Islamic Fashion [Also, Writing]
I went to the 2013 Islamic Fashion Festival held in KL last month (November) at the Marriott, because that's the kind of thing I do now apparently, and of course, as with anything that is predicated with the word "Islamic", it raised all kinds of heated, almost hateful questions within my circle, me being officially Muslim and coming from both the Arab world and the Muslim-Asian one. Everyone just getting their tar7as all up in a twist. I don't blame them, but I'm also a little detached.
Why can't we all just enjoy some nice fashion style coupled with some religion-influenced culture without discussing who's going to hell and who's not?
No? Kk.
So, the Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF) was founded by Malaysian royalty Raja Rezza Shah, an entrepreneur, fashion enthusiast and jet-setter, as one would expect. When the infamous 9/11 disaster cast an evil glow on Muslims and Islam far and wide, he repurposed this glow into a spotlight on a catwalk and brought out armies of beautiful Islamic-inspired fashion creations, cranking up our PR, at least in the style arena. And why not? We all do what we can to help the cause.
The result is a playground of Muslim-culture patterns and layers of bright material draped on good-looking people, which is the regular fare for any fashion show. What it accomplished is a statement: Muslims can be stylish, too! Did it raise awareness, did it make people friendlier towards Muslims, and did it make them want to find out more about Islam? Yes, definitely. Not all people, but definitely a lot of people that go to these fashion events. In that sense, I'd say it was a success.
Did it paint the wrong picture of what the hijab is? Oh, shush. People have to start somewhere. Isn't that the basic principle of effective teaching, to start with something familiar, hold the student's hand (metaphorically!) and lead them slowly into the unknown? There's your Something Familiar - a fashion show that has reach.
The event itself was nice, because what event attended by the elites isn't? The IFF has been held in London, New York and Paris in the past, attended by Charlize Theron, Robert de Niro (really, Bob? Movie offers slowing down, buddy?) and Jamie Foxx to name a few celebrities. Needless to say, these shindigs go for broke - fine food and drinks and glamorous venues all.
One can't help but straighten up a bit and put on some extra mascara when surrounded by the confidence of the wealthy and the beautiful.
So yes, it was nice. Interesting? Yes. World-changing? Meh. It didn't change mine. I was reminded of my culture, yes, and of the girls of my hometown for whom these outfits are regular wear, yes. And for a second I missed my hijab, yes, but I'd be lying if I said it was something religious that I felt.
It was culture.
In this day and age, who can make out the difference?
Why can't we all just enjoy some nice fashion style coupled with some religion-influenced culture without discussing who's going to hell and who's not?
No? Kk.
So, the Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF) was founded by Malaysian royalty Raja Rezza Shah, an entrepreneur, fashion enthusiast and jet-setter, as one would expect. When the infamous 9/11 disaster cast an evil glow on Muslims and Islam far and wide, he repurposed this glow into a spotlight on a catwalk and brought out armies of beautiful Islamic-inspired fashion creations, cranking up our PR, at least in the style arena. And why not? We all do what we can to help the cause.
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| Photo from the 2011 IFF, by photographer Shahril Badri. Visit his blog for more awesome pics. |
Did it paint the wrong picture of what the hijab is? Oh, shush. People have to start somewhere. Isn't that the basic principle of effective teaching, to start with something familiar, hold the student's hand (metaphorically!) and lead them slowly into the unknown? There's your Something Familiar - a fashion show that has reach.
The event itself was nice, because what event attended by the elites isn't? The IFF has been held in London, New York and Paris in the past, attended by Charlize Theron, Robert de Niro (really, Bob? Movie offers slowing down, buddy?) and Jamie Foxx to name a few celebrities. Needless to say, these shindigs go for broke - fine food and drinks and glamorous venues all.
One can't help but straighten up a bit and put on some extra mascara when surrounded by the confidence of the wealthy and the beautiful.
So yes, it was nice. Interesting? Yes. World-changing? Meh. It didn't change mine. I was reminded of my culture, yes, and of the girls of my hometown for whom these outfits are regular wear, yes. And for a second I missed my hijab, yes, but I'd be lying if I said it was something religious that I felt.
It was culture.
In this day and age, who can make out the difference?
your live traffic feed shows that there is a visitor from San Francisco ..
ReplyDeleteyou top dawg, you ..
@amrush lol it does. Ya hala ya California.
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