1960s :: Coats
In 1968 Ira discovered several Afghan sheepskin coats that had found their way to NYC. Partnering with the late Anne Klein, he was soon on a plane to Kabul, searching for the coats that would become one of the era's iconic fashions. With the help of his mentor, Diana Vreeland, fashion spreads in Vogue and Life magazines were scheduled as Ira set off on that first trip to Afghanistan. He found the coats in Istalif, a village covered in orchards and vineyards, high in the mountains north of Kabul. Bearded, turbaned village elders sat with him to conduct the first business transaction over endless cups
of tea. Entranced by the setting, Ira spent the next few years working with the villagers, while exporting thousands of coats to New York. Demand for the coats kept growing as the fashion exploded, propelled by the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. A few years later in NYC Sylvia was introduced to Ira as a designer of hand-stitched velvet coats. The two spent the next five years in Afghanistan together creating both personal artwork and building cottage industries which employed hundreds of local craftspeople.