Government Aims to Dominate Clothing Market with Code Name 'Chaste Attire'; Parliament Announces Three-Part Plan

The Islamic Republic's program for managing clothing style, referred to as 'chaste attire', has entered a new phase, with the Minister of Culture stating that a joint effort by the ministries of 'Culture' and 'Industry' aims to capture a percentage of the market. On the other hand, Ali Khazarian, spokesman for the Parliament's Article 90 Commission, announced yesterday that three 'ongoing' plans related to 'hijab' and 'fashion' are under consideration. The three plans, 'Tuba', 'Sepid', and 'Tania', are among the 'ongoing' initiatives by parliament representatives, which this representative has reported on in the commission. According to this parliament member, the 'Tuba' plan focuses on 'training instructors in the field of promoting hijab culture and maintaining a chaste lifestyle', the 'Sepid' plan addresses 'dealing with violators in the fashion and clothing sector and cleansing the virtual space', and the 'Tania' plan is dedicated to 'organizing exhibitions'. Mohammad Mahdi Esmaeili, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Ebrahim Raisi's government, emphasized on Tuesday, November 21, that several meetings of the 'Chaste Lifestyle Headquarters' have been held with the presence of the 'President' to pursue this matter, and the topic has been discussed in the Article 90 Commission of Parliament. Esmaeili stated that a percentage of the market must be captured for 'chaste clothing', and 'very good' actions have been incorporated into the relevant document. Critics of the Islamic Republic's approach to intervening in people's clothing believe that the discussion of 'chaste attire' is in line with the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill, which is still in a back-and-forth process between Parliament and the Guardian Council. In this context, actions have also been taken, as the Minister of Culture stated on September 10 that direct clothing supply centers would be established in Tehran and all cities. Esmaeili implicitly indicated the use of various economic and political entities in this movement, stating that a memorandum of understanding would be signed with the 'Barakat Foundation' in the Ministry of 'Culture' to carry out this work 'nationally'. He also announced the 'launch of 11 platforms' for selling 'chaste clothing'. In this regard, on July 11 of this year, the Secretary of the Public Culture Council announced interest-free loans of up to 300 million rials to producers of 'chaste clothing'. Mohammad Javad Qasemyan, Executive Deputy of the 'National Fashion and Clothing Organization', also confirmed this loan, stating that a memorandum of understanding was signed with a bank for providing loans to designers and producers of 'chaste clothing'. The issue of mandatory hijab and 'chaste attire' became seriously on the government's agenda after Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday, April 3, supported the forces backing mandatory hijab during a meeting with Islamic Republic officials, explicitly stating that 'unveiling is religiously and politically forbidden' and claimed in response to citizens' refusal to comply with mandatory hijab that 'the enemy has entered with a plan' and added: 'We must also enter with a plan.' Shortly after, Ebrahim Raisi reacted to the increasing presence of women with voluntary hijab in cities, which has been on the rise following widespread protests in 2022, stating, 'Do not worry at all' and 'know that this situation will definitely be resolved.' Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, at that time responded to a question from a VOA reporter regarding Ebrahim Raisi's threat about hijab, stating, 'We believe that women in Iran and everywhere else should be free to choose their attire.'