In New York City, where I live, citizens have incredible sartorial privilege in comparison to most of the world. While there is still room for improvement, as these amputees who are revolutionizing modeling can attest, it remains true that you can throw a furry Birkenstock here and hit a street-style star wearing something outlandish.
For Sadaf, a fashion designer living in Tehran, the Iranian capital, it’s another story entirely. She started working as a designer around 2000, shortly after the Islamic Revolution closed the country off, and abolished many of the Westernized fashions that had flourished in the '80s and '90s.
By the time Sadaf started working, fashion was heavily policed to follow strict modesty guidelines As in the case of this kindergartner, who was sent home for being too risqué, every item of clothing is scrutinized carefully.
But Sadaf, a sprightly, bright-eyed woman with a labret piercing, is not easily cowed by the social mores and religious laws that impede her kind of fashion. At the moment, that means avant-garde fashion that would not look out of place in a Parisian atelier, designs that she creates at great risk to herself and her team. She’s a true champion of freedom of expression, and I hope we get the chance to see her designs walk down a real runway someday soon.
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