The Brides of Mokhber-al-Dowleh

From the footbridge at Mokhber-al-Dowleh junction in Tehran, you look down on an alley of bridal shops. Beside it stands a century-old building, its windows covered in branches and leaves. I had always wondered who worked inside. Climbing its narrow stairs, I found young tailors from working-class backgrounds, sewing wedding dresses for girls they would never know.

These workshops are male worlds in female dress, filled with the sound of an old man’s radio, a young tailor’s laughter and scissors cutting through silk.