until today no one has ever done before -- set the platform as high as you can and let the millionaires and Bentley owners and fashion lovers come to him. Until that time we only had Ralph Lauren and Calvin Kline as the most famous American male designers, who had the market on the East Coast.  This young man from Iran became their competition in the West and made a big name for himself. This little giant of a man with his VIP attitude and attention to quality and service as well as his bigger than life billboard ads seen all over the city of Los Angeles became well known.
I was just a graduate student in the early '80s and my first job out of school was to work at a cosmetics department. I remember very well, with its signature yellow color, his perfume became synonymous  with success and riches and made me feel good. The perfume became the best seller for the next nine years and I felt so proud to owning and displaying it like a little miniature art from Iran. I was happy to be associated with his name as a fellow Iranian person. It took years for people to forget about the hostage crisis in Iran and the scent of beauty by Bijan to spread love and beauty back in to my culture.

I was so fascinated with this man and was curious to know a little more about this Persian fashion hero of mine. A few days after his fortieth day of passing (a Persian ritual) I called his sister. I knew how much she loved him. I have not seen her since the actual funeral. I honestly told her that I was interested in writing my next article about him and would like to add some personal notes. She generously accepted my offer to meet. She informed me that Bijan has chosen her as an executive to his will. There were four brothers and one sister, with one step-brother named Mr. Hamid Mir-Motahari, a well known TV journalist. I knew Bijan loved his sister so much, after all, she was in charge of taking care of their beloved father and up until a few years ago of passing, Bijan and his sister made sure their dad lived in comfort and was surrounded with their love. She told me Bijan used to give a new car to his dad as a gift every few years, while he was well. He never stopped showering his family and friends and his last love Mahtab with gifts from his generous heart.

Bijan was the eldest son who left Iran at the age of seventeen to pursue his big dreams. He loved The Pink Panther and enjoyed the riches of life. Some of his childhood years were spent in the city of Ahvaz and I suppose that was his influence for his warmth and kindness. He use to jokingly tell his sister, "Do you guys believe that this is the same boy from the Ahvaz days who made these riches of life?" and laugh with that contagious smile of his. She also share the story that Bijan use to take about ten to fifteen of his friends to this local ice cream shop and treat all of them to ice cream and had it charged to his dad. Though he could not afford the money at that time, his spirit was always rich. When his dad found out, he was in trouble, but nevertheless it was a sweet punishment. He was fond of his beloved country and its people and was always proud of his heritage. His dreams were big and that’s why at the age of seventeen, he decided to leave Iran. But his father was much against it. However, he did what ever he could on his own to get him a passport and set his journey to Germany. He worked hard and long and that is where he met his first wife. They had their only son Alexander. I suppose Germany became too small after awhile, so he moved to the United States in 1973.

Bijan set his goals high and choose to give personal attention to the details of his work. Because of this, he was noticed for his perfection by the people who were able to pay to wear his expensive well-made clothes. I was still in college when I first made my trip to the door of his shop. I looked with marvel and pride and was so happy to be present at his door. I would wait until someone got in, so I could put my head in and take a quick glance at this beautiful shop.
When I heard of his sudden death on April 16, my heart wept with sorrow. I called his sister immediately and I decided to attend the funeral. Last time I saw him was at the funeral of Nicki, the famous model from his billboard. How ironic that now he is down just a few feet away from her.

At his funeral, all eyes could see were a sea of yellow flowers (his signature color) and big pictures of him and his bigger than life smile. It was a private gathering of friends and family, his son and two daughters, his sister and brothers and many, many dear friends that wept from the bottom of their heart.  I have never seen this many men crying for another man. There was the Mayor of Beverly Hills Jimmy Delshad, The head of Kabbala Center from Los Angles, Dariush the singer, Christian and Muslim leaders and TV personalities who were close to him. He was not a religious man, but he was loved and respected by all mankind. You could tell from the speeches and sermons, there was not a single person who met him did not love him with tremendous respect and love. A week later they had a bigger than life tribute to him at UCLA with thousands of people attending. His son read a letter from both former Presidents Bush, who spoke their sorrow and love upon the passing of this great friend and a man. There were performances worthy of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin paying tribute to Bijan. The atmosphere was grand, the way he lived and truly deserved. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jordan, Kings, Queens and Presidents of many different countries were among his clients and friends. His last project was designing for Rolls-Royce and Bugatti cars. He was given the key to many cities around the world including Florence, and next month he was going to be given an honorary degree in Oxford, England. The mayor named a street after Bijan and offered the already made sign to his son as a token of appreciation from the people of Beverly Hills. He said it was Bijan’s way and undoubtedly Bijan lived his life his way. God bless his big smiling soul and my condolences to his family and true friends.