For this season, Cult Gaia designer Jasmin Larian Hekmat set out to explore how beauty can reveal itself after a difficult stretch. Behesht, the Persian word for heaven, takes its shape from the tension of what emerges from a hard place, rigid, architectural forms offset by pieces that feel delicate, fluid, and alive, tracing back to pairidaeza, the ancient Persian root of the word paradise, and the idea that beauty can emerge from even the most difficult places. Presented in New York one day before the official start of Fashion Week, the show once again gave Cult Gaia‘s audience pieces striking enough to stop scrolling and take a second look.
Photo: Courtesy of Cult Gaia
Architectural forms met fluid silhouettes throughout, rigid materials softening into movement, chintz plissé, silk jacquards, frayed organza, hammered metal, hand-assembled rings, and sculptural accessories, all exploring the tension between protection and fragility. As the brand put it: no matter how hard the place, light will find the smallest crack, and life will find its way through.
Photo: Courtesy of Cult Gaia
The collection’s placement and meaning made sense once its story came into focus. Hekmat named it Behesht after losing her grandmother, Mommy Aghdas, earlier this year, continuing a personal thread that ran through her previous collection, Shirzan, also dedicated to her grandmother and the generations of women who shaped her. That earlier show had opened with a recording of Mommy Aghdas singing. This time, Hekmat began with something heavier, using the clothing to trace a slow shift toward something lighter. The show opened on darker, more austere looks, an olive-green suit with pronounced shoulders, a textured dress in the same tone, before slowly opening into brighter colors, lighter materials, and increasingly playful pieces as it went on.
Photo: Courtesy of Cult Gaia
Beyond the runway, plenty of these pieces translate easily into real wedding wardrobes. The lighter, more fluid looks from the back half of the collection would suit a welcome dinner perfectly, and the sculptural accessories scattered throughout give the bride, bridal party members, and wedding guests alike plenty of room to have some fun with their own look, whether that’s a full outfit or just one standout piece.
Photo: Courtesy of Cult Gaia
