Things are changing in Iran and it isn’t just about the politics. As the nation moves forward politically, the women in Iran are having their own silent revolution. The modesty of their mothers is being forgotten as the modern women of Iran develop their own style.
Women in Iran have been looking to the West for fashion inspiration for quite a while now. The modern Iranian woman has an at-home wardrobe that is nearly indistinguishable from what you would see in the U.S. or Western Europe. The new generation of Iranian women, however, isn’t happy to just emulate Western style. The fashion industry is exploding in Iran and entrepreneurial fashionistas are looking to carve out their own place in the Middle Eastern fashion scene.
It might not be discussed much in the West but Iranian designers, and Middle Eastern fashion in general, is nothing to dismiss. The modesty-focused Muslim fashion market brought in $224 billion last year and that number is expected to exceed $322 billion by 2018.
It’s not just the young women who are looking for a change. The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, is fully supporting the women’s fashion movement. In a recent Tweet, Rouhani said that a woman’s virtue should not be judged by her clothing. Rouhani is encouraging women to wear what they want while sending a wider call for modernization in Iran.
If you have been picturing Iran as a desert filled with women in black burqas, you need to take a closer look at modern-day Iran. Of course, there are still traditional conservative women who prefer to cover themselves from head-to-toe but that isn’t the style of the average young woman in Iran.
Iran is a nation of skinny jeans and high heels. The country actually has the highest rate of nose jobs in the world. While many women do still wear some type of head cover, most young urban women aren’t completely covering their hair. Throughout Tehran there has been a surge in hair salons. From mohawks to platinum blonde dye jobs, nothing is off-limits in the capital of Iran.
The new Iranian style was highlighted in the latest issue of Fashionable, Sexy, Haute and Naughty Magazine (FSHN). The fashion magazine shot its first editorial at the end of October. The small landmark piece for the magazine was a major landmark for Iranian fashion. The editorial was shot at the Manouchehri House in Kashan and Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran.
California-based FSHN photographer Afra Pourdad said that the photo shoot was a reflection the “contradictions and culture of everyday Iran.” The exciting project marks the first international fashion shoot that has been done in Iran since Vogue was there in 1969.
At the forefront of the Iranian fashion world is Farnaz Abdoli. The popular designer has pushed the boundaries of Iranian fashion with her POOSH line. As her styles filter down from Tehran to the rest of Iran, women are increasing moving away from modesty-focused garb and focusing on high fashion.