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Moving away from darkish clothes, Iranian designers try to strike a tremendous steadiness between a rising development favoring shiny colours and the Islamic republic’s strict costume code for girls.
“As a younger girl, I select garments in a contemporary design with shiny colours,” 22-year-old designer Hadis Hassanlou instructed AFP at a trend exhibition within the historic Saadabad Palace in Tehran.
Since shortly after the 1979 revolution, girls in Iran have needed to observe a strict costume code and put on loose-fitting clothes whereas additionally masking the pinnacle and neck.
When they enterprise out into the streets, many ladies go for head-to-toe black chadors. But lately, Iranian designers have additionally sought to incorporate brighter colours of their creations.
New designs on the exhibition, the place some 50 clothes had been on present, included all the pieces from black chadors to lengthy floral-patterned clothes and coats fitted on the waist.
“When designing, I first take society’s norms and guidelines into consideration,” mentioned designer Sanaz Sarparasti.
She says her colourful designs aimed to maintain up with rising developments amongst younger Iranian girls.
They “need to be freer, extra fashionable and extra up-to-date in how and what they put on”, Sarparasti mentioned.
The strict costume code for girls has been the topic of heated debate since nationwide protests following the demise in custody in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini.
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, had been arrested for allegedly violating the costume code.
Designers say the shift to brighter colours has not been simple, particularly as many ladies nonetheless stick with darker shades.
“Societal norms and the nation’s laws usually require darker colours,” mentioned Afshin Parsaee.
“We nonetheless want to provide them as properly,” the designer mentioned.
Besides sporting a hijab masking the pinnacle and neck, girls who work in authorities places of work are required to put on darkish, lengthy Islamic uniforms.
At the exhibition, Culture Minister Mohammad Esmaili mentioned clothes was “a very powerful cultural image of any civilization”, and hailed what he known as the “modest” attribute of Islamic clothes in Iran.
Hassanlou mentioned she has sought to mix colours with Iran’s conventional artwork of calligraphy in her designs which she says are derived from “unique Persian trend” that has developed over 1000’s of years.
“One of my objectives when designing an outfit is that or not it’s fashionable and colourful, even whereas following calligraphic custom,” she mentioned.
Others hope to see their work in the future in outstanding trend capitals.
“We’ve placed on the agenda selling Persian clothes trend week in Paris, Milan and London,” mentioned Hadis Pazouki, head of the nation’s nationwide trend, clothes and way of life basis.
“We imagine that beautiful Persian garments could be worn by anybody, not solely Iranians.”
For trend exhibition customer Fatemeh Fazeli, 19, the shift to brighter colours has been a welcome change.
“I can by no means put on a dark-colored headband… besides at funerals,” she mentioned.
“When you put on shiny colours your temper adjustments and you are feeling higher.”
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