Ari Sheuhmelian

Bio

Celebrities like Lauren Conrad and Ginnifer Goodwin turn to Pogah by Ari Sheuhmelian for red carpet-worthy gowns and after-party pleasing frocks.

Finalist of the “Oscar’s Designer Challenge 2010,” Sheuhmelian heads the Pogah couture house, which specializes in elegant, timeless pieces often featured in magazine editorials and sought by Hollywood types.

The made-to-order line is cut from silks, satins and other luxury fabrics flown in from French and Italian mills. A ready-to-wear line will be sold in a few selective boutiques soon, with a date yet to be determined.

Sheuhmelian says that his rich Middle Eastern culture and background lend to his creative style, although inspiration for a design might come from music, books, traveling or the fabrics themselves.

“I [have] designed ever since I was a kid, watching my mom who had an incredible fashion sense,” says Sheuhmelian, whose mother is his main muse.

The designer holds a master’s degree in international marketing and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Beirut, studying also fashion design at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode (ESMOD) in Paris. He interned with several fashion houses in Paris and in New York, before launching his own collection in 1999 from Syria.

Now based in Los Angeles, Sheuhmelian still oversees the entire design and patternmaking process from first cut to last stitch. “When you know in advance what you are after,” continues the designer, “You cannot work for others because your vision and personality dissolves in theirs.”