Lately reading the news from around the world has felt like swimming in a wave pool. Every time you get over a wave and find your footing, another one comes and knocks you off your feet. It’s hard to rejoice in anything positive.  Having fun seems like a betrayal. Attempting to create art feels like […]

*Trigger Warning* for description of sexual violence. Mukhtaran Mai, Pakistani women’s rights activist, recently walked a fashion runway in Karachi, Pakistan.  The goal, as explained, was to model courage and hope for other Pakistani women. Mukhtaran Mai came into the spotlight 14 years ago when she was gang raped and paraded naked by men of […]

Saraswati, a make up artist from Malaysia, has captured the attention of thousands on Instagram, after using her hijab to help transform herself into popular Disney characters. Under the name Queen of Luna, Saraswati has shared over 300 posts with her 27,000 followers – each of them incredible and accurate recreations of different cartoons and […]

Earlier this month, the appearance of Indonesia’s first halal-certified hijab, sold and promoted by Indonesian fashion company Zoya, provoked equal parts protest and support. According to the certification given by the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), Zoya’s hijabs are ‘halal’ because the fabrics are produced with the use of only plant-based emulsifiers, and not those made […]

Tasnim: Ever since the news broke about the Dolce and Gabbana abayas, I’ve heard this debut line described as everything from a “smart move” to an exploitative one, from a “cultural breakthrough” to “cultural appropriation.” What are your feelings about it? Afia: Being a modest fashion industry analyst, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, […]

Swedish fashion designer Iman Aldebe is leading a modest fashion revolution. Aldebe has been celebrated for her designs by both Muslim and non-Muslims who choose to wear her signature pieces, however her success hasn’t come easily. The barriers she has faced and reasons for her eventual success may give us an indication as to the […]

This post was written by guest contributor Shereen Malherbe (@malherbegirl). Mariah Idrissi is the first female Muslim model to feature in an H&M advertisement. The advert describes her look as ‘chic’ and Mariah definitely looks chic. Most are applauding this diverse and inclusive step from the world’s second largest retailer for representing Muslim women in the fashion […]

Tajik state television has aired a documentary that alleges that prostitutes in the country have been wearing Islamic veils to earn more money.   Once a month, Muslim women gather in a bright open space inside a brick building near downtown Los Angeles. They come for jumu’ah or Friday prayer. This “all women’s mosque” has […]

I’ve always been fascinated by how certain symbols function as gender markers in the societies I’ve known. Little hijabs for little girls is one example, while a non-Muslim friend of mine dresses her also sparsely coiffed infant in frilly pink dresses because people keep thinking she’s a little boy. It can be so uncomfortable for […]

For those of us Muslimahs engaged on any social media platform, we’re constantly inundated with beautiful pictures or videos of the latest in modest fashion. Flowy skirts or beautifully brightly coloured short dresses paired with tights; terrific footwear and fabulous headcoverings or styled tresses. All accompanied by fabulous vintage accessories, statement necklaces and designer sunglasses. […]