Despite his media presence over the past decade, Ahmed al-Sharaa only became a household name worldwide after reshuffling the deck and becoming Syria's new president following the overthrow of the Assad regime as the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Al-Sharaa, who until recently was known by his alias "al-Julani," is a longtime jihadist who was part of the ranks of organizations associated with al-Qaida and ISIS, and even orchestrated an attack against Israel – milestones that led to his designation as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" by the US, with a reward of approximately $10 million for information leading to his capture.
With such a biography, one can't help but wonder: Are his international wanted status, use of a stage name almost like the best pop stars, and his renewed status as Syria's president the reasons behind this Syrian jihadist's fashion transformation?
From his activities in 2006 until 2024, his fashion choices reflected the characteristics of the organizations he participated in and their worldview: jihadist camouflage clothing, keffiyeh or head covering wrapping his head, a long and somewhat disheveled beard, and above all, a threatening appearance – exactly what you would expect from a member of organizations like al-Qaida and ISIS.
With the fall of the Assad regime in December of last year, an interesting process began. Al-Sharaa's appearance still maintained a combative but simpler style: dressed in black clothes and a green jacket with a matching cap, a long beard per Muslim tradition but much more groomed. It seemed that until now, he shared this new fashion choice with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who recently made headlines after his meeting in the Oval Office, wearing informal attire.
But in a surprising twist in late December, the leader of Syria's rebel forces met with official figures from the Druze community in Lebanon and with the Turkish foreign minister, and for the first time, the jihadist look that had accompanied him for years was replaced by a tailored suit and a green tie – a nod to his roots – tightly secured. From this point, it seems, there is no turning back.
From that moment on, like a makeover in fashion reality shows, the sophisticated and diplomatic look has accompanied al-Sharaa on his world travels as the Syrian representative. His beard is immaculately groomed (compared to before), his head covering has vanished as if it never existed, and his suits even come in colors besides black.
Days after the notable meeting, the Syrian president was photographed in a suit that appeared to fit him much better, and the green tie color changed to a much more subtle blue tie. About a week later, during a press conference in Damascus, a particularly bold fashion choice was recorded with a precise blue suit, accompanied by a white button-down shirt and a tie combining both colors. One cannot ignore the delicate, representative, and calculated look he modeled this time, which, if not for the Syrian leader's beard, would have almost erased any trace of his past.
The display continues during the Syrian president's visit to Saudi Arabia, and in February, a fashion experiment was recorded in even more relaxed colors on the beige scale, as seen in his exclusive interview with The Economist, although he was not eager to abandon his habit of wearing black clothing under the light blazer, and in his interview with the Syrian media podcast Levant24, though there is still work to be done on color coordination.
At the "Arab Emergency Summit" held last night in Cairo, the Syrian president returned to the formal and meticulous look that began his entire tie-wearing revolution, with a black suit tailored to his measurements and a dark blue tie. Beyond wondering about the identity of his tailor and stylist, one cannot help but compare the fashion choices of Syria's new president to the old one, whose meticulous suits and supposedly "diplomatic" appearance were not enough to obscure his crimes against humanity.
Beyond the Syrian revolution, is it Turkey that is taking part in al-Sharaa's fashion revolution in an effort to create a new persona for him with arms open to embrace the world? What's certain is that he has spared himself American comments about his look.
