Yes, and no. Despite being an industry that
defines itself as being at the cutting edge,
fashion has historically been slow in making
real social change – to recognise, say, more
than one body shape, size or skin colour.
Using hijabi models seems a massive step
forward in that context – it’s heartening
to see runway models like Aden, Yusuf
and Abdi Omar framed positively in
the media. But it can also be limiting if
it’s the only lens through which Islam is
filtered back to us.
Consider the fact that Zayn Malik,
one of the most famous men in music,
has Muslim heritage. So do Bella
and Gigi Hadid, Riz Ahmed, Amal
Clooney and beauty empress Huda
Kattan (with 30.1 million followers on
Instagram – more than Bella Hadid,
FYI). Consider the artists subverting
the public understanding of how a Muslim looks,
behaves and creates: cult filmmaker Desiree Akhavan
(Appropriate Behaviour; The Miseducation Of
Cameron Post), photographer Yumna Al-Arashi and
DJ Manara are making waves in their
fields.
None of the above conforms to the
homogenised myths fed to us about Islam,
and none of them are defined by religion.
Secular Muslims do exist, as in any faith –
they’re often simply overlooked or ignored.
With 1.8 billion Muslims in the world,
making up a quarter of the globe’s
population, Islam is diverse by its nature.
There are 20 million Muslims in China, who
have a different take on the religion to the
25O million Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa.
Lebanese Muslims dress differently to Latin
American ones, but one image persists in the mainstream of what
a Muslim looks like: a woman with dark skin, darker hair and a
headscarf; a silhouette shrouded in fabric.
“I don’t think modest fashion is in fashion per se,”
says Torkia, whose bookModestly, about life as
a modern Muslim Brit embracing dual identities, was
released last year. “Mainstream fashion and the
high street has a lot more variety. It’s allowing all
women – not just Muslim ones – to dress with more
choice.” The Row or Loewe, with their floor-sweeping
hems and high necklines, could be defined as
modest. That’s just fashion, irrespective of age,
religion and gender. “Even if Muslim women can be
credited for pioneering modest fashion, the look is
more inclusive now; it’s fully mainstream.”
Sameera Hussain, an influencer who posts as
Miss Mulberry online, says, “Social media has
allowed non-Muslims to see that not all Muslims
wear a hijab or dress a certain way. But it doesn’t
mean they don’t live their life following the
basic teachings of Islam or they’re not
‘authentic’ Muslims.” Instagram, Twitter
and YouTube have shown – in a way
traditional media doesn’t – that as with
every religion, Islam is followed by some
liberal, and some more conservative
people. There’s no one-size-fits-all.
Ghizlan Guenez, founder of modest
fashion e-tailer The Modist, agrees,
adding that, “Within a single family, you’ll
find diversity in what a Muslim woman
looks like. I grew up in a family of women
who dress modestly. Our interpretation [of
that] varied from a demure look to wearing the hijab.” You’ll
find Erdem, Christopher Kane and Ganni among the brands
Guenez stocks, testament to her view that you can’t reduce an
entire religious group to one garment – the headscarf.
It’s worth knowing that around 40 per cent of people living in
the Arab world are millennials, with higher spending power than
their peers elsewhere. Net-a-Porter recently launched in the
Middle East, with the company’s president Alison Loehnis
confirming the region has four times as many “Extremely Important
People” (frequent big spenders) than the rest of the world.
In reality, “modern Muslim identity is not something we can
put a label on,” says Hussain, who grew up in Glasgow to
Scottish-Pakistani parents and now lives in Dubai. “It ‘s about your
own journey as a Muslim; there is no one fixed description.”
It seems fashion might finally understand that.E“Social media
has allowed
NON-MUSLIMS
to see that
not all Muslims
wear a hijab
OR DRESS A
CERTAIN WAY”FIRST LOOK
ValentinoErdemJW AndersonMax MaraMary Katrantzou