"Many young and wealthy women in Iran look to the West in terms of their social and political values, as well as their ideas about fashion,” says Shiva Hajiebrahimaraghi, who graduates from the photography BA at London College of Fashion this summer. “This ‘Euro-American example’ is not always positively regarded by other Iranians. Any dress that attracts too much attention to the wearer, or make-up which seems too Western, such as dark-red lipstick or dyed-blonde hair, is likely to attract the attention of passers-by, both male and female, who could react in a hostile way to a standard of dress that is both non-Islamic and non-Iranian in terms of its cultural origins.”

As this explanation suggests, shooting fashion stories is therefore problematic, but undeterred, the Iranian photographer decided to base her final project there anyway. Shedding the Skin presents an elegant woman, dressed within acceptable standards, making her way from Tehran to the village of Abyaneh.

Here in the UK her headscarves are the most obvious indication of her religious observation but, as Hajiebrahimaraghi explains, her other clothes are also carefully considered. The model’s body is covered with knee-length coats or wraps, her legs with trousers and tights; different colours are worn but the colour palette is generally muted. The model is also photographed in natural, everyday poses as sexually suggestive images are strictly forbidden in Iran.

“Dress that clearly does not conform to the accepted interpretation of the dress code will attract the attention of the Morality Police, who enforce the government’s ideas of what is acceptable,” says Hajiebrahimaraghi. “Women can be fined or even imprisoned for breaking the dress code. The dress code is flexible, however, and often reflects the political climate of the time. Most women in Iran have a good understanding of what is permissible at any one time, and stay within the accepted boundaries.”

Even so, Hajiebrahimaraghi contrasts the model’s slick outfits with older women wearing traditional dress, showing the variation that exists within the rules and the model’s journey from the city to the country.

“It’s almost Islam versus Islam,” she explains. “Both characters have an equal right to choose what they want to be. In Western Europe it’s Islam versus other religions, and I do not agree with that. We all have a right to be who we want to be, but at the same time we have to respect other beliefs. Many people who live in Iran feel the same, and they would get the message I intended. But for a foreigner who doesn’t know much about Iran, the project might only be ‘fashion images including a headscarf’.”

Shot on location, the project attracted a lot of unwanted attention from men and religious conservatives, which Hajiebrahimaraghi says reflects prevalent contemporary attitudes towards women. Nevertheless, her dream is to leave London, where she’s been studying for the last four years, and work in her native country. “The best scenario for me would be to be able to work in Iran, in outdoor locations, involving real people,” she says. “I don’t consider myself exclusively a fashion photographer, I also enjoy portraiture and documentary photography.”