Clothing Collection Inspired by 'Women, Life, Freedom' Movement, Kimia Mo'tamedi: My Goal Was to Support This Movement

A clothing collection focused on gender inequalities and discrimination against Iranian women has received appropriate reactions in Germany. This collection, designed by young Iranian artist Kimia Mo'tamedi, particularly emphasizes the killing of Mahsa Amini, recent nationwide protests, and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement in Iran. She notes that her designs also address other issues such as mandatory hijab, the imprisonment of children and innocent individuals, torture, sexual abuse of girls and women in prisons, executions, and other matters that have occurred in Iran over the years. Kimia Mo'tamedi, 24, has lived in Germany for seven years. She is a fashion design student and presented this collection as her academic project to the university. In an interview with Voice of America, Mo'tamedi explained her clothing designs. Kimia Mo'tamedi: Why did you choose this topic and design these clothes? The start of my academic semester coincided with the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini and the beginning of the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran; this issue was very painful and upsetting for me. I fully understood this tragedy; many Iranian women and girls have been in Mahsa's position but were lucky enough to survive. I thought it was very important to address this issue in the artistic field of fashion and to draw global attention. My goal in designing this clothing collection was to support the protests and movement in Iran. What considerations did you take into account in your designs, and what challenges did you face? Addressing such an issue, namely the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, was not easy at all; I was affected by the tragic news from Iran and cried for a long time. I had to look at the subject with complete respect and at the same time very deeply, designing all these issues in just five garments, which was a huge and impossible challenge. In this 'mini-collection,' I tried to address events from the past 44 years, personal experiences of living in Iran, restrictions, the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, executions of protesters, the killing of children under 18, sexual assault in prisons, and many other unfortunate events. Kimia Mo'tamedi continues to introduce these designs and explains each one. Nika: This garment is designed for children killed under 18, children who protested or even had no role in the protests but were killed by the Islamic Republic; many were poisoned in schools. The design of this garment was inspired by the school uniforms of girls, which are usually two to three times larger than their size, causing many problems for them to wear correctly in cold and hot weather at such a young age, and if they don't wear it correctly, they are punished. The names of 35 children killed during the time I was designing the garment are written on the scarf. Jina: This garment represents the restrictions and violence against women. For this garment, I used oversized men's pants and a belt to symbolize our politicians who are constantly limiting and brainwashing our people and stripping all women's rights. These pants and belts constrain and limit women. Armita: This garment is designed for female prisoners who were sentenced to forced marriage and rape in prison because executing a virgin woman is prohibited. I used oversized men's gloves for this garment, which cover the female sexual organs and represent multiple rapes. The gloves on the chest are connected to a contrasting black veil and a white wedding veil, symbolizing forced marriage. Kian: This garment is made for all Iranian women and protesters of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. In this garment, I was inspired by women who cut their hair in anger and grief during the movement. I made it with red fabrics connected to execution ropes. In most garments, I altered and shortened oversized men's jackets and dressed them on female models because we women are not allowed to wear short jackets and clothes. The logo of 'Women, Life, Freedom' is sprayed on the body. Sarina: This garment is made for those executed and prisoners from the past year. In this garment, I used glasses as a symbol of eyes that see and do nothing. On the glasses, I attached photos of prisoners whose whereabouts are unknown; some have received death sentences, and some are still in prison. How was the reception of this clothing collection, and what was the feedback? This collection received both positive and negative reactions. I had many positive responses, and I was invited for an interview by the 'ZDF' network in Germany and spoke with several other media outlets. However, there were also negative reactions, as some thought I designed these clothes for financial gain and to earn income from their sale. These clothes are not for sale at all, and I personally covered all costs and did all the work myself. My only goal was to support the nationwide protests and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement. I am very happy that I designed this collection. As someone living outside [of Iran], I couldn't do anything else but participate in protest gatherings and be the voice of the people. I had a duty to use my art, expertise, and what I know to support my people, and I proudly completed this project.