Our Story – Why We Created ORKEN?

‘Being active and adventurous doesn’t mean you can’t be stylish and feminine’.

Shiva Novinfar

Hello, My name is Shiva. I’m the creator and director of ORKEN.  I was born in Tehran, Iran on 3 September 1980.

When I was a child, I was always fascinated by how my auntie used to make clothes for her customers. There were always colourful fabrics in her house, fashion magazines, and lots of beautiful, handmade clothes. I loved to go to my auntie’s house to play with fabric strips, look at fashion magazines and explore the pieces of clothing she used to make for people. It was so fascinating to me. I also found myself drawing clothes for my barbies and making clothes out of newspaper (simply because I was not, at that time, allowed to make clothes from fabrics).

Growing up, it never crossed my mind that I would choose fashion as a career; maybe because, growing up in Iran, it was not the norm to become a fashion designer. Or, maybe, because later on I wanted to be a professional tennis player.

During my teenage years, I discovered that I was a very active person. I loved sports, played in tennis tournaments in Iran and dreamt about travelling the world and making my living from Tennis.

Later on, I studied Graphic Design and worked in various areas such as teaching, marketing, and graphic design. However, I found that I was always thinking about business ideas.

At the age of 24, I started my own graphic design business in Tehran and it was very successful. I was surprised by the level of demand and it got me more and more interested in starting a full time fashion business.

In early 2011, I had to leave Australia and live in Iran (for a while) in order to get my Permanent Residency. By that time, creating a fashion label was constantly on my mind. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

When I returned to Australia, I didn’t waste any more time. I decided to enrol in an Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design and Technology at TAFESA. After finishing my studies, I created my very own first fashion label: SHIVA NOVINFAR.

So why ORKEN? As much as I love fashion, I’m also a very active and adventurous person. I love travelling, seeing different places, meeting new people, experiencing their food and cultures. I also love sports and adventure and experiencing new things. But it’s really important to me to look good and feel confident while doing these things as I believe that being active and adventurous doesn’t mean you can’t be stylish and feminine.

Thus, ORKEN is for women who are bold, daring and willing to try new things. It’s for those who dare to chase their dreams, love travelling, sports and being active but also like to be stylish and fashionable.

Whether you’re spending a day on a beach, doing exercise, heading out to a café that you’ve just discovered or exploring a new city, we have the outfits that can give you that extra bit of confidence that comes with looking the part.

ORKEN therefore combines a love of fashion with a passion for activity and adventure, and shows that being active and adventurous doesn’t mean you can’t be stylish and feminine.

Love

Shiva xx