- The look of the political leader is a mirror that reflects his personality and unveils his taste and whim, and this may be applied to the leaders who ruled Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Zimbabwe and other countries. This is not only governed by their spirit of heritage and the folklore of their people, but also by their motives for fame and self appreciation.
This is fully reflected by other leaders who made sure to wear folklore uniforms from their people, such as the Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani, former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi in India and the Dalai Lama, who all preferred the uniform of their countries than the western uniform that swept across most countries in the world.

The former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi took most of the attention of leaders and he did not choose his style from the heritage of his people as much as he took it from his dreams and imaginations. When he was informed that his uniform was being criticized, he began to wear the Libyan uniform, which was wide with a long cloak on his shoulders, as a late expression about his nomadic origins.

The Islamic revolution in Iran, which broke out in 1979, stressed on the prohibition of wearing a tie because it represents, from the religious ideology, a western commodity that Muslims must not imitate.
At the same time, some men in power and authority chose simplicity, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and university teachers who belonged to the poor classes. Clergy men in Iran are proud of their uniforms comprised of a robe, cloak and turban and do not change their uniforms even if they venture into politics.

The current President of the Republic of Sudan Omar al-Bashir meanwhile has different uniforms that vary between the official western uniform, military, tribal and folk. He wears a turban and robe when he appears before tribes, a military uniform when he is before the military and a tribal warriors uniform when he visits the depths of the tribal areas.
The late French President François Mitterrand used to wear elegant neckties with strong colors and he preferred wool suits. He also wore hats marked with Homberg trade mark. The former French President Jacques Chirac also chose elegant suits from different fashion houses, namely Yves Saint Laurent and Dior.

Most of the kings and princes of the Gulf, as well as the leaders of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, wear folk costume. In Japan, the king and princesses appear in historical folklore on special occasions.
The President of the Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani wears his Kurdish uniform on a permanent basis.

Iraqi artist Star Kauoh said that "fashion reflects the nature of society and culture, and most leaders prefer to wear the official uniform, which is the western suit with necktie, but some of them take advantage of certain occasions to wear traditional uniforms. The latter makes the leaders closer to their people."

Iraqi media commentator Mazen Latif pointed out that most of the Arab leaders embody in their uniforms the folklore of their people, especially African leaders like the presidents of Sudan and Mauritania.
Kauoh mentioned the uniforms and accessories of Sultan Qaboos, with his famous dagger, or the uniform of the late Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani, who was keen throughout the stages of his life to wear the Kurdish uniform. The outfit was associated with the mountains wars fought by the late president to achieve Kurdish rights. Barzani rarely wore the Arabic uniform.

Kauoh also referred to the fur hats worn by the Russian presidents that reflect the nature and mood of the Russians.

Afghani President Hamid Karzai won the title of the most elegant man in the world from global Gucci group. But Karzai was also criticized by the Indian welfare group People for Animals because of his famous hat made of sheep fur.
When Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who is known for being stylish, visited the United Arab Emirates in 2012 she wore a veil. This caused political problems in her home country and Europe alike. The Dutch Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders, considered the Queen's decision to wear the veil as fueling the oppression of women.

"The Islamic costume of the Queen raised a lot of attention, regardless of the explanations that accompanied it, to the extent that she designed a headdress inspired by mixing between the Dutch hat and the Islamic headscarf," said fashion expert Anna Mike.

Feminist Timor Ahmed, who lives in the Netherlands, said: "The design is impractical, although its idea is smart simply because Muslims do not wear hats."

Throughout his life, the late leader of North Korea Kim Il-sung wore a suit, which was called "the labor". He became a political symbol and Koreans were keen to wear the suit as an expression of their loyalty to the leader.
The former Cuban President Fidel Castro meanwhile said that he would not remove his military suit without achieving the ambitions of the masses.

Media commentator Latif added that there is great respect for the Kurdish leaders who are keen to wear Kurdish uniforms on special occasions and do not replace them with suits, as seen in India and Pakistan. This is reflected mainly in the Nawroz holiday, where the political elites and ordinary citizens wear traditional Kurdish clothes.

The late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was famous for wearing elegant suits in addition to ties and black glasses at a time when the majority of the Egyptian people wore wide cloaks known by the peasants of Egypt.

Abdul Nasser imitated some of the leaders of the Soviet Union, China and Cuba, and encouraged people to wear the "suit of labor". A campaign began to encourage farmers and workers to wear suits. But according to the author Samir al-Qadi, the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was the first Egyptian president to wear robes on certain special occasions and this increased his popularity.







AKnews