For Western society, the hijab is often mistakenly perceived as a symbol of female repression.
However, Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana is challenging cultural misconceptions with the recent release of its first ever collection of hijabs and abayas targeting wealthy Muslim women in the Middle East. Activists, like, Amara Majeed, whose portal “The Hijab Project” aims to promote “the understanding and empowerment of Muslim women through social experimentation”, alongside fashion bloggers, such asAishah Amin (The Hijab Diaries) and Ami Schaheera (Amischaheera.com), are redefining what it means, from a style perspective, to be Muslim in the Western world. Summer Albarcha, the woman behind “Hipster Hijabis”, believes that although Muslim women must cover everything apart from their face, it is still possible to dress creatively. Anam Shahid, creator of blog, “The Style Menu” says this is “empowering because your identity becomes a mental state beyond the clothes”. For them, as for many Muslims, beauty and image do not contradict their beliefs. This is certainly the case for Nadira Abdul Quddus, who has more than 21,000 followers on Instagram, thanks to her DIY tutorials on how to create your own abayas and hijabs. Clearly modesty and fashion can go hand-in-hand and the conservative but creative look, has, in the past, made a splash in mainstream fashion and film. —Luz Lancheros, MWN
Muslim fashion goes mainstream
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana
