About Author

Textile artist, fashion designer, researcher, and educator bridging art, culture, and historical inquiry.

Sofi Khachmanyan is an Armenian-born scholar whose life’s work has been dedicated to understanding and preserving Armenian cultural heritage through the lens of textile arts and fashion design. Her unique background spanning continents, artistic traditions, and academic disciplines has positioned her as a pioneering voice in Armenian ecclesiastical art studies.

Educational Foundation

Sofi’s journey began with early training in Embroidery Arts in Yerevan, Armenia, where she immersed herself in the traditional techniques and symbolic language of Armenian textile craftsmanship. This foundation in her ancestral homeland provided her with an intimate understanding of the cultural significance embedded in every stitch and pattern.

She later pursued Fashion Design at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising), where she honed her technical skills and design sensibility. Her academic journey continued with a Master’s degree in Fashion Design and Textiles from California State University, Los Angeles, where she began to explore the intersection of historical textile traditions and contemporary design practice.

Groundbreaking Doctoral Research

Sofi’s longstanding research interest in Armenian symbolism led her to pursue doctoral studies at the Institute of Arts of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia—the pinnacle of Armenian cultural scholarship. There, she completed her dissertation on the symbolism of the Catholicos’ vestments, producing what would become the first comprehensive academic study of this significant yet understudied element of Armenian ecclesiastical art.

Her doctoral research was groundbreaking in its scope and methodology, synthesizing art history, ethnography, theology, archaeology, and textile studies. She examined museum collections across multiple continents, analyzed medieval manuscripts spanning five centuries, and traced the genealogical links between Armenian ritual vestments and those of neighboring civilizations. This rigorous, interdisciplinary approach produced insights that had eluded scholars for generations.

A Scholar-Artist’s Perspective

What sets Sofi apart is her dual identity as both a scholar, fashion designer, and artist. Her hands-on experience with textile creation—understanding how threads interweave, how patterns emerge, how colors interact—gives her a unique lens through which to examine historical garments. She doesn’t just study vestments as artifacts; she understands them as living works of art created by skilled craftspeople who embedded meaning into every design decision.

In addition to garment construction and design, Sofi has taught Textile Science and the History of Fashion for many years. Her teaching bridges the gap between historical scholarship and contemporary artistic practice, inspiring students to see traditional craftsmanship as a vital, evolving tradition rather than a relic of the past.

A Mission of Cultural Preservation

Through her work, Sofi has become a guardian of Armenian cultural memory. In a rapidly changing world where ancient traditions face the threat of being forgotten, her research preserves the stories embedded in sacred vestments—stories of pre-Christian rituals, of the adoption of Christianity, of centuries of artistic evolution, and of a people’s resilience and cultural continuity.

Sofi Khachmanyan’s book represents not just years of academic research but a lifetime of dedication to understanding how culture, spirituality, and artistry interweave to create identity. Her work illuminates the sacred heritage of Armenia while offering universal insights into how civilizations preserve their essence across millennia.

Connect with Sofi

For speaking engagements, academic collaboration, or inquiries about her research, please reach out through the contact information below.