Baghdad women’s festival showcases heritage fashion and young entrepreneurs

BAGHDAD — Dozens of female designers and small business owners gathered at the “I Am Woman” festival in Baghdad’s Jadriya district Thursday, presenting heritage-inspired fashion, handmade products and startup ventures aimed at promoting local entrepreneurship and Iraqi cultural identity.

Held at the Iraqi Federation of Industries hall, the festival drew Deputy Culture Minister Fadel al-Badrani, who said preserving Iraq’s cultural identity requires support for initiatives that incorporate heritage into contemporary work, describing fashion inspired by folk traditions as a form of cultural expression connecting past and present.

The festival was organized by Tabarak al-Nimr and Dian Salam, who told 964media the project began seven years ago as a temporary bazaar before evolving into its current form. “The distinctive feature of this year’s festival is the fashion shows by five Iraqi designers,” Salam said, noting that collections highlighted modern designs blended with Iraqi elements including Baghdadi dresses, hand-painted bishts inspired by heritage and decorative motifs drawn from old Baghdad.

Abaya and bisht designer Nada al-Rawi, participating for the first time after 15 years in the field, said she paints fabrics by hand before tailoring them. “My designs are Baghdadi and rooted in Iraqi heritage. All their colors represent Iraq, and my drawings are distinguished by domes and palm trees,” she told 964media.

Model Rusul Qusai described the garments as reflecting “an old Baghdadi heritage character mixed with folkloric traditions,” and said Baghdad currently lacks interactive fashion shows and festivals that promote and encourage the profession.

Among the most striking participants was 16-year-old Sura Atheer, who presented a locally produced healthy snacks business. A top student who speaks Arabic, English, Spanish and French, Atheer said the idea came from a phrase in a school textbook: “Rather, we restore our glorious past.” She said it prompted her to create an alternative to imported products such as instant noodles and soft drinks, producing handcrafted snacks made from ground almonds filled with pistachios as a fully local product.