Islamic Republic of Iran is the second largest country in the Middle East with fascinating 5,000 years of history. It is home to one of the world's oldest major civilizations.
Until 1935 Iran was known as Persia, which means 'Land of the Aryans'. The inhabitants refer to themselves as Persians and their language is Farsi. The country has a complex history with various empires taking over it or trying to take over it from the ancient times all the way to the modern times. Having undergone centuries of migrations, invasions and assimilations, Iran is far from being a country with a homogeneous population. Although more than half of its population is made up of Persians, Iran also has hugely diverse peoples such as the Azari Turks, Afsharies, Bakhtiari, Baluchis, Gilaki (Gilani), Ghoochani, Korasan (Kohrassan), Kords, Lors, Mazandaranis, Qashqai, Shahsavan, and Turkmen among many other ethnic groups.
The population is 77 million; around 90% of the population is Muslim with vast majority belonging to Twelver Shia branch of Islam. Prior to Islam, Zoroastrianism was the primary religion of Iran with a small number of people adhering to the ancient religion today. Muslims invaded Iran in 656, marking a turning point for their history, as the new Islamic policy became gradually absorbed into the Persian civilization. Iran thereafter played a vital role in the subsequent Islamic Golden Age, producing numerous influential scientists, scholars, artists, and thinkers.
Traditional dress
As Iran has many different regions and ethnic groups all of them offer their own kind of a traditional dress. Moreover, over the course of 5,000 years the dress changed many times. There are really good online resources dedicated to the traditional Persian dresses. Here is the link to one of them: http://www.parstimes.com/women/traditional_costume/sketches/
And here are some real photos from the past of Persian women in traditional dresses:
http://www.parstimes.com/women/traditional_costume/period/
A great article about how the Persian dress has evolved over the centuries: Persian dress through the ages
Few random pictures I found and really liked on the Internet:
These pictures come from an online forum and relate to the traditional dress exhibition in Iran in 2007:
The infamous 'dress code' in Iran
In Iran, women are required to dress modestly by keeping their hair covered and by wearing long, loose-fitting clothing to disguise their figures. It was not always like that with the dress code being introduced only in 1978 after the Islamic Revolution. However, contrary to popular belief the 'chador' is not a mandatory requirement and the clothing does not have to be black. A headscarf, trousers and long-sleeved tunic or coat will do, especially if you are a tourist. Since recently, women in the country have been adjusting the 'dress code' parameters to develop their own take on street style. In cities like Tehran or Shiraz you will notice that there are many women making small albeit noticeable fashion statements, and dressing in quite a modern and fashionable way by the standards of the region (designer clothes, dyed hair, visible make-up, heels, etc.). Try this blog and be surprised: Trending In Tehran -- Iranian street fashion
If you head to smaller cities such as Yazd, Kerman, Kermanshah that are more conservative, then chose to lower the tone accordingly.
Fashion industry struggles, but there is hope
Even though current president Mr Hassan Rouhani is considered as 'moderate' the fashion industry still finds it difficult to strive and flourish. Current regulations make it almost impossible to sell clothes that do not meet the modesty criteria and many fashion entrepreneurs are forced into underground boutiques and fashion shows. Also, there are not enough fashion magazines, brands or fashion TV to develop the industry and teach people how to dress. There are practically no designers specialising in Islamic fashion today. However, with the backing of the government some designers are leaning towards a revival of Iran's centuries old dress styles.
Researcher and fashion designer, Ms Hasti Homayoun carried out a 6 month study on current trends for textiles and fashion. She says that many Iranian women would favour Islamic orientated clothing over Western dress if it was presented to them in the right way. Another designer Ms Shadi Parand believes that it is possible to present beautiful creations that go hand in hand with Islamic rules. Ms Parand also adds that she sees the Iranian government's restrictions on women's clothing as an opportunity to revive ancient Persian fashions. Currently, there are two types of fashion in Iran: inside fashion and outside fashion. Inside fashion is basically the Western dress and outside is the 'dress code' attire. The challenge is, according to Ms Parand, is to bring inside and outside fashion together. Let's hope that we will soon see beautiful stylish modest creations with Persian flair coming out of Iran. After all, with the versatility of traditional Persian dresses local designers have so much inspiration they can tap into.
First in decades public fashion shoot in Tehran
The US-based magazine FSHN commissioned photographer Afra Pourdad to shoot a fashion editorial featuring model Ms Shabnam Molavi, with clothes by Zarir, in Tehran's Tajrish Bazaar and the Manouchehri House in Kashan. Model's colorful and bold outfits were turning heads despite being compatible with the country's dress code. More on the story is here: Fashion Editorial in Tehran
Vogue in Iran (1969)
Who would have thought that in 1969 Vogue sent one of its photographers to Iran to take pictures for the magazine? The models were photographed in mosques and palaces in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. The pictures were published in Vogue on December 1969. Full article and images are here: Vogue in Iran. Prepare to be shocked as I certainly was....and not by the fact that Vogue had a photo-shoot in Iran.
Designer Mr Araz Fazaeli
Araz studied fashion abroad before returning to Iran. Initially Araz started a blog related to street fashion as he started to notice women embracing their inner fashion diva's on the streets of Tehran. He was basically taking pictures of his friends and women on the streets and uploading them to his blog. Today, Araz is a designer of Haute Couture Abayas and evening gowns based in Paris.
Other designers
There are a number of other Iranian fashion designers making their mark on the fashion industry today. From what I have seen they specialise in Western fashion rather than Islamic fashion, but just for the inclusion sake I decided to list them here. Contemporary Iranian designers like Jasmin Shokrian, Maryam Mahdavi and Shirin Guild together with the likes of Micheal Soheil, Shadi Parand, Behnaz Sarafpour and Hushidar "Hushi" Mortezaie live in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles and work towards design excellence and creativity.
Related links
Fascinating Facebook page dedicated to Iranian culture containing images of traditional dresses:
https://www.facebook.com/IranInPhoto?filter=3
Great article and fashion photographs here: How Iran’s Young Women Are Using Fashion To Influence Politics
Zarir fashion design group: http://www.zarirdesign.com/en/
Short feature film about Ms Shadi Parand, Iran based fashion designer:
Ad links: USA Package Forwarding Services
Until 1935 Iran was known as Persia, which means 'Land of the Aryans'. The inhabitants refer to themselves as Persians and their language is Farsi. The country has a complex history with various empires taking over it or trying to take over it from the ancient times all the way to the modern times. Having undergone centuries of migrations, invasions and assimilations, Iran is far from being a country with a homogeneous population. Although more than half of its population is made up of Persians, Iran also has hugely diverse peoples such as the Azari Turks, Afsharies, Bakhtiari, Baluchis, Gilaki (Gilani), Ghoochani, Korasan (Kohrassan), Kords, Lors, Mazandaranis, Qashqai, Shahsavan, and Turkmen among many other ethnic groups.
The population is 77 million; around 90% of the population is Muslim with vast majority belonging to Twelver Shia branch of Islam. Prior to Islam, Zoroastrianism was the primary religion of Iran with a small number of people adhering to the ancient religion today. Muslims invaded Iran in 656, marking a turning point for their history, as the new Islamic policy became gradually absorbed into the Persian civilization. Iran thereafter played a vital role in the subsequent Islamic Golden Age, producing numerous influential scientists, scholars, artists, and thinkers.
As Iran has many different regions and ethnic groups all of them offer their own kind of a traditional dress. Moreover, over the course of 5,000 years the dress changed many times. There are really good online resources dedicated to the traditional Persian dresses. Here is the link to one of them: http://www.parstimes.com/women/traditional_costume/sketches/
And here are some real photos from the past of Persian women in traditional dresses:
http://www.parstimes.com/women/traditional_costume/period/
A great article about how the Persian dress has evolved over the centuries: Persian dress through the ages
Few random pictures I found and really liked on the Internet:
 |
| Sa'dabad Palace-Tehran, photo by Kamyar Adl (flickr, Some Rights Reserved) |
 |
| Ghoochani women - Source is forum at Skyscrapercity |
 |
| Source is forum at Skyscrapercity |
The infamous 'dress code' in Iran
In Iran, women are required to dress modestly by keeping their hair covered and by wearing long, loose-fitting clothing to disguise their figures. It was not always like that with the dress code being introduced only in 1978 after the Islamic Revolution. However, contrary to popular belief the 'chador' is not a mandatory requirement and the clothing does not have to be black. A headscarf, trousers and long-sleeved tunic or coat will do, especially if you are a tourist. Since recently, women in the country have been adjusting the 'dress code' parameters to develop their own take on street style. In cities like Tehran or Shiraz you will notice that there are many women making small albeit noticeable fashion statements, and dressing in quite a modern and fashionable way by the standards of the region (designer clothes, dyed hair, visible make-up, heels, etc.). Try this blog and be surprised: Trending In Tehran -- Iranian street fashion
If you head to smaller cities such as Yazd, Kerman, Kermanshah that are more conservative, then chose to lower the tone accordingly.
Fashion industry struggles, but there is hope
Even though current president Mr Hassan Rouhani is considered as 'moderate' the fashion industry still finds it difficult to strive and flourish. Current regulations make it almost impossible to sell clothes that do not meet the modesty criteria and many fashion entrepreneurs are forced into underground boutiques and fashion shows. Also, there are not enough fashion magazines, brands or fashion TV to develop the industry and teach people how to dress. There are practically no designers specialising in Islamic fashion today. However, with the backing of the government some designers are leaning towards a revival of Iran's centuries old dress styles.
Researcher and fashion designer, Ms Hasti Homayoun carried out a 6 month study on current trends for textiles and fashion. She says that many Iranian women would favour Islamic orientated clothing over Western dress if it was presented to them in the right way. Another designer Ms Shadi Parand believes that it is possible to present beautiful creations that go hand in hand with Islamic rules. Ms Parand also adds that she sees the Iranian government's restrictions on women's clothing as an opportunity to revive ancient Persian fashions. Currently, there are two types of fashion in Iran: inside fashion and outside fashion. Inside fashion is basically the Western dress and outside is the 'dress code' attire. The challenge is, according to Ms Parand, is to bring inside and outside fashion together. Let's hope that we will soon see beautiful stylish modest creations with Persian flair coming out of Iran. After all, with the versatility of traditional Persian dresses local designers have so much inspiration they can tap into.
First in decades public fashion shoot in Tehran
The US-based magazine FSHN commissioned photographer Afra Pourdad to shoot a fashion editorial featuring model Ms Shabnam Molavi, with clothes by Zarir, in Tehran's Tajrish Bazaar and the Manouchehri House in Kashan. Model's colorful and bold outfits were turning heads despite being compatible with the country's dress code. More on the story is here: Fashion Editorial in Tehran
 |
| A picture from the FSHN fashion editorial |
Vogue in Iran (1969)
Who would have thought that in 1969 Vogue sent one of its photographers to Iran to take pictures for the magazine? The models were photographed in mosques and palaces in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. The pictures were published in Vogue on December 1969. Full article and images are here: Vogue in Iran. Prepare to be shocked as I certainly was....and not by the fact that Vogue had a photo-shoot in Iran.
 |
| Vogue December edition 1969 |
Designer Mr Araz Fazaeli
Araz studied fashion abroad before returning to Iran. Initially Araz started a blog related to street fashion as he started to notice women embracing their inner fashion diva's on the streets of Tehran. He was basically taking pictures of his friends and women on the streets and uploading them to his blog. Today, Araz is a designer of Haute Couture Abayas and evening gowns based in Paris.
 |
| arazfazaeli.com |
“The government has a rule that you should cover your hair and not show the shape of your body.”,“But the way you chose to cover it is up to you.”
Araz Fazaeli
 |
| Source: Street fashion tumblr blog by Araz Fazaeli |
Other designers
There are a number of other Iranian fashion designers making their mark on the fashion industry today. From what I have seen they specialise in Western fashion rather than Islamic fashion, but just for the inclusion sake I decided to list them here. Contemporary Iranian designers like Jasmin Shokrian, Maryam Mahdavi and Shirin Guild together with the likes of Micheal Soheil, Shadi Parand, Behnaz Sarafpour and Hushidar "Hushi" Mortezaie live in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles and work towards design excellence and creativity.
Related links
Fascinating Facebook page dedicated to Iranian culture containing images of traditional dresses:
https://www.facebook.com/IranInPhoto?filter=3
Great article and fashion photographs here: How Iran’s Young Women Are Using Fashion To Influence Politics
Zarir fashion design group: http://www.zarirdesign.com/en/
Short feature film about Ms Shadi Parand, Iran based fashion designer:
Ad links: USA Package Forwarding Services
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