Risky Business

Mango might just be the bravest fashion chain in the industry. The Barcelona-based company plans to become the first international retail brand to open in war-torn Iraq. But don’t expect flirty dresses or, well, camouflage cargo pants. Mango asked Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad to create a special collection that respects the region’s covered-up style, which can include head scarves and veils. The store will be located in the Kurdish city of Arbil, an area that has seen sporadic violence—a May 2007 suicide truck bombing killed at least 14 people and wounded 87—since the war began. “We like to have a challenge,” Isak Halfon, Mango’s president of expansion, told WWD.

Photo: Fairchild Fashion Group