Of Faith and Fashion
the inner workings of tehran’s dress code
When you hear “fashion police,” what springs to mind? Clueless? Mean Girls? What about Iran?
In an effort to increase security, safety, and modesty in society, Iranian police are extending their jurisdiction to the world of fashion. Since April 2005, the Tehranian fashion police have led a crackdown on immodest dress among men and especially women in the Iranian capital. Now, roaming officers—often conservatively dressed women—warn women on the streets about their non-Islamic dress. Offenses like skirts that are too short, hijabs (headscarves) that sit too far back, revealing hair, or manos (overcoats) that are too tight or tailored can be punished with a fine of about $60 and a signed statement promising to never appear in public in such a manner again. If the offender objects, minibuses are waiting to take them to police stations where their families must retrieve them and bring more modest clothing.
While the Tehranian chief of police, Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, claims these campaigns run smoothly with massive public support, the efforts of the fashion police have been met with much anger and objection. In 2007, over 2000 students at Shiraz University protested the banning of shorts, tight pants, and sleeveless shirts for both men and women in the single-sex university dormitories. Meanwhile, in Tehran’s well-heeled north, wealthy and fashionable women continue to wear loose hijabs, tailored coats, and make-up, despite the constant threat of the police.
Current Iranian law, established during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, requires women to cover their hair and body shape under a hijab and loose fitting cloak or chador. While there are no direct references to wearing a hijab in the Quran, many find justification for it in Quran 24:31, which states, “And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, and let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” Other passages encourage the covering of bodies in public to avoid harassment. Modern interpretation of these lines, however, varies greatly from conservative concepts of full-body coverage, to more liberal views that embrace modest interpretations of Western styles and brands.
Women in nations like Iran are forced to reconcile their love of fashion and commitment to faith with the constant knowledge that choosing what to wear involves much more than trying to look fashionable. It makes a political and personal statement, with repercussions that are not only social, but often legal.
The fashion industry is taking notice of these mounting issues. With over 500 million Muslim women across the world, many with large amounts of capital at their disposal, the market for fashion that is geared toward these women offers intriguing potential. Many designers are already trying to tap in. Fashion Weeks have already sprung up in Dubai, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Lebanon. In 2000, Yves Saint-Laurent and Jean-Paul Gaultier both showed looks that leaned toward this kind of modesty at the International Festival of African Fashion in Niger. Meanwhile, Muslim designers like British Sophia Kara-Imam, Mohammad Bahrami, and Fahimeh Mahoutchi have designed garments that keep fashion in mind while sticking to more traditional notions of modesty popular among a growing number of so called Fashion Fundamentalists. The designer Hussein Chalayan’s Spring 1998 Collection, Between, explored the notion of Muslim modesty and the place of Muslim women in society through the traditional chador. The provocative, emotional collection presented a wide variety of looks, from veiled, half-naked women, to women in short skirts and full veils. Chalayan, who currently works as a design consultant for Tse New York, continues this exploration with chador-inspired pieces for Tse, such as turtlenecks that extend over the face and floor-length cashmere coats. MSLM magazine, a Dutch publication for Islamic women, has had exhibits of clothing that maintain that the hijab is not a symbol of oppression, but rather one of self-confidence, femininity, fashion, and pride for a young, modern woman.
As designers and clothing companies begin to design with modesty in mind, many Muslim women have been able to accommodate their religion and interest in fashion. From Hermès and Dior hijabs to long, Barney’s jackets, women are stylizing their looks while keeping Islam in mind.
Still, these liberal interpretations of dress are often derided by conservative observers as anti-Islamic. In response to the popularity of Western-inspired styles, the Iranian Commerce Ministry, the police, and IRIB, the state broadcasting corporation, put on the nation’s first government-approved Dress Fair. The event, received with frustration and even anger by many women, presented proper, “modest,” Muslim dress, according to the 1979 laws. Paired with the fashion police’s crackdown, the event has created an environment of constant struggle in regard to religious observance, personal expression, and political and legal consequences.
Opposition to these measures has become more and more frequent, not only in student protests, but within the government itself. Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, head of the Iranian judiciary, warned Tehran’s chief of police against a potential backlash. A parliamentary commission issued a similar warning, explaining that actions of the fashion police crossed the line into the realm of cultural issues. Even an aide to President Ahmadinejad cautioned that the police “should not go to the extreme” in their efforts.
Despite the continued actions of the fashion police, some women in Iran ignore these mandates and continue to embrace Western fashions that satisfy their personal commitment to modesty. Many women try to synthesize the two worlds, believing fashion and faith are reconcilable. For them, the veil is a point of pride, with the hijab representing identity and solidarity. Others, such as Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, vehemently oppose mandatory use of the hijab. Emel Abidin-Algan, former chairwoman of an Islamic women’s association, chooses not to wear a hijab. She emphasizes a woman’s individual choice to do so and has even helped design a line of hats as a hijab-alternative.
The wide array of interpretation and practice has raised this issue to a global, political, and religious debate. Each perspective claims the hijab as a fulcrum of their view, transforming it into a symbol loaded with ideas, able to satisfy or enrage depending on the angle. Discussion occurs around the world and while Iranian authorities try to stifle debate with legal consequences, people continue to raise the issue of individual choice and personal religious conviction. In fact, both sides of the debate seem to exist and persist despite, and even in opposition, to institutional and mandatory practice. Liberals focus on the idea of personal freedoms, while many conservative voices raise the issue that measures like the fashion police not only cross lines into cultural affairs, but also mandate what should and must be a proud choice of personal commitment. In this way, people in Iran and beyond have hoisted up the issue of clothing, making daily choices of dress that are packed with immense meaning.\\\