Wore & PEAce
Published in Collective Hub issue 53, November 2018.
In a WAR-TORN city in Iraqi Kurdistan, a men’s FASHION club is boosting MORALE, promoting SOCIAL CHANGE – and showcasing the skills of WOMEN in their lives.
It’s early 2016 and Erbil, the glittering capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, is feeling the effects of the war with ISIS. While relatively sheltered from violence, the city is hit by the economic fallout. Jobs are scarce and morale is low. Against this depressing backdrop, three friends decide to do something to lift the image of their beloved city.
“We’re all sitting at home doing nothing, so we thought, why not start something?” says Ahmed Nauzad. Along with pals Omer Nihad and Goran Pshtiwan, they decided to do something seemingly antithetical to the typical image of war-torn Iraq – they would gather the city’s most sartorially inclined gentlemen for a photo shoot.
This is how the Mr Erbil Gentleman Club came to be: a group of Kurdish hipsters with waxed moustaches and sharp suits, who get together to compare fashion notes and promote social change. Their Instagram account (@mr.erbil) went viral last year and they now boast more than 90,000 followers, and have a beard-care range named Rishn (Kurdish for ‘bearded’), with plans to launch a clothing line further down the track.
Social media played a big part in rustling up their initial membership, but direct recruitment also played a role. “We actually went up to guys in the cafeteria or on the street, and told them the idea,” says Ahmed. “Many of them joined us.”
Their first gathering was held in February, 2016 at the centuries-old World Heritage-listed Erbil Citadel. The event attracted around 20 men sporting pocket squares, loafers, fob watches, cashmere scarves and driving gloves. Membership currently hovers between 30 and 40, although some younger members have been ejected due to having a ‘high nose’ [a lack of humility]. “It doesn’t matter who you are. We’re all human beings,” says Ahmed. “Someone who has a high nose is not welcome here. You have to be humble.”
Presenting a modern image of the Middle East is one of their primary concerns. “When we went viral, we got questions like, ‘Do you guys live in a mud hut? Do you have Pepsi and Coca-Cola? Do you know what Nutella is?’” says Ahmed. “Most people also think we live in a desert. Not at all. We live in the mountains, but Erbil is a big, flat city. We try to show those images so people can see how we live.”
One important element of this is celebrating the achievements of women in an area of the world that’s still often highly patriarchal. They regularly feature outstanding Kurdish women on their feed – everyone from jewellery designers and make-up artists to doctors, engineers and humanitarian workers.
“Since we are in the Middle East, a lot of people think that our local women are at home doing nothing most of the time,” says Ahmed. “We try to show the strong women we have, especially those young ladies who are very active on social media, and boost them on our profile page.” One young woman who makes and sells jewellery, reported that an hour after their post about her, she was booked up for two months. “It was very impressive, even to us! Social media is a huge thing.”
Looking after the environment is also close to Mr Erbil’s heart. “In our culture we love to go on picnics,” says Ahmed. “But unfortunately we leave a lot of trash behind us. During springtime we share a message to clean up and keep it safe.”
And finally, Mr Erbil is on a mission to boost the local economy by supporting local tailors and launching their own small business ventures. Rishn promotes itself as ‘the first beard-care company in Kurdistan serving the true beardsman’, and while their beard oil is imported, the wooden combs and brushes are made by hand locally. Rishn is sold at several locations in Erbil and Kurdistan’s other big city, Sulaymaniyah, and the brand has also found a stockist in Amsterdam.
Next on the agenda is a Mr Erbil clothing line, starting with a range of ties made from krr, a fabric made from goat’s wool. They have plans to expand into a full range of suits, but finding the right tailors is proving to be a bigger task than expected.
While Mr Erbil was inspired by Italy’s Pitti Uomo events held in Florence twice a year, the guys also like to give a nod to traditional Kurdish formal attire. Every now and then they dress up in the style of the effendi – the intelligentsia of the Kurdish region. In earlier times, the effendi would dress in their finest clothes to gather at tea shops and salons to discuss the matters of the day.
“Check out our grandfathers’ old pictures – you’ll always see traditional clothes, then the next guy in a nice suit,” says Ahmed. “We were inspired, and we’re trying to bring those kinds of clothes back.”
Ahmed has noticed the people of Erbil have lifted their game in the fashion stakes since the club went viral. “Before, people didn’t care that much, but now they’re trying to get involved, trying to look nicer,” he says. “Around the world, if you dress well, people respect you and talk to you differently. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just a fact.”
As for how the Mr Erbil crew defines what it means to be a gentleman? “It’s a good question,” says Ahmed. “It’s about self-respect, being kind, and taking responsibility. And always, always think of what your mother taught you – she educated you on how to grow up and be a man.”
THE WOMEN OF MR ERBIL
Sadaf Kiani, a Toronto-based graphic designer and founder of stationery brand Seashell Paper Co, which grew from 10 greeting card designs to a full collection produced in both English and French. @alittleseashell
Shanaz Salayi, a biochemistry student at Hawler Medical University who has more than 30,000 followers of her satirical Instagram account. @KurdishProblemz
Dr Qemer Khoshnow, a former refugee who gave birth to her son in a tent in below-zero conditions and is now a top obstetrician and gynaecologist in Sydney. @drqemerkhoshnow
Evon Wahab, a make-up artist whose tips have generated more than 3 million views on YouTube. She has collaborated with big brands including Clinique, Maybelline and Sephora. @evonwahab
Bahar Salehi, a jewellery designer and not-for-profit worker who resides in Adelaide, where she is active in the Adelaide Kurdish Youth Society. @bahar_collektion
Sana Karwan, a young activist who works at the UN Development Programme and is co-organiser of local events Startup Weekend and the Erbil Food Festival. @sana_karwan
Medea Raseed, a visual artist who specialises in Arabic calligraphy. @createwithmedea
