Kurdish clothing in high demand among Kurds in Iran

Rudaw Net

11-03-2025

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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Traditional Kurdish clothing shops in Iran's western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat) have noticed a growing demand for Kurdish attire among young people over the past two years.
'Compared to the previous years, the demand for Kurdish clothes among the youth has increased, and Khaki clothes especially are in demand and have been the trend of the year,' Shahram Ghaderi, a Kurdish clothes tailor in the town of Oshnavieh (Shno) in West Azerbaijan province, told Rudaw on Monday.
Jamaneh and khaki are traditional Kurdish outfits that have often been worn by opposition groups and are considered symbols of resistance. People often share photographs of themselves wearing traditional attire on social media as a show of dissent.
'During Newroz in the past two years, we have experienced the highest demand for Kurdish clothing, especially among the youth. Additionally, at weddings, people rarely wear suits nowadays, and their demand has significantly declined,' said Salah Rasouli, a Kurdish clothing boutique salesman.
Both Rasuoli and Ghaderi stressed that the price of fabrics used for Kurdish clothes is increasing yearly due to economic disability and Iran's worsening inflation.
In Rojhelat, people welcome Newroz weeks ahead by wearing traditional Kurdish attire.
Iranian security forces frequently detain Kurdish civilians during March every year as they celebrate Newroz, the Kurdish New Year. The country prohibits the use of Kurdish symbols and songs during the holiday and has banned traditional Kurdish folk dances known as halparke, performed by mixed groups of men and women.
On Friday, Hengaw Human Rights Organization, an Oslo-based human rights watchdog, warned that Iran's intelligence service has summoned dozens of people and instructed them not to wear traditional Kurdish clothing during Newroz celebrations later this month.
In January, 58 Kurds from Mahabad, Bukan, and Piranshahr, including family members of victims of the Jin Jiyan Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom) protest movement, were summoned by Iran's judiciary after attending a wedding ceremony wearing traditional clothes. Hengaw said they were accused of 'propaganda against the state.'