After demonstrations broke out in Iran on December 28, 2025, following the collapse of the Iranian currency, the country’s regime responded in a deadly manner. More than 6,000 people were killed as part of a brutal massacre of protesters on January 8 and 9, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), although some estimates suggest the death toll is significantly higher. A weeks-long shutdown of the internet means that receiving news out of Iran has been extremely difficult, with severe restrictions still in place.
For the Iranian diaspora, this has meant an agonizing wait for news from family members, with many left feeling helpless in the face of such unthinkable atrocities. As the situation remains fraught in Iran, and with several opposition politicians arrested just this week, Vogue speaks to three Iranian designers on why their home country needs our support right now.
Naza Yousefi, founder of Yuzefi
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“It has been a deeply painful and unsettling time. Watching events unfold in a place that is so emotionally close to you while being physically distant creates a constant sense of helplessness. Having lived through war as a child, I am particularly sensitive to what prolonged fear and instability do to people over time. What has been hardest is seeing ordinary lives, families, young people, civilians slowly reduced to headlines or abstractions, rather than recognized as individuals living under immense and sustained pressure. Being at a distance also makes you aware of how quickly complex realities are simplified, which can feel almost as painful as the events themselves.
Information comes in fragments through family, messages and what people are able to share online. I have been in contact with my family, which I am grateful for, but there is always an underlying uncertainty that never fully lifts. What comes through very clearly is how exhausting it is to live without basic security or freedom, and how much emotional energy goes into simply getting through ordinary days. There is often a gap between how life inside Iran is discussed externally and how it is actually being lived, which is why listening to people there feels especially important to me.
My hope is for an end to violence and dehumanization, and for Iranians to be able to live with dignity, safety and a sense of agency over their own lives. I also hope that conversations outside Iran can move away from division and moral binaries, and instead reflect the reality that most people want the same fundamental things: peace, security, and a future for their children. Holding on to that shared humanity feels essential to me, particularly when it becomes easiest to lose sight of it.”
Paria Farzaneh, founder of paria /FARZANEH
“It’s been very difficult, especially when you have family in Iran—not knowing for a long time if they’re alive because there is no internet access was just terrifying. It’s horrific knowing that people have been killed without any conviction whatsoever; it’s beyond inhumane. I know that everyone in the diaspora has just stood outside of it all thinking, what are we doing? We’re so helpless. It’s really hard to explain that to people who are not going through something like this, because it feels very far away from them.
We didn’t have any contact for 18 days–I can’t describe the feeling of limbo. When we were finally able to connect, our family would just say, ‘I don’t know how long I’m going to be online for, but we’re okay.’ It’s just a way of saying, ‘We’re here, we’re still standing.’ It’s crazy to think they can’t even say anything really on the phone, and people do worry about putting their families in danger. Everybody who’s seen what’s gone on is in a very dark place, and that is the entirety of the country. It’s really hard to console them and not be scared for them.
The most important thing is that we don’t stop the conversation around Iran, that we give a spotlight to those who can’t speak right now and be a voice for them, and continue this conversation with people on the outside to make sure that the issues are known. We can’t turn a blind eye; we can’t be ignorant to what is going on right now.”
Amir Taghi, founder of Amir Taghi
“It’s been very frightening. I have family in Iran, and when you can’t get in contact with them, it’s a fear that you don’t know how to cope with. Thankfully, they’re fine, and we’ve been in contact with them now, but I know people whose friends have been killed—it’s just really scary. It’s also hard because you want to ask what’s going on, but you’re afraid that if they say something on the phone that the Iranian government is listening.
As Iranians, we want people to see us and to see what we’re going through. As people with a voice, we have a job to show and share the voices of Iranians within the country. We hope that people support us, because it is a human rights issue.
The last 10 years in Iran have been such a rollercoaster, with the Green Movement, Woman, Life, Freedom—it feels like we get close to change, and then something happens, and we’re back at square one in a way. I would love regime change; I would love there to be freedom for people who live in Iran, for those who want a life where they can just show their hair, or walk out in the street with a t-shirt and shorts on. I want to go back to Iran, to share it with my friends in the West, and show how beautiful our culture is.”