Mariah Idrissi comes to Dubai Modest Fashion Week

The hijab-wearing model chatted with City Times about her views on the art of dressing modestly and yet being fashion forward

As Modest Fashion Week comes to Dubai this weekend (December 8-9) among those making a beeline to the city is Mariah Idrissi. The 25-year-old London girl was the first hijab-wearing model to appear in a major global fashion campaign. It has been two years since Mariah made her model debut as the face of high street label H&M and since then she has become the poster girl of modest dressing. A true fashion girl, she loves her labels, and was recently in Dubai to work with Italian fashion house Tod's, showing clients the many fashionable ways to wear a hijab.

She understands the art of dressing modestly yet being fashion forward. She says, "Dressing modestly for me comes after tailoring your lifestyle and allowing your dress to reflect what's inside. Modest dress is subjective as different parts of the world consider the concept of 'modesty' differently and it is difficult to put into one box. As a Muslim woman, dressing modestly would be in accordance to what the Quran and Sunnah states, and that is something I am still working on improving."

Modest dressing has now become a term that is embraced by international fashion, and Mariah's pictures for H&M are seen as setting the scene for this trend. "I've been labelled as the one who 'paved the way' and a 'game changer' but the whole modest fashion scene was one that had already existed and was growing but until I became the first hijab-wearing model, the mainstream fashion industry had not taken this booming industry into enough consideration." And she will appear in another very big beauty campaign next year. She avoids the catwalk, as she feels the runway is not for her. "I actually did a runway show for India Fashion Week in 2016; however, I felt personally I wasn't comfortable with the idea of myself as an actual hijabi walking down a runway, considering my physique is curvier than the average model and could come across a little contradictory to my branding. I am aware I could be more successful as a fashion model if I considered the catwalk but I believe sticking to your beliefs and being yourself will always open other doors. This is simply a personal choice and not something I frown upon others doing." So while she is not walking the ramp at Dubai Modest Fashion Week (Halima Aden, the first hijab-wearing catwalk model will be on the ramp), Mariah will speaking at a presentation and will also attend all the designers' shows.

How it all started

Dubai Modest Fashion Week follows on the success of the London and Istanbul editions. The event was started in 2016 by the company Think Fashion, comprising of Franka - a fashion journalist originally from Indonesia - and Ozelm who is from Turkey and has a background in industrial engineering. The two realised there was a gap in the market for a fashion event that addressed the needs of modest dressing. And while as a rule fashion weeks are city-based they have altered traditional fashion week norms. So, Dubai Modest Fashion Week will have designers from over 20 countries represented including Dubai's Dulce by Safiya and Twisted Roots as well as Huw Roman from Japan.

Mariah was part of the edition that took place in London earlier this year and says, " I think the more understanding people gain of the concept which is technically revolved around the hijab and modest dressing and the more popular it becomes, there will be no need for Modest Fashion Weeks. My goal is to be a part of a growing movement that spreads the positive message around the hijab to a point where people no longer need to alienate it and see it as negative, but rather a positive choice many women adopt." But for now she feels there is a need for everyone who believes in modest dressing to work together.

A defining trend

Of course modest dressing is currently enjoying international fashion's favour. Vanessa Freidman, The New York Times' fashion director and chief fashion critic, has said that modest dressing is the defining trend of the 2010s. In the last few seasons modest dressing has been the mantra of Milan's Gucci, London's Erdem, New York's The Row and even India's Sabyasachi. Labels like Dolce and Gabbana have created special lines for the Middle East. Of course it is not just about style - economics has played a role in global fashion's new love of modest dressing. A survey done last year by the fashion app Shedd revealed that while Western woman spent 15 per cent of their income on fashion, Arab women spend 43 per cent.

Mariah is well aware of this, as she says, " We can see the influence of the Arab world not only in fashion but also in music and lifestyle. Due to the spending power and image that this region has portrayed, many brands are now understanding the necessity to not just provide a product or service to the region but to also provide the right marketing to ensure that this demographic is being targeted."

And Mariah knows this is the time to put forward the positive message of modest dressing be it through her social media or other mediums.

"There is a necessity to have more inclusion, representation and diversity in the fashion and entertainment industry." And you can expect to hear more from the hijab-wearing beauty as she recently signed with the London-based global entrainment management group Insanity; she was previously working with a model agency but since she become more than a fashion model and is now a voice for cultural issues, she hopes to extend her area of work in 2018.

Dubai Modest Fashion Week highlights:

1. The opening show will feature Halima Aden, the first hijab-wearing catwalk model, on the ramp for Modanisa, a leading online fashion retailer for Islamic clothing for women which includes designs by Muslima Wear, Selma Sari, and Rasit Bagzibagli on Friday, December 8 at 4:30pm.

2. A talk with Sheikha Hend Faisal Al Qassemi moderated by Dr. Haifa Alanjari of the College of Fashion and Design Dubai, on 'The evolution of the Abaya from Local to Global' on December 8 at 5pm.

3. Fashion show with South East Asian beauty brand Wardah Beauty that includes Dulce by Safiya, Zaskia Sungkar, Norma Hauri, Ria Miranda, and ETU on December 9 at 8:10pm.

4. A 'Meet And Greet' where everyone will have a chance to talk to their favourite modest influencers from UK, USA, Indonesia, and Istanbul including Mariah Idrissi and Halima Aden. Over 100 influencers are expected to be apart of Dubai Modest Fashion Week. At 8:45pm on December 9.

5. Bringing Dubai Modest Fashion Week to a close, the finale night will see the runway welcome Lebanese artist and world-famous musical icon, Hisham El Hajj. Joining him will be a host of other special guests including musician Salah Kurdi and Sara Elhani, along with Muslim Miss Universe Muna Jama amongst many others. In the evening on December 9.

(For full event schedule go to www.dubaimodestfashionweek.com)

sujata@khaleejtimes.com