Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Applauds Tala Raassi, Chief Designer Of Dar Be Dar Swimwear

July 30, 2010 - PRLog -- Iranian American swimwear designer Tala Raassi was first introduced to the world in a 5 page feature in the May issue of Marie Claire Magazine. The feature covered an event in Raassi’s life that changed her perception on freedom and gave her a purpose to empower women through fashion. Since the Marie Claire feature, Raassi has been all over the international media, including major magazines VIVA and LOOK, and an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show. A month after Raassi’s feature in Marie Claire ran, she became the official swimwear sponsor for the Miss Universe Pageant, airing live on NBC on August 23, 2010.  

Raassi’s inspiring story of being punished in Iran for wearing a miniskirt at a private party made her view fashion as freedom. This empowering story of a woman entrepreneur struggling for what she believes in drew international attention to the designer and caused the Miss Universe Organization to want her swimwear featured in the upcoming pageant.

Editor-in- Chief of Marie Claire, Joanna Coles wrote in the August issue’s editor’s notes: “I sometimes feel that a story is over once the magazine’s on sale, but as you continually show us, a Marie Claire story takes on a life of its own once it’s in your hands. We were reminded of this when Tala Raassi, the extraordinary Iranian- American woman we profiled in the may issue, came to visit our offices recently. Tala received 40 lashes on her 16th birthday for the crime of wearing a mini-skirt in a private home; after the beating, she moved to the U.S., where she was determined to become a designer, because to her, fashion now means freedom. After her story appeared, Tala was flooded write e-mails and calls. Even Donald trump took notice and suggested that she design the swimwear for this year’s miss universe pageant. Not usually on my DVR, it will be top of the list this month.”

Each contestant in the Miss Universe Pageant, representing more than 80 countries around the world, will compete in a Dar Be Dar swimsuit during the telecast. Worldwide distribution of the competition has topped over 190 countries in past years and this year, the world will watch these women as they shine in Raassi’s designs!

                                                                           


For more information on Tala Raassi, Tala Raassi LLC, or Dar Be Dar, contact Erika Paola Gutierrez at erika@epgPR.com, or visit www.DarBeDar.net

ABOUT THE MISS UNIVERSE ORGANIZATION
The MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and MISS TEEN USA® pageants are a Donald J. Trump and NBC Universal joint venture. Utilizing its nationwide grass roots infrastructure, the Miss Universe Organization is committed to increasing HIV/AIDS awareness by focusing on women's health and reproductive issues. By forging relationships with organizations committed to research and education such as the Latino Commission on AIDS, God’s Love We Deliver, PSI/YouthAIDS, The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Gay Men’s Health Crisis. For more information, visit: www.missuniverse.com.