Narod Aghakhanian brings together fashion, costume design and personal storytelling. For the second HipHop Ball Berlin, the designer has created a one-of-a-kind gown that blends basketball culture, graffiti and traditional ballroom elegance.
Fashion can adorn. It can provoke, express identity and tell stories. For Berlin-based designer Narod Aghakhanian, also known as Narry, it is, above all, a form of creative expression.
Her work moves between fashion design, costume artistry and visual storytelling. From costumes for film productions and music videos to bespoke creations that challenge conventional ideas of fashion, her approach is always driven by the same ambition: to create more than just clothing and give every piece a story of its own.
For the second HipHop Ball Berlin on November 14, 2026, she has designed something particularly special: a custom ballroom gown for founder Sajeh Tavassoli, bringing together classical elegance and the visual language of urban culture.
A Designer Between Los Angeles and Berlin
Narod Aghakhanian draws inspiration from different creative worlds. The German-Armenian designer began her education at the age of 19 in Los Angeles, studying Fashion Design and Theatre Costume Design at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. She later completed her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design at AMD Akademie Mode & Design in Berlin. Her career has taken her into both the film and music industries. She has worked in costume departments on international productions including John Wick: Chapter 4, 1899 and Babylon Berlin. She has also developed a distinctive creative identity within the music scene. For several years, she has been designing and styling looks for Berlin-based rapper Yetundey, bringing together fashion, music, individuality and artistic expression.
Through her label Extraordinarry, she creates bespoke designs that refuse to be confined by traditional style categories. Her strength lies in transforming fashion into an artistic statement and giving clothing a story worth telling.
When a Basketball Jersey Becomes a Ball Gown
For HipHop Ball, Narod Aghakhanian reimagines the aesthetics of basketball through the silhouette of a traditional couture gown. At the heart of the design is a structured corset inspired by a basketball jersey, translating its distinctive colours and graphic elements into an elegant, fitted shape. The words “HipHop Ball” appear across the front, meticulously embellished with sparkling crystals. Beneath them sits the number 9, a detail with deeply personal meaning for Sajeh Tavassoli.
It is not only a reference to her son’s basketball jersey number, but also represents the nine letters of her surname. The number serves as a heartfelt tribute to her father, to whom she attributes her roots, her values and so much of the person she has become. What begins as a reference to basketball becomes something far more meaningful: a symbol of family, heritage and the connection between generations.
Graffiti, Glamour and Thousands of Crystals
While the corset draws on clean lines and athletic influences, the voluminous ballroom skirt creates a striking contrast. Inspired by graffiti and urban art, the fabric becomes a canvas for bold, expressive design. Thousands of individually hand-placed crystals embellish the corset, graffiti elements, skirt and silver lace trim along the hem. The creation requires ten metres of satin, eight metres of lining fabric and 30 metres of tulle.
This meticulous craftsmanship gives the gown its distinctive character. Athletic references meet traditional dressmaking, while urban aesthetics blend with the grandeur of a ballroom celebration. A design that refuses to choose between street culture and elegance, embracing both as equally powerful forms of expression.
A Creative Connection That Began at HipHop Ball
The collaboration between Narod Aghakhanian and Sajeh Tavassoli began at the inaugural HipHop Ball Berlin in 2025. That evening, Narod attracted attention with an extraordinary creation for ticketing partner Reservix: a ballroom gown featuring a train and fan crafted from more than 200 specially designed tickets.
The piece demonstrated her ability to transform unexpected materials and unconventional ideas into a distinctive fashion statement. For Sajeh Tavassoli, it marked the beginning of a new creative connection. One year later, Narod has designed a gown that does more than interpret the HipHop Ball dress code. It captures the cultural vision behind the event itself.
Fashion as an Expression of Cultural Identity
Since 2016, HipHop Ball has brought together classical ballroom tradition and urban culture. Haute couture, ball gowns and sneakers. Waltz and breaking. Graffiti and historic architecture. Different worlds meet on equal footing, creating space for new forms of artistic expression. Narod Aghakhanian brings this philosophy into her work. Her design demonstrates that different cultural influences do not have to compete. On the contrary, their contrasts can become the starting point for an entirely new aesthetic. It also reveals how much personality a single garment can hold when a designer is willing to look beyond traditional definitions of fashion.
On November 14, 2026, Narod’s creation will make its debut at the Rotes Rathaus during the second HipHop Ball Berlin.
A gown designed not simply to be worn, but to tell a story.
IN HER OWN WORDS
Fashion becomes truly interesting to me when it tells a story beyond a beautiful silhouette. For HipHop Ball, I wanted to create a gown that combines the elegance of traditional ballroom fashion with the energy of basketball, graffiti and street culture. At the same time, I wanted it to reflect something deeply personal about Sajeh. To me, the most exciting designs emerge when different worlds come together and create something entirely their own.
Narod Aghakhanian
Fashion & Costume Designer | Extraordinarry
