Clothes, accessories, and fabrics embroidered with inscriptions and drawings from the Babylonian and Assyrian eras, as well as traditional Chaldean costumes, were part of the daily lives of Iraqi Christians in the Kurdistan region, Mosul, Kirkuk, and Baghdad until recently. They are, however, becoming increasingly scarce as a result of the prevalence of Western fashion and the diverse designs that crowd the market. Steve Al-Sati, a young Iraqi fashion designer, is attempting to recreate the traditional costumes and clothing worn by the people of ancient Mesopotamia by hand.
“In the past, there were many who worked in the field of designing and sewing these costumes, but when I grew up, I noticed that these costumes are becoming extinct in Iraq. Those who work as tailors have become very few. So I decided, between 2006 and 2007, to start this small project of mine, which aims to revive these costumes. After I gathered a lot of information about the costumes, I started working on them,” Al-Sati said.