Iran’s second black chador (a full-body piece of fabric used by some Muslim women to cover the body while leaving the face uncovered) production factory was recently inaugurated in Isfahan Province.
“The factory has the capacity to produce 5 million meters of black chador per year in the first phase. We predict to be able to reach a 10-million-meter capacity by the end of the next Iranian year [March 2022],” the factory’s CEO, Mohammad Ali Shafiei, was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.
The factory has been set up by the private sector with an investment of 400 billion rials ($1.6 million).
Iran’s first black chador production plant is Hijab factory set up in Shahr-e Kord in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province. The factory has the capacity to produce 10 million square meters of chador annually, which can only meet 10-15% of domestic demand.
“Iran is the biggest importer of black chador with around $100-120 million worth of purchases per year,” Alireza Haeri, a board member of Iran Textile Specialists Association, said last year.
“Today our imports are mostly from Thailand, China, Vietnam and Indonesia, which have detected this demand in Iran and other Islamic countries. Previously, our main suppliers of chador were Switzerland, South Korea and Japan,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
According to Haeri, domestic demand for the product stands at 70-80 million square meters per annum.