Hipster hijabis fuse fashion with faith
Designers add style to religious garb
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Fashion-conscious Muslim women from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles who wear the Islamic head scarf, known as the hijab, have had to get creative. By fusing both their sense of fashion with their faith, this growing group, some of whom have dubbed themselves hipster hijabis, is reinterpreting traditional notions of what it means to dress conservatively. They’re spawning a new market for niche fashion brands and finding unexpected supporters among some mainstream brands, as well as from conservative Christian and Orthodox Jewish women who also dress modestly.
“We want to be current in fashion and adhere to the tenets of our faith,” said Ibtihaj Muhammad, who owns Louella, a fashion brand catering to women who combine modest dressing with fashion.
The Los Angeles-based brand has sold nearly 4,000 pieces since its launch three months ago. Muhammad, a professional athlete and member of the United States fencing team, said she struggled trying to find longsleeved, floor-length dresses to wear when she travelled on speaking tours on behalf of Team USA and the State Department.
Her line, which include floor-length sheer cardigans and dresses, ranges from $45 for a colourful, Picassoinspired print cardigan to $100 for a pink lace, empirecut dress.
Some mainstream designers also have started to cater to this growing demand for stylish modest wear. This summer, DKNY released a collection during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that sold exclusively in the Arabian Gulf.
Still, the market is ripe for more investment said Albert Momdijan, founder and CEO of Dubai-based Sokotra Capital.
“The Muslim population is the second largest population in the world with roughly 1.8 billion people so it’s a large population that you definitely cannot ignore. And 50 per cent are below the age of 25,” he said. “It’s a young population, it’s a growing population and it’s a large addressable market.”
Summer Albarcha coined her photo-sharing Instagram account Hipster Hijabis in 2012, when the teenager from St. Louis, Missouri was just 16. She now has almost 23,000 people following her on Instagram. Her loyal following prompted New-York based label Mimu Maxi, run by two Orthodox Jewish women, to send her one of their popular maxi skirts to model.
The collaboration caused a stir, with many Jewish customers blasting Mimu Maxi for featuring a Muslim woman in hijab. Albarcha says the experience only reaffirmed the universal struggle women of all faiths and backgrounds have when trying to find stylish conservative pieces to wear.
“It came out that our ideas of wanting modest fashion and in promoting it is something really similar and something we have in common between our religions,” she said. “We should both be working together to embrace this idea and expand it.”
Marwa Atik produces her fashion line, Vela Scarves, in Los Angeles.
The 23-year-old graduate of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles says she sold more than 3,200 scarves last year to customers around the world and plans to expand her offerings to include apparel.
For her, wearing the head scarf has never been a barrier to being fashionable.
“It’s very easy to get into the stereotypes and start to feel insecure,” she said. “I made sure people see me as I see me.”