Taliban dress code tightens cord around Afghan women, and men

Western apparel makers forced to adapt after group's return three years ago

20240815.Burqa

Taliban patrol as a burqa-clad woman walks on a street in Kabul on Oct. 3, 2021. The militant group has enforced strict dress codes since retaking power three years ago. © Reuters

KHUDAI NOOR NASAR, Contributing writer

KABUL -- Western-style clothes maker Najib Ahmad Rahimi knew his business could be in trouble when the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan three years ago.

Rahimi was selling T-shirts, jeans and other apparel from his three shops in Kabul, but turban-and-tunic-wearing Taliban officials had banned Western clothing when they first took control of the country in the mid-1990s. The clothes seller worried that history would repeat itself.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.