Mosul's got talent: The Iraqi fashion designer blazing a trail in a long-suffering city

When Hiba Al Sabhan plucked up the courage to announce a fashion line in Mosul, she received support from an unexpected source: men.

Almost as soon as she launched her collection on Facebook, the comments started flying.

“Keep it up! Well done,” read one.

“Seriously! You are doing this in a city where men still refuse to shake hands with women,” went another.

Iraq’s second city has long been known for conservatism, and from 2014 to 2017 it suffered under a reign of ­terror after ISIS seized control.

Ms Al Sabhan said she tries to change social attitudes in her birthplace.

“I am a free spirit but lucky to have a very supportive family including my father and three brothers,” she told The National.

She said the reaction has been mixed in a city with a culture of machismo that belittles women’s aspirations and achievements.

Once, Christian and Muslim symbols shared the skyline of Mosul; the city’s most distinctive buildings included Al Sa’a Church, or church of the clock, and Al Hadba minaret, named “the hunchback” because it was leaning.

Ms Al Sabhan, 37, chose to display her collection of silk and satin womenswear against a backdrop of heritage sites that the militants either reduced to rubble or badly damaged, such as the 12th century Bash Tapia castle on the western bank of the Tigris River.

She said the unconventional choice of backdrop and carefully chosen poses are intended to send a message.

“There are talents that are born from the rubble of war, but I also want to draw our government’s attention to the painfully slow pace of the rehabilitation process, which is only so far on paper,” she said.

During its rule, ISIS imposed strict attire in every area it controlled , including Mosul, the terrorist group’s stronghold in the country.

Women who left their homes without being shrouded in black were often beaten, and those who published pictures of their faces online were considered obscene.

Ms Al Sabhan no longer hides nor wears the burqa.

“It reminds us of Daesh. We were forced to wear it. It is not welcome any more,” she said.

She said she was proud to call herself a feminist although said “some women in my city wrongly believe that a feminist is a man-hater."

War widows

For decades, men in Mosul have been expected to be their families’ sole breadwinners, despite many women in the city holding government jobs as teachers, doctors and nurses before 2014 .

Many men in Mosul were murdered by ISIS, fled the city or died in air strikes during the months-long battle to liberate it.

Widows found themselves without an income, often with children to support.

“Eking out a living in Mosul has become crucial for many women, out of necessity,” Ms Al Sabhan said.

“We want to make great progress towards equality with men, especially in workplaces and education.

“Women need to be self-reliant and financially independent, but the harsh reality in different parts of Iraq tells a story of women who must work to provide for their children.”

Ms Al Sabhan is unemployed, despite holding degrees in agriculture and English literature, gained in 2007 and 2012 respectively.

Single, with no income and still reliant on her father, she applied for a $30,000 interest-free loan from the US Agency for International Development to support her business.

Unemployment remains in double-digit percentages in Iraq, with the latest World Bank figures showing nearly 13 per cent of the population out of work. The real figure is likely to be far higher.

The economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has tested Iraqis’ resilience further.

'A lesson for men'

Despite Mosul’s deeply patriarchal culture , Ms Al Sabhan believes that some men in the city have changed their attitudes towards women following their own experience of living under terrorist rule.

“They were smothered by the ignorant, illiterate ISIS members who had very abrasive personalities. It was a lesson for men who are used to degrading women.”

Ms Al Sabhan is especially happy with the messages of encouragement on social media she has received from Iraqi men.

Her brother Abdel-Rahman, 31, a triathlete, has also been a stalwart supporter.

“Men should start showing respect to women by supporting the women in their lives and help them flourish. We should collaborate, not compete with them,” he said .

“We should help them take every opportunity and challenge that comes their way without questioning their worth.”

In releasing her first collection, Ms Al Sabhan was influenced by global fashion brands for women and catered to Islamic requirements and Arabic shades in her designs. But there’s one noticeable additional item: a face mask.

The masks are encouraged, as they have become a medical necessity until effective vaccines for Covid-19 are distributed worldwide. But for Ms Al Sabhan, the face masks are also a fashion statement. So, what do they say?

“I wanted to underline decency and modesty. True, everyone is donning a face mask nowadays but it’s still a delicate situation in deeply conservative Mosul. I fretted about antagonising many people. But after the welcome reaction, I promise that the models in my second ensemble will not conceal their faces,” she says.