HETHERFORRELIGIOUS,culturalor
purely personal reasons, the demand for
modest dressinghas becomeincreasingly
apparent.Farfrombeingrestrictiveordull,
the less revealing aesthetic has inspired
designersworldwide,expandingfarbeyond
countriesandinformingeverypartofthe
fashionworld,fromhigh-endluxuryhousestothehighstreet.
This March, Afghan-Australian designer Anjilla Seddeqi
showcaseda sumptuouscollectionofcolourfulsilkdressesand
floor-sweeping coats at Fashions of Multicultural Australia
(FOMA),anexhibitionandrunwaycoutureshowthatshow-
casesindigenous,migrantandrefugeedesigners(thedebutin
2019 includedthosefromIndonesian,Afghan,Irish, Kiribati
andKoreanbackgrounds).“Istoppeddeadinmytrackswhen
I sawtherackofclothesbackstage,”saysfashionanthropologist
Charlotte Smith of Seddeqi’s collection. “There was no one
standingnearit,soI didn’tknowtheexactcountrythedesigner
camefrom.I wasjustbowledoverbythecolours,thetextures,
andhowgrandandelegantthecombinationswere.”
Born in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, Seddeqi arrived in
Australiain 1989 withherparentsandthreeyoungerbrothers.
“Weleftquitelate,aftertheRussianinvasion[duringtheSoviet-
Afghan war,which started in December 1979 andended in
February1989],”sherecounts.“Mydadwasquiteoptimistic
andhopefulthatit wouldcometoanendsooner.Hethoughtit
wouldgetbetter,but,unfortunately,it’sa completemessnow.
If youreturn,youareliterallyunderhousearrest.”
Aftergraduatingwitha lawdegreefromMacquarieUniversity
anda master’sin internationallawfromTheUniversityof Sydney,
SeddeqiinternedwiththeUnitedNationsHighCommissioner
forRefugees(UNHCR)in Canberra.“I startedworking with law
firms,goingto ChristmasIslandandproviding
legalrepresentationto asylumseekerswhoarrived
byboat.Thatwasthebulkofmyworkforabout
fiveyears—goingontaskforcesforaboutthree
weeksat a time.”Sheadmitsthattheexperience
was harrowing.“Thestories thatcameout were
verydepressingand,forme,shocking.I hadbeen
quitesheltered,really.I waslittlewhenweleft,so
I didn’tknowmuchofwhatactuallywentonor
thedifficultiesmyparentsfacedinAfghanistan.
Speakingtoclientsandwritingdowntheirstate-
ments, telling their terrible histories and what
happenedto them,gavemea real appreciation
aboutwhatit takestomakea lifeina newland.”
Asa distractionfromthepressuresof herwork,
andwithnoformaltraining,Seddeqibeganto
design herownclothes.“Itwasonly becauseI
couldn’tfindanythingthatmetmyneeds,”she
explains. “I used to buy pieces from Dubai,as
My LIFE
Oppositepage:AnjillaSeddeqi
wearsa dressfromherown
label,$1550,andherownOroton
scarf.Thispage:in anAnjilla
Seddeqidress,$1700,andher
ownGuccibeltandManolo
Blahnikshoes.Below,fromleft:
a selectionofherownjewellery;
her Valentino Rockstuds.My ST Y L E
109 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU September 2019
STYLE