Muslim women dispel myths about fashion

14 May 2012, 2:08 pm   -   Source: SBS, Suheil Damouny
Share This
0 
+ Comment
0

The Muslim community is getting an opportunity to dispel the myths surrounding their modest dress code, with an exhibition called, 'Faith, Fashion, Fusion.

RELATED

Ask any woman who wears the Hijab, Burka or a head scarf and they'll tell you they've experienced their fair share of curious looks, stereotypes and racial jibes.

Now, the Muslim community are getting an opportunity to dispel the myths surrounding their modest dress code with an exhibition called: "Faith, Fashion, Fusion".

Just like any other woman, selecting Mecca Laalaa's wedding dress was one of the most important decisions of her life.

“It was everything I dreamed for, I absolutely loved it,” Ms Laalaa said.
  
But unlike most Aussie brides, the devout Muslim had to adhere to a religious dress code.

“I definitely think you can be hip, young and covered up. People choose to reflect personality through [their] clothing and I happen to do that wearing a scarf,” she said.

Ms Laalaa says fashion unites Muslim women, just like all other Aussie women.

“A lot of people haven’t met Muslim women and think they are oppressed and just cook and clean. But these Muslim women are so much more than that.”

“We want to put the message out there that Muslim women are approachable and they enjoy things just as much as everybody else. One way of uniting women in particular is through fashion,” Mrs Laalaa said.

And colour is crucial.

“The whole point of being covered is sticking to tradition but I don’t think that playing with colour and fabric can hinder that.”

Earlier, Ms Laalaa made headlines wearing the first surf lifesaving 'Burkini'.

An idea that evolved into other traditional Australian past times, like showing your colours at the footy.

For Auburn Tigers AFL supporters Amna Karra-Hassan and Lael Kassem, they just wanted to be comfortable among the footy mad crowd.

“This is a positive way of women saying: This is how I express my dress, I can be modest and beautiful and comfortable in my own skin,” Ms Karra-Hassan said.

She says the AFL was very supportive of their dress requirements.

“You can't stop the girls from wanting to look good all the time even if they are running on the floor, tackling -- whatever they still want to look good,” Ms Kassem said.

Curator Glynis Jones wanted to show that faith is no barrier to fashion.

“It is trying to say that it is not just mono culture. They do not all dress in the same way. They are very creative in the way they dress,” Ms Glynis said.

“A lot of these designers will say that they are not just designing for the Muslim community. They are actually designing for a broad range of women   who just like to dress in looser cuts longer styles,” she said.

The exhibition aims to show that there is an emerging group of young entrepreneurs who are designing modest clothing aimed at the Muslim market but is also suitable for non-Muslims. 

And that's the point of the exhibition; to show that covering up does not mean they're trying to hide something.

In fact, it is quite the opposite, it unveils the myths behind why and how Muslim women choose to be modest yet fashionable at the same time.
 
In the Middle East alone it is estimated to be worth 96 billion dollars and Australian Muslim designers are keen to cash in.

There are over 25 retailers established in Sydney and hundreds of stores opening online.

For Aida Zein she was frustrated over the lack of options available to her, so she decided to go at it herself. 

“A lot of people said to me there is nothing out there. I wish we could do this or wear that. We want to be fashionable we want to be modest we want to be fashionable. We are just like everybody else like every other woman out there,” she said.

Tarik Houchar runs Hijab House, a specialty store for Muslim women in Sydney’s west.

"There is nothing to be afraid of and the Hijab should not be at the back end of society and it should be at the forefront and the exhibition is the best way to portray that,” he said.

The exhibition will be at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum until February 2013.

Muslims , Women's Fashion , Faith , Multi-media Exhibition

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.