Entertainment Desk:

Bangladeshi-origin fashion designer Tasmit Afiyat Arny has been named among four influential American-South Asian fashion designers by North America-based fashion and lifestyle platform Anokhi Media.

The list highlights designers who are expanding their creative influence across global fashion arenas. Tasmit is the only Bangladeshi-American to feature on the shortlist, alongside two Indian-origin American designers and one Sri Lankan-American designer.

Asian women fashion designers are making their mark on the global fashion stage. This International Women’s Month, we are celebrating Megha Rao, Anith Arora, Natharlea Yahampath (Sri Lankan), and Tasmit Afiyat Arny. Each of them continues to overcome challenges while presenting their local culture on international runways, earning admiration worldwide.”

Tasmit Afiyat shared that she had no prior knowledge about the recognition. “I don’t know if you’ll believe it, but they sent me a congratulatory email, and I saw it 16 hours later,” she said. “I still haven’t replied to thank them. Hopefully, I’ll respond tomorrow morning.” As of on Monday March 24, she was yet to send her response. “Anokhi might be planning a major feature on our work in the near future,” she added.

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Tasmit is married to Sabin Hinton, a US citizen and a career foreign service officer. In November 2022, photos from their wedding—where Tasmit wore a rickshaw-print-themed lehenga and arrived on horseback—went viral on Facebook.

At that time, Hinton was posted at the US Embassy in Dhaka. He is currently stationed in Doha, Qatar, and Tasmit has also continued her professional journey from there. Her designs in Doha have also highlighted elements of Bangladeshi culture, with her abaya collections being widely sold online.

At present, Tasmit is in Bangladesh, working as the official designer for the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), designing the national men’s team’s away jersey.

She is scheduled to return to Qatar on April 5.

Back in 2019, at the Miss Universe pageant held in Georgia, USA, Shirin Shila donned a red Jamdani saree designed by Tasmit, paired with jewellery inspired by rickshaw hoods and the Bengali alphabet. That very photo was published by Anokhi Media, which operates out of Toronto, Canada.

Tasmit has been working as a designer for over a decade. She is the founder, CEO, and chief fashion designer of the fashion brand Stride. In October last year, her sustainable luxury collection was showcased at Shanghai Fashion Week alongside global fashion giants such as Italian luxury brand Armani and French house Louis Vuitton.

The collection featured local Bangladeshi fabrics reimagined in international silhouettes, inspired by the July Revolution. She is currently collaborating with the World Fashion Organisation on sustainable high fashion.

Recently, Tasmit introduced a sustainable luxury bridal gown collection using Jamdani fabric, which has received positive feedback. After showcasing in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Shanghai (China), she is now preparing to launch a stall in New York, USA.

Her collections are also available on Stride’s online platform.