How the Hijab Has Grown into a Fashion Industry of its Own
Nike recently introduced a sports hijab. The reaction to this has been mixed: There are those who are applauding Nike for its inclusiveness of Muslim women
who want to cover their hair, and others who accuse it of abetting women’s
subjugation. But the sportswear giant is hardly the first corporate brand to
champion the hijab.
History of Islamic fashion
The marketing of Islamic fashionable clothing, however, is older than the sports hijab. It started in the 1980s when ethnic grocery dealers in Western
Europe and the United States began importing modest fashion clothing along with
other items for the Muslim population. That proved to be a successful
business.
Prior to that, most Muslim women would put together their own styles. These small endeavors ultimately morphed into a competitive and lucrative Muslim
fashion industry. Islamic fashion in general is understood as women wearing
modest clothing with long sleeves, descending to the ankle and having a high
neckline. The outfits are non-hugging, with some form of head covering that
could be draped in a variety of styles. Women who prefer to wear pants combine
them with a long sleeved top that covers the buttocks and has a high neckline,
along with a head covering.
Over time, national and international designers came to be involved in the sale of chic Islamic fashions. Today, Muslim fashion is a lucrative global
industry with countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey leading the way
outside the Western countries. In 2010 the Turkish newspaper Milliyet estimated
the global Islamic clothing market to be worth around US$2.9 billion.
The Global Islamic Economy report for 2014-2015 indicated Muslim consumer spending on clothing and footwear had increased to $266 billion in 2013. This
represents a growth of 11.9 percent of the global spending in a period of three
years. The report predicted this market to reach $488 billion by 2019.
The Islamic brand
This growth has had its share of controversies: Many designers use the term “Islamic” for their clothing. Religious conservatives and Muslim scholars have
raised questions about what types of apparel would fit that category and whether
defining clothing as “Islamic” was even permitted or lawful by Islamic
principles – a concept known as “halal.”
In particular, critics have objected to the fashion runway presentations, which actually draw the gaze and attention of spectators to the bodies of
models, while the purpose of a hijab is to distract and move the gaze away from
the body. In Iran, for example, Islamic fashion is viewed by the ulama
(religious scholars) as another Western influence and referred to as “Western
Hijab.”
Nonetheless, the Islamic fashion industry has managed to initiate marketing campaigns that capitalize on the very core of Islamic precepts: Sharia, or the
Islamic religious law. A Malaysian apparel company, Kivitz, for example, uses
the phrase “Syar’i and Stylish.” In Malay, Syar'i is the same as Sharia.
In establishing a nominally Islamic brand, marketers make every effort to align their products with the core value of Islam. So, even when following the
trendy fashionable seasonal colors and materials, clothing styles would include
some sort of head covering.
Who are the consumers?
The question still remains: What led to such a rapid growth over a span of just three years?
Muslims are far more brand aware than the general population assumes. However, in the past they were largely ignored by the fashion industry, perhaps,
due to misconceptions that being a Muslim restricted people’s lifestyle.
And now, with a growing Muslim population, there is an increased demand for modest but also fashionable clothing for the youth, who have significant
spending power. At the same time, traditional elite and wealthy Middle Eastern
consumers who used to shop for fashionable clothing from European nations now
prefer to shop from homegrown Muslim fashion designers.
Indeed, the halal logo on food and other products in addition to modesty in clothing has proved to be an effective strategy in creating a global Islamic
identity.
Consumerism is changing what is means to be modern and Muslim today. As Vali Nasr, a Middle Eastern scholar, explains, “The great battle for the soul of the
Muslim world will be fought not over religion but over market capitalism."
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