| The Epoch Times |
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| Clothing designer Sara Rahmani, pictured here in her showroom in Kabul, runs her business with the help of expertise gained through an intensive business training programme in New York. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) |
into the Business World
The Journey of Twelve Afghan Women
By Brigitte Wolfer
Epoch Times Washington Staff
Aug 20, 2005
Slowly but surely, Afghan women are shedding the remnants of an anti-woman culture created by the Taliban, and are making inroads into Afghanistan’s business environment.
Much support for this movement came from Afghans in other countries, foreign sympathizers, and foreign governments.
At the forefront of these efforts are Women for Afghan Women (WAW), an organization of Afghan and non-Afghan women in New York, and the Business Council for Peace (Bpeace), a non-profit organization of business leaders and individuals with high business acumen from the U.S., the UK, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
WAW and Bbeace actively promote women’s entrepreneurship in war-torn countries. An especially effective program is the “Style Road Trip,” which sponsors Afghan women already in business, and those who have proven entrepreneurship and business skills, to visit the U.S. for three weeks.
The first launch of the program brought twelve Afghan women—along with their own video journalist, Mehria Azizi—to the U.S. in mid-2005.
The high-intensity programme included daily classes at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology and on-site work sessions with retailers and designers. The participants also networked with potential clients, including Jennifer Houck from Coach, Carin van der Donk of Sons and Daughters, Patricia Marando and Monica Zwirner of MZ Wallace (a women’s accessories shop), and Dressbarn executives.
Between the hustle and bustle of learning and networking, the women shopped at a Target department store, attended an all-American barbeque, saw the ocean for the first time with their own eyes, and cried at the Memorial Day parade as they remembered their own deceased loved ones.
The women have now returned to Afghanistan and are busy applying their newfound knowledge.
“I can now combine designs, prints, and colours into a garment that women from all backgrounds want to wear, for business or casual. Most importantly, I know now how to communicate, build customer relationships, and get the hang of networking,” says Laila, a multi-talented Afghan jewellery store owner, who had previously worked as a teacher, carpet designer, and administrator for the United Nations Children’s Fund.
“An equally important lesson learned was about the seasonality of designs. I understand now that designs and such garments have to be ready many months before a season starts.”
When asked about skills she could pass on to women in Afghanistan, she responded, “The skills I learned are difficult to teach in Afghanistan, because we do not have access to the machines, studios, and people with practical experience. But, we can tell stories of what we have learned, what we have seen, what an outlet is, the importance of advertising, how to target customers, management and communication skills, and most importantly, we can tell them the kindness of Americans towards Afghans.”
“The most important lesson I learned was the functionality and emotionality concept. I understand now clearly what is functional and yet caters to the emotional needs [of] those buying and wearing the products. This is the most important lesson I can teach other Afghan women who are going into business and want to be successful entrepreneurs,” says Latifa, a successful dress designer and shop owner from Afghanistan.
A Bpeace spokesperson had much to say about the visit of these women to the U.S. “The twelve Afghan women who participated in the Style Road Trip unanimously agreed that their three weeks of training in New York not only met, but exceeded, expectations. They came with the hope to learn about style, marketing, fashion trends, sizing, finishing, making business contacts, and open[ing] doors for future [business] relationships—though, they would have preferred a little more time for shopping and visiting relatives in the U.S.”
“The Afghan women moved with great ease and comfort on the streets of New York. They were particularly aware of the fact [that] New Yorkers basically went about their own business and were non-plussed by the Afghan women. Though they observed that New York women look as if they had no outside worries, they simply go about their business, not concerned [whether] their children are safe or what they will prepare for dinner. But, they did feel that American women’s faces are open and happy.”
On the lighter side, the spokesperson said that the women loved pizza and spaghetti. When I met them, some of the women told me that they were not quite fond of Chinese food, and preferred to be taken to a place that served American food. They also yearned for their home-cooked Afghan food, which they did miss quite a bit during their trip.