I have always been fascinated by materials that refuse to remain what they appear to be.

This project began with discarded industrial textiles from Klopman—not as finished fabrics, but as possibilities waiting to be discovered. I washed them, covered them with wood glue, painted them, sprayed their surfaces, and cut into them without knowing what would emerge.

The moment I opened the material, everything changed.

Beneath the black exterior was an unexpected white interior. It felt less like altering a fabric and more like uncovering something that had been hidden within it all along. That discovery transformed the entire process.

From then on, every cut became an act of discovery. The material revealed textures, contrasts, and possibilities that no sketch could have predicted.

Beneath the Surface

Black and white photo of a woman sitting with her left arm extended and looking over her shoulder against a black background.

Beneath the Surface

Sometimes the most important part of a material is the part we cannot see.

Sometimes the most important part of a material is the part we cannot see.

Full-length view of the Beneath the Surface garment by Zara Saberi, revealing a white interior beneath its black exterior through experimental textile design.
Full-length view of the Beneath the Surface garment by Zara Saberi, revealing a white interior beneath its black exterior through experimental textile design.

I have always been fascinated by materials that refuse to remain what they appear to be.

This project began with discarded industrial textiles from Klopman—not as finished fabrics, but as possibilities waiting to be discovered.

I washed them, covered them with wood glue, painted them, sprayed their surfaces, and cut into them without knowing what would emerge.

Model wearing the Beneath the Surface garment by Zara Saberi, exploring experimental black-and-white textile design.
Model wearing washed, painted and reconstructing discarded Klopman textiles for the Beneath the Surface project by Zara Saberi.
Model wearing washed, painted and reconstructing discarded Klopman textiles for the Beneath the Surface project by Zara Saberi.

From then on, every cut became an act of discovery. The material revealed textures, contrasts, and possibilities that no sketch could have predicted.

The garments became the result of a dialogue between curiosity and material—each surface carrying the memory of experimentation, where chance became part of the creative process.

A woman with short dark hair sitting on a black mat against a black background, wearing a textured cloth top and black leggings, with her right arm extended forward and looking directly at the camera.
A woman with short dark hair sitting on a black mat against a black background, wearing a textured cloth top and black leggings, with her right arm extended forward and looking directly at the camera.

Photographed within a dark, cinematic atmosphere, the images continue this same sense of mystery. They do not explain the material; they invite the viewer to look beyond its surface.

The garments became the result of a dialogue between curiosity and material—each surface carrying the memory of experimentation, where chance became part of the creative process.

Photographed within a dark, cinematic atmosphere, the images continue this same sense of mystery. They do not explain the material; they invite the viewer to look beyond its surface.

Model wearing the Beneath the Surface collection by Zara Saberi, created in Italy through experimental textile design.
Model wearing the Beneath the Surface collection by Zara Saberi, created in Italy through experimental textile design.

Beneath the black exterior was an unexpected white interior. It felt less like changing a fabric and more like uncovering something that had been hidden inside all along. That discovery transformed the entire process.

From then on, every cut became an act of discovery. The material revealed textures, contrasts, and possibilities that no sketch could have predicted.

The garments are the result of that dialogue between curiosity and material. Every surface carries the memory of experimentation, where chance became part of the creative process.

Photographed in a dark, cinematic atmosphere, the images continue the same sense of mystery. They do not explain the material. They invite the viewer to look beyond its surface.

What lies beneath matters most

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What lies beneath matters most .