In December of 2020, Hila and Wana Limar, Afghan sisters who grew up in Germany, launched the brand Sevar, “jewelry” in farsi. All designs are carefully crafted in Afghanistan by local artists and the profits go to a program that teaches business to young Afghan women who aim to gain financial independence. According to the sisters, Sevar’s main mission is to honor the beauty and history of Afghan art while providing quality education and opening a branch of opportunities to many girls in Afghanistan.
Fashion has always been a chance for Afghan women to achieve financial success. In a country where many girls are deprived of completing school and entering college, many see fashion as a way to mark their presence in society and gain representation in their country while valuing their culture. The detailed and neat products make it almost impossible to believe that most Afghan fabrics are made completely by hand, with traditional techniques of over 100 years.
In fact, Afghanistan has made its presence in the art of fashion since the 1960s; where the latest fashion trends could be found in the crowded city of Kabul. In this scenario, women were seen wearing Western clothing in many public places. In fact, during the era of casual dresses, plaid button down shirts, miniskirts and many other innovations in fashion, the American Vogue featured stories and photographs of the women in Kabul as a reference for the modern fashion movement at the time.
Not only for its colorful and detailed prints, but Afghan fashion became extremely famous because of the Afghan Coat; made of goatskin with a soft inside and made of leather-like material on the outside. These coats became a popular and desired item from the 60s to the 70s and influenced many Western designers.
During the last 3 decades, however, Afghanistan went from fashionable innovations to strict clothing regulations, especially for women. After the Taliban, an Islamist nationalist movement founded in the early 1990s, captured Kabul in 1996, Western clothing, such as jeans and short skirts, were completely prohibited.These rules were so strict that even wearing white shoes could sentence someone to jail because they would be “stepping” over the white part of the flag.
In addition, under the Taliban’s rule, women had to wear a burqa, a full-body covering veil, anywhere they went. The burqa, just as other Muslim veils such as the Niqab and the Hijab, is worn by Muslim women, by choice, as a symbol of their modesty to their god. Nevertheless, under the Taliban’s rule, wearing a burqa was not a choice, but an obligation. In fact, the extremist group would use violent punishments against women seen without a burqa.
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, although the new Afghan government did not maintain the extremist clothing rules, Afghan clothing continued to be modest and simple, different from the modern and colorful items the country was known for before the rise of the Taliban. Although Afghan fashion never went back to what it once was, since the Taliban, many local businesses thrived, slowly bringing hope to many afghan artists, especially women.
During the past 20 years, Afghan fashion has evolved, opening job opportunities to many women and putting new businesses in the market that honor the beautiful Afghan culture.
Unfortunately, after the return of the Taliban in August, women’s rights in Afghanistan are in question and many fear that Taliban dress rules will come back. Uncertainty has taken over many artists and owners of fashion businesses in the country. In fact, many women are staying out of work in fear of the new government.
EAC PRESS 