Al-Husseinya – In a palm grove north of Baghdad, awestruck Iraqi shepherds watched as their models paraded second-hand clothes on an improvised catwalk to raise awareness of the fashion industry’s environmental impact.
Haute couture donned entirely second-hand clothes as the models walked, paused and stood on the balcony, a sign of the chic popularity among young Iraqis and environmentally friendly vintage clothing.
“We don’t want clothes to be mass-produced, we need to reuse them,” said 25-year-old Mohammad Qassem, a fashion show organizer near the village of Al-Husseiniya.
In 2019, the global fashion industry will account for two percent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Resources Institute.
Campaigners and a growing number of climate-conscious social media influencers have tapped into sustainable fashion.
Many young people in climate-stressed Iraq are as passionate about vintage clothing as Qasem.
The Palm Grove event showcased fluorescent green jackets, long black leather jackets, ample double-breasted jackets and contemporary traditional wear.
In many parts of Iraq, scarred by decades of conflict, peaceful rhythms are slowly returning to everyday life, and second-hand clothing gives fashionistas a fair chance to express themselves.
– Climate disasters
While the streets of Baghdad see more “fast fashion” and imported brands, the costumes at Al-Husseinia’s event featured predominantly green elements, a nod to the show’s environmental message.
Similar to date production, Iraq has seen its palm trees stressed due to climate change and years of conflict.
Qasem said, “The aim is not only to focus on clothes, but also abandoned gardens, and palm trees disappear every day.”
The United Nations says oil-rich Iraq is one of the five countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, already experiencing extreme summer heat, frequent droughts, desertification and regular dust storms that have worsened as the planet warms.
The designs in the fashion show are not for sale. Organizers mainly hope that the symbolic march will raise awareness.
“Second-hand pieces are really good quality clothes,” says 22-year-old stylist Ahmed Taher, who put together the collections for the show.
“When you wear them, you feel like you’re wearing luxury. It’s different from what you find in stores.”
Taher, a business student who has nearly 47,000 followers – sells the pieces for around $20 – selling vintage clothes from Baghdad’s hipsters on Instagram.
“We want to wear unique clothes and we all don’t match each other,” he said.
– ‘The Last Age’ –
Safa Haider, a student model for the day, says she is attracted to vintage clothes because she can buy them “according to my personality”.
But in Iraq, where the United Nations estimates nearly a third of its 42 million residents live in poverty, many wear second-hand clothes.
The winding streets of central Baghdad’s second-hand clothing market fill the stalls of shirts, shoes and jeans every Friday, with shoppers checking their sizes in front of vendors.
A shirt here costs only $2, while other pieces can sell for as much as $60 or $200.
Muhammad Ali, a 20-year-old engineering student, came to buy shoes.
“It’s not because we can’t afford to buy new, but we get better and more unique pieces here,” he said.
Ali in 2010 In the 1990s, he recounted the story of his parents, Western sanctions on Iraq meant they wore clothes “inside out, until it ran out, because they couldn’t buy new clothes.”
Now, Ali and most of his friends buy clothes for their durability and style, he said.
Hassan Rafat, a 22-year-old businessman, sells imported second-hand clothes that find new life in Iraqi clothing.
It imports goods from Iraq’s northern autonomous Kurdistan region, a major textile producer, bordering Turkey.
“Second-hand clothes are of better quality than new clothes in the market,” he said.
“Usually, they’re branded pieces, and the brands last a lifetime.”
