BAZAAR Most Stylish Women 2020: Parveen Hassanbhai

Who are your favourite designers?

Rei Kawakubo, for sure. She has influenced me since I was 17. I even did my thesis on her in school. To me, she’s someone very strong and powerful and independent—characteristics that I always look up to. Simone Rocha is another designer I like. Her stuff is a bit more girly, a bit more light, but at the same time, it can also be very powerful.

What are some of the most treasured pieces in your wardrobe?

My mum’s clothes. She and my aunt used to work in fashion, so I have a lot of hand-me-downs. I have stuff from her Burberry Prorsum collections and her vintage Gucci t-shirts that she used to wear when I was a kid. They’re so precious to me that I don’t even wear them out.

Who has had the biggest impact on your approach to fashion?

Apart from my mum and my aunt, that would be my cousin. He was the one who bought me my first Comme [des Garçons] piece when I was 17. He’s always the one to tell me to just have fun and not conform.

What are you looking to get your hands on next?

I’m on the hunt for pieces from 1995 to 1998—archival things I would wear, but also just want to keep because they’re rare. Not just from Comme, but things from that era—[Maison] Margiela, Chanel, Burberry. There’s just something different about that era. I think because there was no social media, designers didn’t have that influence from technology. It was pure creativity.