Retail giant H&M has featured a Muslim model wearing a hijab in a new campaign.
The company released a video to launch the 'Close the Loop' campaign, aimed at encouraging people to recycle their clothes, earlier this month.
The video featured a range of different models in different settings, including 23-year-old Mariah Idrissi, a Muslim woman who is seen wearing sunglasses and a hijab.
CNN reported that Ms Idrissi was raised in London to Pakistani and Moroccan parents.
Mariah Idrissi appears in the H&M campaign. Source: YouTube
She told the broadcaster that her photo has been submitted to H&M by a friend and she was surprised by the attention it had generated.
"It was just a one-off, I didn't plan on it getting this big," she said.
She said she had been happy with the retailer's approach to the shoot.
"I was surprised, they actually really knew exactly how I should be dressed. They understood it had to be very loose fitting, not figure hugging, not anything revealing. They gave a range of different outfits. I kind of hinted what I liked and all of them were respectable.”
The campaign has sparked plenty of discussion online, but Ms Idrissi brushed off any negative comments.
"I've seen a few comments where [people are] against it, but there's nothing that says there is anything against it. In our religion, anything that's not stated as forbidden is permissible," she said.
"As long as I'm dressed correctly, according to Islam, then there's no problem.
"It's just promoting the hijab, in a way. If anything, it's good."
Watch the full video here:
