ArdAzAei introduced its fourth couture collection, The Folded Sea, on July 10, 2025, at the former Fondation Cartier in Paris. The presentation featured 26 looks inspired by the complexity and delicacy of marine ecosystems, with a focus on the sea urchin as a symbol of oceanic balance.
Creative director Bahareh Ardakani framed the Fall Winter 2025 collection as a reflection of beauty drawn from within. Soft pinks, lavender, and creamy pastels carried a sense of aquatic movement, rendered in watery jacquards and silk fabrics that shimmer like morning light rippling on the sea’s surface. Metallic accents suggested the refraction of underwater light, linking each garment to a larger visual theme.
Pleating played a central role in the construction of the collection. Corseted looks used directional pleats to evoke the movement of ocean currents. A minidress created with layers of pleated georgette and lightweight silk resembled the pulse of coral. Accordion folds mimicked the surface of seashells, while fans and volants shaped like marine flowers animated the silhouettes. One evening gown featured hundreds of layers of chiffon, organza, and mousseline changeante, draped to imitate jellyfish arms in motion.
Several garments explored the optical phenomenon of bioluminescence. One evening look featured 168 silk petals hand-embroidered with sequins, beads, and tubes to resemble glowing sea flowers. Another piece required 500 hours to complete, covered in 33,000 Swarovski crystals and sculpted in a metal silk blend. Each movement of the gown reflected light as if dancing on water.
The sea urchin served as both motif and structural reference throughout the collection. Macramé techniques recreated their forms using pearl-detailed silk chiffon, curling around corsets and hips. Fish scales and vintage beads—sourced in 40 material types – covered a full minidress in sea urchin texture. The brand’s emblem appeared inverted in smocking to echo their geometry, while accordion-pleated plissé shaped a mini-cape into a kinetic form echoing their five-part structure. Boning remained exposed in several corsets, nodding to the echinoderm’s external skeleton.
Months of textile development led to a custom jacquard drawn from magnified sea urchin imagery. Lurex threads created an iridescent effect, used in the collection’s tailoring and final gown. The finale design featured printed sketches of electron-magnified sea urchins layered beneath ruffled guipure lace, producing movement beneath the surface of the silk organza.
The footwear included two styles. One pump featured a sculptural comma heel and pinched silhouette with ArdAzAei’s signature metal detail. A slingback echoed the same lines in a softer rhythm, shaped to complement the collection’s fluidity.
Presented at Jean Nouvel’s architectural space in Paris’ 14th arrondissement, the show included a custom soundtrack by Frédéric Sanchez and concluded with New Nordic Cuisine by Claus Meyer and André S. Andersen.
