Sister-owned clothing store in Kabul creates jobs for 15 female students

KABUL -- Three girls in Kabul have opened a women's clothing store that employs 15 young former students.

The store, which includes a tailoring workshop, a women's clothing shop and online sales, aims to create an enabling environment for women who have lost their jobs and for girls deprived of education.

The store is owned by three sisters who saw an opportunity to help other women and girls amid recent restrictions on women in public life and the closure of girls' schools.

The sisters, who are all in their 20s, said they were inspired by the stories of other women who had started businesses to support themselves and their families.

Farahnaz Farebarz, 24, said she and her two sisters worked for three months on the design of the store and on July 22 inaugurated it alongside their women's clothing brand, "Harir".

"A number of women and girls work at the store in the clothing design, tailoring, embroidery and sales departments," she said.

"Girls and women both in the country and abroad are interested in Afghan clothes," Farebarz said. "In addition to in-store sales in Kabul, we have also started our online sales and try to sell internationally."

"Unfortunately, the economic situation of our people is deteriorating day by day," she said. "Our objective in establishing this store is to create business opportunities for women and girls who may not work or study because of restrictions."

This effort will prevent their isolation in society and alleviate household economic problems, she said.

"In the first days of the store, we were able to create business opportunities for 15 girls who are deprived of education and women who have lost their jobs because of the restrictions," Farebarz said.

Afghan girls' potential

"Every day, restrictions and bans are being imposed on girls and women," said Alia Harir, 23, another of the sisters and a graduate in Pashto literature from Kabul University.

"We three girls decided that by establishing a clothing brand, we would remove these restrictions from ourselves ... and create business opportunities for ourselves and other women and girls," she said.

"We work for all girls and women of our country," Harir said. "Girls and women in our country are highly talented, creative and capable. All of the clothes seen here today are made by our team composed of girls and women banned from work and education."

"We believe in the capabilities of our country's girls and women," she added. "If, God willing, we will succeed, we are trying to expand our business to other provinces too to create employment for more girls and women deprived of work and education."

Seema Ahmadi, 25, was a student at a private university in Kabul until the political changes in the country two years ago forced her to end her studies.

Now she works in the sisters' clothing shop.

"I would have become a dentist in two years if girls had not been banned from education," she said. "It is very painful that I could not achieve my dream, but I am happy to have a job and to be active again in society at a time when girls and women are not allowed to work."

Shabnam Ghafoori, 21, another employee of the store, is a high school graduate who could not continue her studies because of the ban on girls' higher education.

"I am very happy to have the opportunity to work ... I can sell my handmade dresses here and provide for my family," she said.

"I call on other girls not to trap themselves at their homes and, like us, come and work outside homes," she added.

Interest in business

Over the past two years, women's interest in business and private sector activities has increased, particularly following the closure of girls' schools, according to the Afghanistan Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI).

"Interest in business has increased among women and girls in the past two years," said Salma Yusufzai, chief executive officer of the WCCI. "[The number of] women and girls starting businesses have increased by 30% from last year."

"Women play a critical role in trade, investment and economic development of the country," she said.

"We are trying to establish permanent and specific markets for women in various provinces because women's businesses prevent their exclusion from society and their being trapped at home. They [the businesses] help improve households' economic situation."

Afghan women have welcomed the initiative, especially in light of the ongoing restrictions on women in society, including the recent closure of beauty parlors.

Since August 2021, girls and women have been barred from high schools and universities; banned from parks, funfairs and gyms; and ordered to cover up in public.

Women have also mostly been barred from working for the United Nations (UN) or non-governmental organizations, and thousands have been sacked from government jobs or are being paid to stay at home.

Economists estimate that 60,000 women have lost their source of income after the closure of beauty parlors.

"Girls and women have the right to work and study," said Khatera Dedar, 40, a visitor to the Harir store.

"Many women in our country are breadwinners for their families," she said. "The establishment of such stores is a good opportunity for women and girls. They can provide for their families through this and help improve the country's economy."