I did this shoot for  a few reasons.  One was after seeing the movie 300, I thought it would be a positive thing to counteract all the negative imagery from that movie. Also, I wanted to celebrate the young Iranians whom despite the risk of being incarcerated for being too fashionable still take the risk to come out this way.

 

Also, this inscription from Darius The Great was of great inspiration to me:

"I am Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing all kinds of men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, having Aryan lineage."

Background Info:

Niki Koohpaima -Inside the Mind of a Young Artist

Iranian fashion by Niki Koohpaima

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