Kurdish designer Lara Dizeyee is heading back to the big stage. On September 27, she’ll debut her new collection, Milan Enchanted, at Milan Fashion Week. The week runs from September 23–29, but her show is being kept private, which already gives it a bit of mystery.

The collection features 30 never-before-seen designs, each one meant to honor heritage while pushing forward into modern couture. It’s not the kind of fashion show where the clothes just float by—it’s built as an experience. Lara Dizeyee calls it a “dialogue between the past and present,” and you get the sense she’s aiming for something deeper than fabric.

Lara Dizeyee is Blending Culture With a Bold Career Shift

Plenty of designers talk about culture, but very few weave it in this directly. It reminds me of how Iris van Herpen brings science into her designs or how McQueen turned his shows into emotional theater. Lara Dizeyee is doing something similar, but with Kurdish culture as the foundation.

What makes her story even more interesting is her path here. She used to work in the oil and gas industry before launching her own fashion brand in 2023. That’s a huge jump. It brings to mind Vera Wang, who didn’t start her empire until her 40s after careers in figure skating and journalism. Fashion is full of late bloomers who bring fresh perspective, and Lara Dizeyee fits right into that tradition.

Last year, she showed in Paris, where she leaned heavily into Kurdish traditional costumes, updated with modern touches. That show was more of a cultural celebration. Milan feels different. This time she’s describing it as storytelling through fashion—less about showing off heritage, more about inviting people to feel it.

She’s also teaming up with jewelry brand Al Azeez and artisan Muna Darman, who crafted custom pieces just for this collection. The fabrics all come from Hezhin Boutique, which shows how much attention she’s paying to authenticity.

Let’s be honest—fashion weeks can start to blur together. A lot of designers play it safe, leaning on whatever’s trending. What makes Lara Dizeyee’s work stand out is that she’s adding representation from a culture we rarely see on major runways. It’s the same kind of shift we saw when Virgil Abloh brought his perspective into Louis Vuitton or when Yohji Yamamoto shook Paris with Japanese avant-garde. It’s not just clothes—it’s opening doors for voices that usually don’t get heard in fashion’s biggest spaces.

Related: Sixth Kobani International Film Festival 2025: Where Kurdish Cinema Meets the World in Celebration

Her brand is still new, but the momentum is real. On top of her fashion week appearances, she was named Kurdistan’s Cultural Ambassador last year. That role speaks to the bigger picture—she’s not just designing dresses, she’s carrying identity, history, and storytelling into places where they’ve been missing.

If she expands into ready-to-wear, as she’s hinted, it could be the start of something much bigger. Right now, she’s one of those names you can sense is on the rise. Milan Enchanted might just be the collection that takes her from “up-and-coming” to “must-watch.”