Iranian Style: The Art of Being Yourself

This film is an exploration of how Western sanctions have influenced the development of Iran’s fashion industry. An RT film crew traveled to Tehran and met the people shaping Iranian fashion despite restrictions.

The father of Iran’s modeling business, Amir Zobde, founded the first agency in 2011. It employs ‘advertising faces’ – a term used in Iran rather than ‘models’. Sambat Hakupyan tailors suits using techniques from the Safavid era of the 16th to18th centuries. Designer Nazanin Hariri creates collections based on ornaments from the Saadabad Historical Museum, and her pieces are already worn in Dubai, London, and Berlin.

Head coverings have long since become a true art form in Iran. The everyday ones are plain and modest, while festive ones are adorned with lush floral patterns and gold embroidery. And on the streets, a colorful crowd mixes traditional and modern dress.

The jewel of Iranian fashion design is the ‘Irandokht’ dress, or ‘Daughter of Iran’. In a single garment, it showcases patterns from the Isfahan region along the hem and those from the Shiraz region in the center, while combining ornaments from several eras. Though Western sanctions may have excluded Iranian designers from the world’s catwalks, they have also given them impetus to create a unique fashion all their own.

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