Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2009 - 33

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control and creation of character through costume
by Jade Bettin

A figure walks onto a stage, approaching a crowd of people. He
stops, composes himself and then slowly begins; all eyes are on
him as he fervently speaks about the state of his country and
plight of his people. Is this a monologue from a Shakespeare
play? It certainly could be, but this scenario may just as likely
describe a scene acted out on a daily basis by a political figure
on a stage provided by the media. There are many similarities
between the two, not the least of which is the control and creation of character through costume. In both theatre and the
world of politics, image is rarely an afterthought and costume
designers and politicians (or their stylists) are acutely aware
of the powerful statement that clothing can make. down to the
smallest detail, clothing can reveal a world of information to
an observant viewer. As demonstrated by his clothing choices
following his appointment as interim government leader of
Afghanistan on december 22, 2001, Hamid Karzai was well
aware of the powerful language of clothing. Afghanistan had
just emerged from six years of brutal rule by the Taliban and
Karzai was traveling the globe enlisting financial and military
support for his fledgling government. His travels not only produced headlines that called attention to the instability of his
country, but also entire articles devoted to his sartorial flair. In
fact his clothing made such an impression that he was heralded
by Gucci creative director Tom Ford as, "the chicest man on
the planet today" (Treybay 2002). However upon closer examination, it became clear that the choices made by Karzai were
based on more than attaining fashion icon status. Karzai strategically combined elements of regional Afghani clothing and
western styles to send a message that conveyed his dedication
to unifying Afghanistan and its people.

Regional identities and allegiances permeate the twenty
ethnic groups that make up modern-day Afghanistan. The country's culture has evolved over thousands of years due in part to
its geographic location at the crossroads of Central Asia. Trade
routes that crisscrossed the region and repeated invasions by
neighboring countries shaped the people into who they are
today. Some of these foreigners settled in those areas, blending elements of their own culture with those of the indigenous
population. The remnants of their influence can be seen today
in the unique clothing forms that are intrinsically tied to specific regions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Clothing speaks
to the Afghanistan peoples' heritage and has become a symbol
of their identity.
Hamid Karzai is himself a member of the Popolzai clan of
the Pashtun durrani tribe. The Pashtuns are the largest ethnic
group in Afghanistan and have historically held the country's
positions of power, both in the military and in the government.
Karzai was born on december 24, 1957, in a small village on the
outskirts of Kandahar. His family fled to neighboring Pakistan in
1979 when the Soviet military invaded Afghanistan. He holds a
master's degree in political science from Himachal Paradesh
University in Simla, India. He was named interim government
leader in 2001 and elected president in 2004. The result of
Karzai's 2009 bid for re-election has been highly contested and
the outcome undetermined.
Since assuming leadership of the government of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai's wardrobe has been dominated by elements of clothing drawn from ethnic groups other than his
own. Figure 1 shows Karzai's unique combination of Afghani
ethnic dress and Western clothing forms worn during a visit to

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