Glamour over gloom as Baghdad hosts fashion show

Leggy models in designer clothes strutted down a catwalk in front of Baghdad’s high society Friday for a fashion show that tickled one generation’s nostalgia and filled the next one with hope. Around 500 people turned out in their best attire to watch 16 young Iraqi women model collections by six home-grown designers Friday as an oriental beat shook the walls of the luxurious Royal Tulip hotel’s gala hall. Many of the creations were variations on traditional Arab themes, including a collection exploring the chequered keffiyeh pattern in modern urban designs that wowed the crowd. On the horseshoe catwalk, the dresses were mostly long - there was no winking or lip-pursing at the cameras. But there was a feeling both backstage and in the audience that the show was making a statement.

It’s a dream come true. I have been dreaming of something like this for so long. I feel I am victorious over myself and over society.

Ayman Sultan Hajem, the only man among the six designers showcasing their work.

Huddled at the entrance of the changing room backstage, some of the models looked terrified before the show started. Several of the models who took part in Friday’s show were encouraged to do so by their mothers. More than just a welcome distraction from the conflict and instability that has plagued Iraq for years, some argued the show was an act of resistance. 160 kilometres north along the Tigris, thousands of Iraqi soldiers, policemen and militia fighters were battling the Islamic State group. The jihadist militants’ offensive in June threatened to split up a country that had barely started recovering from the 2003 US-led invasion, its bloody aftermath and the economic sanctions that preceded it. Abdelkader Ghassan, a marketing manager for a tourism company with a hipster undercut and a tight crayola blue blazer, is not on the frontline but feels the show contributes to the war effort.

If you are here in Baghdad, it’s the biggest act of defiance. It’s not a war with jets and tanks but with ideas. This is life, this is Baghdad.

Abdelkader Ghassan

Arts baghdad fashion