words and photos by Shab Ferdowsi
Tanin’s home in Paris XVII is a colorful showcase of Iranian artisanry. The Evil Eye and the Hand of Fatima adorn hand-crafted home goods that she has brought back from Iran, and over the past few years has been sharing with a community of curious Parisians via her business, Paris Perse.
Tanin and her family moved to Paris 34 years ago and settled into the 15ème arrondissement, which has become home to a large part of the Iranian diaspora in the French capital. There, her parents opened a restaurant and Persian grocery store to serve the community.
Paris is a multicultural city, and Tanin’s life flowed between Iranian and French communities through her childhood and beyond. A deep connection to her roots and many years studying different aspects of business eventually took her to Iran in 2015 to work as a liaison for international companies that were beginning to settle in Tehran.
But shifting socio-economics left her needing to pivot in 2018. Over the year she spent trying to find her footing, some close international clients encouraged her to share the beauty of her culture back in Paris, where Iranian artisanry didn’t have a platform yet.
So in 2019, Paris Perse was born.
Three times a year Tanin travels around Iran searching for artisans to support and whose crafts she wants to share in Paris. At the same time, she’s been able to bring her dedicated customers along, going live on Instagram and getting immediate feedback about which items to bring back.
Today, Paris Perse doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar boutique, but will occasionally run pop-ups around the city. where customers can shop the current colleciton.
For Tanin, Paris Perse isn’t just a business, but the fuel that allows her to connect with her homeland in a more meaningful way, all while shining a positive light on Iranian culture in Paris.
