Hijab Culture for Islamic Clothing in the Sustainable Fashion Limelight

Long sustainably-made silk robes, vibrant headscarves fro organic cotton, and intricate lace face veils paint a modest, underground and mystical picture of Muslim fashion. Despite the modest nature of Islamic clothing designed to honour the religion, Muslim attire is adorned with bright designs, bold colours and stunning materials. In recent years Islamic clothing has taken on a more modern element, amalgamating comfort and privacy with style and modernity, crafting hip and stylish individuals of the Islamic faith – and best of all some of these traditions are turning “green”.

The notion of trendy and hip ‘Hijab culture’ has entered mainstream consciousness with the ‘hood and the hijab’ being cool items to be seen in on the streets of London, Birmingham, Manchester and practically everywhere in the UK. And of course around the Middle East too where this modest style was born.

Instead of being a submissive fashion mishap that would be worn by the more reticent members of society, Islamic clothing has been propelled into the fashion limelight, with good reason. And we are hoping this new fashion trend will inspire designers to cover this new trend.

Prolific Muslim fashion bloggers

One of the reasons for the ‘trendifying’ of Islamic clothing and its arrival in mainstream fashion is due to the phenomenal rise of the fashion blogger and, in this case, the growing community of hijab fashion bloggers in places like the UK.

Dina Tokio

Dina Tokio is one influential Muslim fashion bloggers. With her unique style and spirited personality shining through in her writing, Dina has aided the arrival and popularity of a new concept known as the ‘vloger’. Dina’s trademark quirky videos and blog posts and her admittance to being a ‘style hauler’ has certainly contributed to helping the word ‘cosmopolitan’ be associated with Muslim clothing.

Mariam Sobh

Another prominent hijab culture blogger that has helped put this type of clothing in the fashion limelight is Mariam Sobh. Mariam founded Hijab Trendz, which looks through the eyes of a Hijabi fashionista. Talking to the Huffington Post, Mariam Sobh describes the rising presence of Muslim women in mainstream fashion.

“I went ahead and started this blog [Hijab Trendz] where I felt like I could have an outlet for Muslim women like myself, who grew up reading Seventeen and Cosmo and we never felt like we exactly fit in,” said the fashion blogger.

A form of self-expression for Muslim women

Fashion provides a platform of self-expression for everyone wanting to exploit it, with those of the Islamic faith being no exception. Muslim stylist, Yasmine Yasmine has also been an influential figure in changing the connotations associated with hijab fashion and asserts that clothing provides an outlet for self-identity and expression for many women. Yasmine Yasmine also says that fashion helps others engage with Muslim women. The stylist uses the example of a woman of the Islamic faith carrying a Chanel bag breaking the connotations that many may uphold about Muslim women avoiding such ‘western’ associations.

So what exactly is the Hijab style?

This delicate, intricate and thoroughly unique fashion niche includes Hijabs, Julbabs and Abayas, as well as an array of beautiful hand-craft jewellery. These stunningly unique handmade accessories can be worn by many different age ranges and are suitable for many different occasions.

Abayas

Modern Abayas are adorned with sequins and beads in floral and geometric patterns. These decorative garments are striking and eye-catching and are particularly appealing to the younger generation of Islamic women.

Jilbabs

Jilbabs have undergone a modern makeover in recent years creating a new appeal, especially to the western Muslim female. Combining cotton and linen with lavish fabrics, modern jilbabs are eye-catching, exciting and alluring.

Hijabs

Another staple of Islamic clothing for women is the hijab. Similar to the other Islamic fashion staples, the modern hijab infuses traditionalism with more modern elements such as flowing floral prints set against shimmery metallic fabrics.

Islam Shopping Centre nurtures this rising demand for modern, stylish yet elegantly unique Islamic clothing generated through the increasing presence of Hijab culture. Look out for environmentally-friendly products.

Author: Karin Kloosterman

Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to [email protected]

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