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New Clothes in an Old Country



Fashion designer Rahiba Rahimi at a photoshoot for her label Laman.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 $40, which is how much an Afghan person earns in a month. However, local women are employed to do the embroidery on her clothing designs, allowing them to both work in shop or at home. This is new for some women, working from home, since many conservative women are unable to leave their homes due to personal reasons or their family's disapproval. The modern, transformative fashion allows a new wave rebellion against the once Taliban ruled country in more ways than one. Women are able to express themselves, their identity. Despite there not being any mandatory restrictions on what a women can or can't wear, the status quo in many places has remained that women must be covered with a headscarf or in traditional dress. Some are forced to wear a burqa still for fear of their lives in some parts of the country. At the same time, these women found a new income that was unavailable to them in their conservative communities. A single designer has managed to create waves upon waves within her city just by fabricating clothing.


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