Farnaz Abdoli

Farnaz Abdoli is an Iranian fashion designer who founded her own women's wear brand, POOSH-e MA, in 2011. This has led to conflicts between the Iranian government and her brand.

Early life and education Abdoli grew up in Shiraz, Iran, with her family. This was due to the effects of the Iranian Revolution, which had ushered in an Islamic government and introduced sanctions on women and subjected them to wearing Hijabs and other loose-fitting and modest clothing. This law was established by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was the leader of the Basij Militia, which enforced this dress code across Iran, and women who resisted following the legally-required dress-code were arrested. the brand was founded in 2011.

Abdoli and Vojoodi brought out their 2013 Spring/Summer collection, which brought the attention of news agencies such as newspapers in Iran, California and Germany, BBC World News, BBC Persian, Germany Radio and CNN. The media describes the brand as "innovative, bold and fresh whilst being respectful to women of Iran," and "colourful and modern".

Conflict with Iranian government Abdoli has faced scrutiny from Iranian authorities for allegedly promoting styles that deviated from the prescribed dress codes.

In 2013, her designs were criticized in Iranian media, with conservative outlets describing her collections as provocative. There was skepticism from Iranian women asking if her collection was appropriate to wear outside. Moreover, POOSH-e Ma's 2013 Spring/Summer collection experienced an adverse reaction from the media; the Bultan News website described Abdoli's collection as "the Spring prostitution campaign" and had accused her fashion brand of being illicit. The claim of POOSH-e Ma being 'too provocative' is because her models wear leggings rather than wide leg trousers, three-quarter sleeve tops rather than long sleeved tunics and tighter fitting clothes rather than loose clothing.

In 2015, Abdoli claimed Iran has changed for the better stating that "Now you can't count the number of people involved in fashion in Iran, with many companies holding training for modelling and designing and even offering certificates."

In 2016, Iranian police cracked down on unlicensed fashion activities, shutting down 800 shops and issued an additional 3,000 formal warnings, including to Abdoli. POOSH-e MA received backlash following this event from Iranian MP, Zohreh Tabibzadeh. She described Abdoli's collection (which contained the word 'Queen') as a "calculated plan to subvert traditional values" and also declared that Abdoli's collection was an "ugly manifestation of a Western trend that has entered our country with evil intentions devised behind the scenes." She did not shut down her brand and drew support from international fashion media and rights organizations.

International recognition In interviews, Abdoli has expressed her belief that fashion serves as a powerful tool for women's empowerment and cultural change.