Women's fashion and Iran aren't two things that tend to go hand-in-hand. In a country where what women wear is governed, fashion tends to consist of little more than dark colours, head coverings and shapeless garments.
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It was a problem faced by Neda Alemohammad, who lived in the country's capital Tehran. She enjoyed fashion design and had done a few courses, but there was no real path to lead to anything more.
"In Iran, women should wear a scarf and long-sleeved things as an obligation of government. A lot of designers and I tried to make [clothing] colourful and beautiful for women to tolerate it better.
"There is no job or no one recognises a fashion designer really.
"I studied software but I was never interested in it. I loved art all my life so I did a lot of art things, so I paint, I photograph, I did a lot of different aspects of art."
While no formal fashion community existed, some designers resorted to fashion shows in their living rooms to show off their creations, unable to show them in a public space. Those who wanted to make more of a career were limited to designing "boring similar things".
And then she met Marc Innes-Brown – an Australian living and working in Iran.
The two met in Iran through mutual friends, "on the longest night of the year which is a very traditional ceremony of the country". They were married before moving to Australia and settling in Canberra in January 2014.
Arriving in a new country, Alemohammad saw it as her opportunity to pursue what she loved – fashion.
"At the time I was very new, I didn't know people, I didn't have a lot to do so I started to paint on the fabric and make dresses, and I started to learn sewing."
With the support of her husband, she started her own label – Hana. From the couple's Narrabundah home, Alemohammad took over every spare space designing, cutting, painting onto fabrics and experimenting with creations.
Her designs are symbolic of her multicultural journey. The Hana collection Immigration is aptly named, fusing together Australian and Iranian motifs. The garments are unmistakably western but with strong Persian touches. Look closer, and you'll see a nod to her new country – with Australian animals and plant life and nature scenes blended among pops of colour.
And the cuts are anything but boring. Pieces are form-fitting and modern, often finishing above the knee and leaving the arms bare – a long way from what Alemohammad could dream of designing back home, let along wearing.
Alemohammad's catwalk debut was just over a year after she arrived in Australia and made the decision to pursue fashion design.
In May 2015, her brightly coloured collection showed on night two at Canberra's Fashfest. Three short months later, they were on the catwalk again, this time in Brisbane at Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival as part of their Next Gen Group Show of emerging designers.
With the models walking to Iranian Kurdish music, Alemohammad paired the outfits with traditional face masks – a nod to her Persian roots. Watching from backstage as her designs parade down the runway, Alemohammad calls it a "dream come true".
"I'm really proud.
"I can't show the same things in Iran because it's not according to the government expectations."
While he claims to know little about fashion other than appreciating nice clothes, it's Innes-Brown who is Alemohammad biggest supporter.
"My husband pushed me a lot and supported me any way you can imagine, like now the whole house is my workshop. He really gives me inspiration and he actually helps me in some designs too."
Life for Neda now is beyond anything she could have imaged growing up. But she says things back in Iran are improving for women. Tehran played host to its first fashion festival earlier this year, and more women are embracing colour and more modern designs.
"[There are] a lot of young designers, because there was demand of it. The new generation didn't want to wear the boring things that the government expected so they try to make it fashionable and colourful."
It's something she hopes will inspire the namesake of her business, Hana – Alemohammad's nine-year-old daughter whom she was unable to bring to Australia with her and still lives back in Iran.
"She knows I'm a designer. I hope in the future she will continue my business. Right now she plays in some games and she pretends she is a designer."
It's a dream she's excited to be able to have for her daughter, let alone herself.
"I really had no idea that one day I would become a fashion designer."
