Armenian-American filmmaker Madeline Sharafian dressed in Jocund by Armenian fashion designer Varduhi Torozyan to the 2026 Oscars, with the look curated and executed by the Yerevan-based lifestyle platform Rien-à-Porter as part of its collaboration with Torozyan, bringing Armenian creativity to one of the world’s most visible stages.
Sharafian, the first Armenian filmmaker to direct a feature film at Pixar, stepped onto the red carpet in a dress by Torozyan, founder of the brand Jocund. Sharafian received her second Academy Award nomination for directing Disney/Pixar’s “ELIO,” which she co-directed alongside Domee Shi and Adrian Molina, becoming the first Armenian and only the third woman in Pixar’s history to direct a feature-length film.
The collaboration also reflects a key belief behind Rien-à-Porter: local is the new luxury. The platform celebrates Armenian heritage and contemporary design by working with a carefully selected group of local designers, showcasing them both on its online platform and at its flagship lifestyle space in Yerevan on Pushkin 35.
“This is a moment of real honor for us,” said Inna Hovhannisyan, PR & Special Projects Lead at Rien-à-Porter. “Madeline is someone we are incredibly proud of, a true diaspora success story and a creative voice representing Armenian talent on the global stage. Dressing her for the Oscars felt symbolic for our platform. From the very beginning, there was an immediate and natural match between Madeline and Varduhi, their sensibilities, elegance, and worldview aligned instantly.”
Hovhannisyan added: “Our mission at Rien-à-Porter is to celebrate Armenian talent around the world while simultaneously creating a platform for local designers. Being able to connect someone like Madeline with a designer like Varduhi, who is one of our own and whose work and vision we deeply admire, is exactly the kind of cultural bridge we want to build. The entire process, from the first sketches to delivering the dress, felt magical. We were honestly on cloud seven throughout the whole journey and are incredibly happy with the result.”
Designer Varduhi Torozyan, an Armenian fashion designer known for combining traditional Armenian textile influences with contemporary fashion design, also reflected on the collaboration.
“More than a red-carpet look, this Jocund design is an exploration of the person behind the project,” Torozyan said. “It represents a turning point that celebrates Madeline’s elegance and vulnerability through soft, fantasy-like, delicate layers. My vision was to create a space where her natural beauty and the soul of her work could be seen by the world.”
She added: “I believe the dress complements her personality and highlights her beauty not only visually, but also through the vision and values she carries as a person. I’m indescribably grateful to have had the opportunity to create for such an incredible woman. It has truly been a privilege to work alongside Rien-à-Porter and to have their support and partnership throughout this process.”
With this appearance, Armenian cinema, fashion, and cultural curation converged at the Oscars, bringing a locally rooted designer to one of the world’s most visible stages.
