The Search Continues...Afghanistan..Another World..

As mentioned in my blogpost about the strange textilefind in the lining of the Pakol I did send a mail to the hospital in Vejle and I got this answer:

Dear Jan ter Heide

Yes, that is a funny story.

The reason that the textile ended up in Afganistan must be, that we from time to time give away our worn out textile to care organisations(Humanitærforeningen, Brædstrup, Denmark).

But we didn´t know that the textile went as long as Afganistan.

But we are very glad to see that the fabric is getting used and not just burned or put a side as garbage.

Venlig hilsen

Per Jul Jensen 
Vaskeridirektør
Sundhedsområdet, Syddanske Vaskerier

www.regionsyddanmark.dk

One answer sofar...but thinking more about it, I got the idea that I would like to know more from about the hatmaker in Kabul. How did he get the fabric? Did he buy it on a market, or dit he get it, or found it? Does he only make hats or also garments? Is it a familybusiness and how long is it exisiting sofar?
I am fascinated by the fact that textiles travel all over the world and that they sometimes pop-up in unexpected places.

So, I asked my former student Nahad if her family in Kabul can ask the man who makes those hats all my questions? Perhaps it would be possible to have a photo from the workshop and a photo from the maker and maybe answers.. 
More might come up in the future..

Afghanistan...don't know much about it. It must be hot. At some places still very dangeous. 
A poor country. Cities are demolished, but mankind kan survive there. 
Children are born and elderly pass away, as everywhere in the world. 
I can understand people who leave - or must leave- the country, but it must be heartbreaking also to leave your family and friends behind and perhaps never see them again.


I always think that the place you are born determines for a big part how your life will end up.
What chances do you have? 
What kind of possibilities? 
Or is it set in stone from the beginning?


My former student Nahad has left the country when she was young and came to study 
fashiondesign in the school where I work.
Fashion is her passion and she contacted our school with a question if students could make 
a collection designed by her. All in Burqa fabric imported from Afghanistan.
Her website (www.nahad.nl) is not ready yet, but her webshop will start in september.
So our 3th year students made all of them as part of their examn.


You might think that the only color of a Burqa is Blue as you see most of the times, but they are 
also made in vibrant colors.
Years ago I did see the film Kandahar and I have never forgotten the scene with all women 
wearing ochre coloured burqas in the dessert and the scene with all handicaped men. 
Tragic in all sense for both men and women.
The trailer can be seen Here


A Burqa... must be horrible if you have to wear them by law. I have tried one on and felt really isolated and sweaty. You can hardly see anything through that small piece of netting. In books I did read that the skin of women wearing them is very beautiful because of all the moisture and that there is seduction only with the eyes possible. The chance of geting skin cancer is very limited, but on the other hand they lower the Vitamin D production in the skin because they block the UV rays in sunlight necessary for this production.


I often ask myself if women wearing a Burqa are wearing them from their own choice and opinion deep inside the soul or that is it coming from outside. That they have to wear them because men say so or becasue of the social pressure within a family and friends and society. What is freedom? What is choice?
Difficult to have an opinion on it for me as a man living in the Western World. 
Nahad is having a very strong opinion about it...
No Burqa anymore Anywhere in the World. 

The fabric (100 % polyester) reminds me in a way of the collection Pleats Please by Issey Miyake.  Easy to wash and the pleats stay forever.

Different quality I know, but it is also about pleats.

Nahad's collection is about:

Freedom, visibility and identity of women.

"A New look Through Burqa"

Last week I got the chance to see some of the outfits at a fitting...
Burqa fabric combined with other fabrics... and sometimes mixed with beautiful hand embroided pieces made in Afghanistan.

With matching traditional silver jewelery - some very old- from her family I think it will be a joy to watch..

The garments look even better at photo's made during a shoot...Here are some...

All photo's shot by Michael Bulder 

This evening those garments, and more can be see at the Fashionshow from our department, and I am sure it will give lots of discussions about Freedom.