How the Marandis became the most connected couple in London

After the Standard revealed links between Javad Marandi and a 'dirty money probe', Katie Strick tells the story of the rise of a tycoon

SCAN the front row at any of London’s latest fashion weeks or British Fashion Awards and you’ll likely find Narmina Marandi cosying up alongside the likes of designer Emilia Wickstead or TV personality Tan France.

The multimillionaire businesswoman — a patron of the British Fashion Trust and wife of one of the country’s richest property tycoons Javad Marandi — is no stranger to a society event. Over recent years, she and her husband have been pictured everywhere from Cannes Film Festival to private dinners with Vogue editor Edward Enninful. That’s if they’re not enjoying a more private evening at celebrity hangout Soho House, in which they are investors, or Mayfair members’ club 5 Hertford Street — just a stone’s throw from their £12.5m home on Belgravia’s Eaton Square.

You might not have heard of the Marandis, but the Iranian-born investor, 55, and his wife, 47 — owners of London’s famous Conran Shop and investors in the Anya Hindmarch handbag retailer — have interests in the worlds of fashion, art, hospitality and international relations. They are understood to be key funders of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Royal Foundation, so much so that Javad Marandi was awarded an OBE in 2020 for his services to business and for his philanthropy.

Not only that, but as a major donor to the Conservative Party, the couple also have links to Britain’s political elite — a fact that thrust them onto the front pages this week when Javad Marandi was revealed to be a key figure linked to a major money-laundering operation targeted by the National Crime Agency.