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UNCOVERED
Hijab from @dolcegabbana instagram
T
wo years ago, France banned the
burkini from its beaches; what
was created as a comfortable
swimwear option for Muslim
women was taken away. It is easy to feel like
we are living in the most anti-Islamic times
of recent memory. The alt-right’s growth,
hate speech, and increase in Islamophobic
rhetoric and crimes all point to a less
inclusive world. However, in the face of this
rising hate, fashion has taken on creating a
new and inclusive space for all faiths,
bodies, and races—and most recently the
industry seems to have focused on bringing
Muslim-friendly garments into
the mainstream.
In 2015, H&M, a Swedish fast-fashion
company, made headlines as Mariah Idrissi
became the first Muslim woman to be
featured in one of their campaigns and ever
since, it seems like every other brand is
trying to hop on the inclusive bandwagon.
That same year, Dubai had its first ever
fashion week and in 2016, Dolce & Gabbana
launched a line of hijabs and abayas. 2017
saw Nike’s first sports hijab and Yeezy’s
Season 5 included headscarf-wearing
Halima Aden on the runway. Not to mention,
Rihanna stole everyone’s eyes at Coachella
this year with her Gucci Balaclava. These
past runways have seen a large growth in
options for Muslim women as well as a
shift towards the more inclusive, modest
fashion movement.
Previous attempts at reaching out to the
Muslim fashion consumer involved a lot of
capsule, single releases. Brands like DKNY,
Tommy Hilfiger, and Oscar de la Renta, to
name a few, produced one-time collections
around Ramadan, but now fashion brands
are more focused on making sustainable
places for Muslim shoppers. These steps go
further than just creating patterned,
luxurious hijabs but wave in a whole
new-style of clothing: modest wear. With
their fun, floral abayas, Dolce & Gabbana
nodded their heads towards the women—not
just Muslim, but also Christian and Jewish—
that want to dress more conservatively.
The new attention is groundbreaking
in our War on Terror world. In the words
of MuslimGirl.com creator Amani Al-Kha-
tahtbeh, "For the first time in my life since
9/11, it's almost a given to see women who
look like me in marketing campaigns or
editorials, and that's really cool.” And this
inclusivity also has a lucrative side. The
Muslim consumer market is expected to
reach $368 billion by 2021 and by 2050, to
match the purchasing power of the Christian
market. As young Muslims, unlike their
Christian counterparts, are moving closer
rather than away from their faith, fashion
companies will have to shift to modest
approaches to reach this market. Luckily,
most modern brands are having no qualms
with this and are striving to make the fashion
world open to all. BY MARGARET BLATZ