Faith and Fashion: The Struggle of Modern Muslim Women

“Growing up in a moderately strict Muslim family, it was conditioned in to me from a young age that I was going to become a doctor; this was the case with many of my friends, too. Despite the allure of power I felt from wearing the [doctor’s] white coat, I knew it wasn’t for me; fashion was where my heart was” said Barjis Chohan, designer of Barjis, a luxury label which combines styles from the East and West, “my parents disagreed, of course. This is just one of the many issues Muslim women face when it comes to fashion.”

Women Fashion Power, the exhibition showing currently at the Design Museum saw Chohan and Professor Reina Lewis, who focuses her research on post-colonial studies and how the relationship between Islam and the west dictates fashion, delve in to the complicated world of ‘Faith, Fashion and Power in Muslim Dress’.

Lewis said: “The theme of women fashion power is inherently exciting and inherently contradictory; not least because no woman, no person can control how they are seen and read by observers. All dressed appearances are polysemic; they can all generate multiple meanings and associations, all of which are context dependent and which change overtime. This disconnect between how we think we look and how we are read can be true for all women, but for Muslim women the risks of being interpreted can be especially high. The aftermath, particularly of 9/11 and the bombs in London in 2005, rendered women in any form of Muslim dress hyper visible.”

The two women spoke of how many Muslims face daily dilemmas about the clothes they wear; am I dress too modestly or not modestly enough? Despite preconceived ideas that wearing a hijab for example is boring and plain, Muslim fashion is currently worth £59 million globally. However Chohan said that young Muslim women are struggling to find suitable clothing within western brands whilst still being discerning their faith, which is why she designed clothing to give Muslim women more choice.

“I find I am always working with boundaries. There are some things for example like sleeveless shirts or short skirts that will not be incorporated in my designs as they are not considered appropriate to the majority of women I aim to reach. However, instead of this being a hindrance it means I have to work to make my designs more quirky or bright.” said Chohan.

As well as being spiritually and fashionably connected, Lewis explained how Muslim women can find their hijabs, for example, are an obstacle in different situations: “One thing I hear from Muslim ladies is how they feel, almost, self-conscious for wearing their hijabs. One girl said to me she felt very uncomfortable in an interview before as she could see the physical difference in the way the interviewers were reacting to her and she felt this was because of her head scarf. This highlights the need for change in the way we perceive faith and fashion.”