THE MUSLIMAH WAY

Here my thought about Muslim Fashion

The hijab and the Muslim women dress code in general often pave their routes into the media, be it tabloids, mainstream newspapers, comics even. So many people have their own opinion of what the Muslim women dress code looks like, how it’s supposed to look like, what it represents, and its effect upon Muslim women and society in general.

Most of the time, those who write about it, prod fun at it, describe it and allude to it, rarely ever know much about Islam in general, let alone Muslim women and why they choose to wear hijab.

In a nutshell, the Muslimah attire is a grand topic for debate and discussion.

In Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia, Muslim women are active participants in society, donning their hijab and all. While there are some stereotypes as to how they dress, there is still a variation of their hijabs and outfits.

As their fashion industry rolls out and expands, new hijab and abaya designs are seen on a seasonal basis. While some embrace the fashion sense wholeheartedly, others prefer to stick to traditional ways – keeping to safe designs and colors.

Hijabs have made their presence in their strangest of shapes, including a recent “hijab-wig” – whereby the hijab – literally known as a head covering or veil that is supposed to cover a Muslim woman’s head and hair, including her ears and neck, takes the form of a clothed wig.

Muslim Designers Have Their Ways Too

Indonesian fashion designer, Fenny Mustafa, took Muslimah fashion designs a few steps further in her suite designed with hoofed shoes and stockings, and outrageous outfits and hair coverings that looked literally over the top.

While, perhaps fashion enthusiasts may appreciate Mustafa’s work, many would probably not slip into the outfit and walk around balancing the head gear – the fact that it may attract so much more attention and defy the purpose of hijab, would be a secondary reason.

Taking it closer to home, and to the heart of Islam, Malaysian Muslimah revert, Noorshin Ng, writes about modesty in the “Beauty of Covering Up.” As someone who is active in da’wah work, Ng found that when she embraced Islam many years back, she was surrounded by tight tops and short shorts or skirts. New Muslims then only had the choice of more “traditional” Muslim clothes that were very cultural in nature and not very versatile.

As a revert, Ng was open to blurring the cultural lines of what it means to be a Muslim woman and how the apparel of a Muslimah can take on different forms. Through her book, she shares ideas on how to be flexible when dressing up as a Muslimah to suit the time and palace.

“It is good to blur cultural lines as I believe it will create better acceptance of our gradual change to complete cover up. And it is good da’wah to our not yet Muslim family. Surely we also want them to enter Jannah.”

She adds,“My book is to help make our sisters understand the beauty of covering up. To know it is an honour and a protection from Allah SWT. Being consciously covered by choice brings us very much closer to Allah SWT. It makes us want to please Him and do everything possible to obtain His good pleasure and rewards.”

“They (reverts) can wear loose trousers, tops and lovely light capes and shawls, jackets. The choice is endless; we should emphasize on beauty and modesty in Islam and we should let others know we have not changed except we have learnt to appreciate and respect modesty. In the past, women of different nations dressed modestly too. Islam protects us and gives us a road map to follow.” she advises.In Malaysia, Muslims mostly comprise of Malays, while there are a handful of Chinese and Indians who revert to Islam on an annual basis. Being a Chinese revert herself, Ng acknowledges that a change in a revert’s dress code can come across as a drastic shock for her non-Muslim family. She goes on to encourage finding a middle path in dressing, without compromising the basic principles to cover according to Islamic law.

Ng even tailors Islamic clothing for Muslim women, under the brand name, Mariamah, and is in the midst of working on a full fashion line.

While the Qur’an and Sunnah place a great deal of emphasis on modesty for both men and women, and honor women to the point that they laid out the requirement of the female dress code, details such as intrinsic design, fabric, color and allusions to cultures, remain open and flexible (as long as they do not contradict the requirements already set forth in the Qur’an and Hadith).

With the booming fashion industry in this region, there are various pros and cons for the Muslimah shopper.

Between Fashion Lines and Customers’ Needs

When Ira Uzair decided to don the hijab recently, she found the only organza shawl in her closet and wrapped it around her head to debut as a hijabi. As a skinny jeans and baby-t lover, it was a drastic change in taste, but she still pulls off the modest look with a few tweaks.

“I actually still use a lot of my existing clothes with some adjustments. In Malaysia, I think there are a lot of clothing choices for hijab wearers. There are many Muslimah apparel retailers online stores which are easily accessible. But I still buy clothes from my favorite brands and shops, though I buy those that cover better and are bigger in size,” says the mother of two.

While some Muslim women feel that the over-trumped Muslimah fashion world has its own sets of ills, like gaudiness and tighter, albeit longer outfits, Ira maintains her positive outlook with regards to her new dress sense.

“I love the fact that color blocking is in, shawls are vastly available, flowy skirts are the in thing. it is so easy to mix and match (and reuse) most of my clothes in the wardrobe to look decent enough. Not difficult at all.”

Her new-found passion of modest dress, prompted her to start a new venture, Tudung Gizmo, selling shawls, neck covers and even magnetic brooches, the newest innovative accessory in the market.

“I am a huge fan on magnetic brooches which are almost unheard of in Malaysia. Although more expensive than conventional brooches and pins, I see them as an investment –not having to replace shawls with multiple holes from using pins and conventional brooches. I am naturally a person who takes good care of my possessions, so I hate seeing any of my shawls with holes in them.”

Her outlook for the region’s fashion industry:

“I would like to see people appreciate material and not designs only. Currently, it is more design-driven than anything else. When I wear shawls, it has to be comfortable first. Viscose, modal and cotton, silks are at the top of my list because they provide comfort.”

Finding the balance always lies at the heart of a Muslim’s lifestyle, whether man or woman, and for women, the natural inclination to fall into the trap of fashion materialism has been curbed by the directives to submit to Allah (SWT) when it comes to modesty. And while there is flexibility with the details, finding the balance is as important as always.

Muslim Fashion Designer’s Advice

Ng advises those who still wish to dress up as they cover according to their lifestyles, without compromising their own unique look. Of course, this includes observing the dress code of a Muslimah as laid out in the Qur’an.

“Make sure our clothes are not revealing. No clinging and transparent clothing. Wear loose and flowing or something tailored and structured. Cover the chest and hips. Wear nice socks. And even gloves can look stylish.”

Fashion and beautifying one’s appearance is encouraged in Islam, but again, it has to meet the standards of modesty depending on where the Muslim woman is and who she is around. As a rule of thumb, Muslims need to be covered as they are required to be, as how they are while performing prayers.“Our designers will come up with new styles every few months. Shop carefully. Do not use some popular hijab magazine as guideline. I assure you many of such styles are not proper Islamic attire when styled by people who do not understand what Allah wants for us. Some designers promote tight fish tail skirts and tight sleeves. Some sell really gaudy clothes. All will show the model wearing scarves. Be selective and careful because we are Ambassadors of Islam. We have responsibility.” She adds.

“If you cannot pray in that outfit, it means that dress needs additional cover-up, like a jacket or shawl.” It has also been said that once a Muslim beautifies himself or herself for prayers, then his or her dress code is considered complete.

Nowadays, Muslimah apparel continues to make the news for all sorts of reasons. Nevertheless, rising fashion industry for Muslimah design can shed new light on the perception of Muslim dress, female designers and fashion stores.

While fashion is encouraged in Islam – to present one’s self in a dignified and beautified manner according to Islamic principles, fashion can also become controversial if it takes form that contradicts the teachings of Islam. Nevertheless, this is an opportunity for Muslim women to showcase Islam in an interesting light, with positive discussion and progress for the Muslim community as a whole.

ISLAMIC CLOTHING

Good Way to discuss about muslim women fashion

There's been something of a fashion revolution among muslim women in the last few years. Puritanical habit-like headdresses have been replaced with swathes of expertly draped cloth in bold prints which refuse to conform to stereotypical portrayals of the timid and oppressed headscarf wearer.  

The big, bold, zebra-striped, brightly colored hijab has become a fixture on our high streets, more often than not teamed with a pair of over sized sunglasses and perhaps a faux-fur gilet, while its wearer exudes buckets of confidence and demands to be noticed. Gone are the days when wearing hijab was synonymous with looking dowdy or prudish, and when embracing the prescriptions of Muslim dress code meant renouncing any sense of style and fashion.

The transformation in fashion for Muslim women has largely been due to a grassroots network of women giving style advice online through their blogs and YouTube channels. The YouTube hijab tutorial, detailing the steps of pinning and styling the headscarf in order to achieve the latest silhouette, has become something of a genre. So much so that now even spoofs of the genre have emerged. There's nothing quite like an iconoclastic hijab-tutorial parody for shattering stereotypes. “Not only do I have a sense of style -- I also have a sense of humor, while fully embracing wearing my headscarf,” it proclaims.

Muslim women making a fashion statement

Sunday's Zaman spoke to some of the women who have played a leading role in this movement. Jana Kossaibati, editor of Hijab Style, which she started in September 2007 and which she calls “the UK's first style guide for Muslim women,” told Sunday's Zaman that there are now a large number of annual events, fashion shows, magazines and blogs dedicated to Muslim women's fashion. “Hijab Style is like a central hub which brings these all together,” she said. Asked why there is now so much interest in blogs and YouTube tutorials giving style advice for Muslim women, she commented: “For many years Muslim women struggled to find appropriate clothing in mainstream stores. There was also little or no representation in mainstream media. Now that social media like blogs and YouTube has become popular and accessible, Muslim women are making use of this to create their own space to share images and ideas which are relevant to them.”

Discussing how fashion for Muslim women has changed over the last few years and how it has become an international movement, Kossaibati said: “There are a much larger number of companies catering to Muslim women now than ever before, many of which are based in Europe and the US. The Muslim fashion scene has also become more cosmopolitan; people are connecting with each other from around the world. For example, Malaysian designers are taking part in UK fashion shows.”

Hana Tajima is a designer and visual artist whose blog style covered.com about hijab style and Muslim fashion gathered a huge following. She launched an acclaimed women swear label called MAYSAA in 2008 and has had her work featured in fashion and style magazines internationally. Tajima told Sunday's Zaman that part of her inspiration has come from her bi-cultural Japanese and English background. Commenting on MAYSAA, she said: “I can't remember a time that I wasn't designing and making clothes, failures and all, and the idea of beauty in Islam was fascinating to me even before I became Muslim. MAYSAA was really a manifestation of all the different parts of the world that I had experienced so far.” Although Tajima has moved on from MAYSAA to other projects, she is still designing and making clothes on a smaller scale. “It feels good to be closer to the things I'm making,” she said.

Discussing how fashion for Muslim women has evolved, Tajima said: “There is an openness in the way Muslim women are approaching fashion now. It feels like the UK, as a microcosm of so many Islamic cultures, has been at the forefront of this. It is no longer about the clothes your parents wear, but you see women borrowing ideas from cultures not their own, or of the places that have shaped them. There is also no way to downplay the influence the Internet has had on this. Blogs and video tutorials allow a sharing of information on a scale that hasn't been possible before. Most importantly, it's information that comes from a direct source. We are human, and for the most part we are looking for connection, and in spite of all the obvious ironies, the Internet provides a very basic level of connection.”

Aalia Akhtar's YouTube channel giving hijab tutorials, which she started in 2010, has over 25,000 subscribers and has received well over 7 million views. She runs a company called Princess Rockz selling hijab and accessories, and last year published a book called “Aalia's Hijab Styling Guide.” Commenting on her YouTube channel she told Sunday's Zaman: “It was really just to show a few different styles. I didn't really think it would be so popular or that people would be as interested as they are. So that's how it started and it just went from there.” According to Akhtar, Muslim fashion can play a role in counteracting Islamaphobia. “It helps to break down the misconceptions and the ideas that people have about Muslim women. I think it's an excellent way to help people understand the fact that as Muslim women we're not oppressed, we have a sense of fashion, and just like any girl we like to dress up and show our identity through our clothes.”

Commenting on the fact that some Muslims criticize the idea of Muslim fashion, Akhtar said: “Some people say that hijab tutorials might be immodest because hijab isn't meant to be about fashion. That's one point of view. My personal opinion is that it encourages and empowers Muslim women to wear the hijab. That's what I hope to do through my YouTube channel -- to empower women. I receive a lot of messages, as do the other people who make hijab tutorials, from people saying that it's encouraged them and that their esteem was really low, but that by watching the hijab tutorials they have seen that they can make the hijab work within their life.”

Photography student Saima Chowdhury found her way into blogging and posting YouTube tutorials about Muslim fashion through the unusual route of comedy. She started posting comedy sketches on YouTube several years ago at the age of 16. Her “sexy hijab tutorial” parody, in which she piles brightly colored and animal-print headscarves onto her head in a bid to get the most voluminous hijab possible, has garnered over 335,000 views. “I mean I've only used seven hijabs for this look, but you guys can use a whole lot more and make it look even sexier,” she quips, ending with, “So I really hope I helped you get the girl or the guy of your dreams!” Speaking about her comedy channel on YouTube, she told Sunday's Zaman, “I generally like to make people laugh, so I thought, ‘you know what, I'm going to try doing that.' Then after that, I got all the style questions. From that it led to my style channel and people wanted me to do blog posts about outfits, so now it's a mix of both -- I do comedy stuff and I also do style stuff.”  

MODERN HIJAB FASHION

Hijab is the best fashion for muslim women 


The hijab serves many complex purposes for Muslim women. Many Western observers view the hijab as a symbol of oppression or anti-feminism. However, Muslim women have spoken out against these claims, stating that the hijab is empowering. Recent studies have even confirmed that the hijab has led to a more positive body image from its wearers.

According to a British study, women who wear hijabs report having greater appreciation for their bodies. Additionally, they were influenced less by beauty standards in the media and did not express as much of a desire to be thin as non-hijab wearers.

 Many Muslim women have spoken out in defense of the hijab. Some state that the garment prevents them from obsessing over their physical features. By reducing the attention paid to appearance, many women have reported feeling more freedom.

This freedom continues to be questioned by non-Muslims everywhere. The hijab was initially introduced “as part of the decency and modesty in interaction between members of the opposite sex,” in Islam. However, many non-Muslims interpret this as female submission to the dominance of men.

Modern Hijab For Muslim

 A new trend has recently emerged on twitter, inspired by the hashtag #lifeofamuslimfeminist. Using this hashtag as a platform, women have spoken out against non-Muslim critics and even Muslim men in defense of their choice to wear the hijab. These women admit to often finding themselves stuck in between Muslims pushing the rejection of feminism and the criticism of Western feminists.

Although mainstream feminists view Islamic feminism as an oxymoron, gender equality within the Muslim tradition is capable of achieving more than just a positive physical image for women. Feminism has encouraged some women to escape domestic abuse and even rise out of poverty.

 A global movement referred to as Musawah has risen in popularity in the past few years. Based in Malaysia, the movement has begun to approach Muslim women about speaking out against oppression. Many women have been forced into submission by their husbands or by the incorrect belief that women are secondary to men.

 Musawah members are able to use the Koran to explain incidences where women can leave their husbands. For example, the word iddribuhunna is often translated to mean, “to beat,” however, it also translates to “to go separate ways.” A simple reinterpretation could remove women from potentially dangerous situations. 

Another important factor to consider in modern Muslim feminism is the fact that the Koran is over a thousand years old. Applying the Koran directly to modern issues is impractical and requires careful interpretation instead.

 In India, poverty has prevented countless Muslim teenage girls from pursuing an education or career. Women’s rights groups like the All India Confederation for Women’s Empowerment Through Education (AICWETE) aim to inspire women to break the cycle of poverty by learning various skills that could eventually lead to a meaningful occupation.

 Muslim feminists worldwide still face enormous struggles, both within the Muslim faith and the domain of mainstream feminism. The hijab acts as a powerful symbol of religious conviction and personal empowerment to the modern Muslim feminist. As the garment has become such a huge point of contention in the mainstream media, Muslim women have been given a vehicle to communicate their thoughts and feelings about self-worth and independence.