Breaking barriers
IN the fashion industry, one woman has stood out for shattering the stereotypes of models in headscarves. Model Halima Aden can be seen everywhere – from pages of magazines to runways.
The 21-year-old Somali-american made headlines back in 2016, by being the first woman to compete in Miss Minnesota’s USA pageant while wearing a hijab and burkini.
A year later, Aden was signed on with international agency IMG Models, becoming their first ever hijabi model. She has since then walked the runways of labels like Max Mara, Alberta Ferretti and Tommy Hilfiger.
After gracing the covers of Vogue,
Paper and Allure, she recently broke another barrier. Aden was featured in
Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue – in a hijab and burkini, no less.
“I just did an interview where they
showed me a video they filmed with some high-school hijabi students,” she told Huffington Post.
“These girls were rooting for me. They shared how my journey has inspired them.”
“Before I came along, there was not a single hijabi for them to relate to in mainstream media or fashion who had a positive story,” she stated.
“So now these girls are going to do sports and all these things because they’re like, ‘If Halima can do it, so can I’.”
Aden was also seen walking the 2019 Istanbul Modest Fashion Week, where she unveiled her 27-piece capsule collection of headscarves in collaboration with Turkish modestwear label Modanisa.
In an interview with Refinery 29, she said: “I noticed the colours and styles that my followers asked for... so I’m hoping that every hijabi finds something that works for her and her everyday lifestyle.” – Bervin Cheong