Hidden Beauty: Fashion from Kabul

We had much of Afghanistan in the news lately - a lot of violence, war and poverty. But there is so much more to discover from a country where art, philosophy, mathematics, music and poetry have been blossoming for hundreds of years!

(Handloomed fabric for a long jacket)

(Long Chapan with antique emboidery)

Nowadays beauty is a hidden flower in Afghanistan, but it's still growing. For example in the workshops of Zarif Design, a fashion label created by Zolaykha Sherzad. Architect and founder of an Kabul-based NGO, "School of Hope", Zolaykha began to work in 2004 with traditional artisans and crafters aiming at preserving and reviving the Afghan Artistic Culture.

She draws inspiration from old weaving techniques and needlework of the different populations of Afghanistan, as well as from contemporary Dari (persian dialect of Afghanistan) poetry (see calligraphy below).

(Ikat chapan with antique embroidery)

Every piece of her collections is absolutely stunning combinations of traditional artisanate and timeless elgance.

(Chapan from handwoven textile and Zarif embroidery)

(Raw silk with embroidered calligraphy)

Find more information here and here. Buy here.