Collection 1 = Female Islamic dress code and Integration

SAMIA MALIK ihtgw

Press Release: March 2011

Collection 1 = Female Islamic dress code and Integration

Collection 1 was put together with a few thoughts in mind. First of all in reference to Islamic female dress codes; I've been personally researching this topic for a few years, and focused on looking at the origins of this dress. After designing a few different collections, and thinking about Islamic female dress code, I finally designed and made Collection 1. Naturally there's a lot of references to the Hijab, and also propaganda and controversy that surrounds the Hijab, Since 9/11 there's been a rapid increase of the amount of woman who've adopted the Hijab as their way of dress. Approximately about 15 years ago, main propaganda that was attached to Hijab was; are some woman wearing the Hijab because they've been forced to wear it by the pressure of society and 'culture'.

By 2011, it appears that Muslim woman choose to wear the Hijab for: first and foremost to show their respect for God, others may wear it because it's 'trendy' without adhering the initial purpose of the Hijab, i.e some woman make the Hijab look glamorous. Others may wear Hijab for cultural reasons, rather than religious reasons. However I am not making any judgments about why people choose to wear Hijab, I am only stating a few obvious observations.

Returning back to the inspiration behind Collection 1: one of the aims of the Islamic dress code is to respect woman. In contrast to misogyny in fashion, how unnecessary, and irrelevant it is in 2011 and for the future. And finally integration; different types of people surviving next to each other.

To see full look book, visit link below:

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r251/ihtgw/ihtgw%20catalogue/Collection%201/?albumview=slideshow

Photographer: Andrej Vasilenko

Make Up Artist: Amy Conley

Models: Lauren Munisamy, Savita Shukla, Nerea Carrion Sanchis