A small fashion house in Kabul is fighting to preserve the traditional textiles once integral to Afghan culture.
Launched in 2006, “Zarif” — which means “precious” in Persian — commissions traditional cotton and silk from artisanal weavers, then employs more than two dozen people — mostly women — to tailor and design the fabrics into handcrafted, embroidered clothing.
But with cheaper imports saturating the market, they are struggling to keep local traditional methods afloat, says founder Zolaykha Sherzad.
Filling the gap
She says the decline in the craft has put large numbers of women out of work who once were able to make a living at home.
With Zarif, she hopes to fill the gap while aiming to preserve Afghanistan’s textile traditions and designing contemporary takes on Afghan fashion staples. A visit to the bazaar in northern Mazar-i-Sharif shows the challenge she faces. There, bundles of striped and padded coats, or “chapans” pile up in stacks at stalls.
The cheaper knock-offs are printed on nylon, rather than silk, closely replicating traditional designs but at a third of the price. “These cost 800 to 1,200 Afghanis ($11 to $18), compared to 2,500 ($36) for a traditional chapan,” explains Abdullah, a merchant. Now only the rich can afford the handmade silk chapans, often buying them as wedding gifts, while middle-class and working people opt for the synthetic designs.
In founding Zarif, Ms. Sherzad — an architect by training — wanted above all to promote female employment. According to data provided by the World Bank, 19% of Afghan women were employed in 2017. Despite the economic crisis that has raged since the withdrawal of NATO troops in late 2014, Zarif still employs 26 employees in its courtyard workshop.
About 60% of the team is female, including the director Nasima along with the production manager Sara. Two embroiderers work full time while an additional 30 are called on at the discretion of the managers. Since its creation, Zarif has trained more than 85 women.
To survive, it relies on connections in Paris, where the company is supported by French fashion brand “Agnes b.”, along with a stable of faithful clientele in New York.
And even as she seeks to preserve, Ms. Sherzad is also forced to adapt, scouring Afghanistan’s antique shops in search of richly crafted garments that can be refashioned into bags or the linings for men’s jackets.
