Old vs New: Afghanistan Fashion Scene

Loulou d'Aki is a Swedish photographer who visited Afghanistan during the Summer of 2017 and photographed the ever-changing fashion of today's men and women. It appears to be physically impossible to predict what people were to wear despite a culture clash between young and old going on behind the scenes. The men and boys of Kabul will wear both modern clothing and their traditional tunbaan (this is discussed in a previous blog titled "Tradition is Tradition"). This divide is so unpredictable that it is divided even amongst siblings. Ali, 14, and Setar, 16, stand side by side with Ali wearing very western clothing while Setar wears the tunbaan. However, what is not seen is that what appears to be brothers are in fact both girls. Their mother decided to dress them as boys in order to give them more opportunities in Afghanistan since she had yet to give birth to a son. The power a gendered piece of clothing gives is immeasurable in a society that restricts the possib...

As was mentioned in every single post done prior to this one, Afghanistan is in a war against itself in terms of conservative, traditional clothing and items that are modern, edgy, and western. Rahiba Rahimi is a Kabul based fashion designer (she is depicted above, observing two models) who runs the boutique Laman. She began designing clothing when her young, politically driven mind realized that "change can start with what you wear." Her goal is to take traditional styles of Afghanistan, the intricate and unique embroidery and designs, and turn them into practical clothing, items that are modern and new. She says, "Afghan women have always enjoyed colors and different patterns and dresses so it's built in the culture, and it's there." Rahimi isn't just creating clothing that is combining the old with the new. She is also creating work for women in her community. Many people in Kabul cannot afford her clothing for a dress can cost 3,000 Afghanis, or ...