We need more modest stylists in the fashion industry

When hijabi model Halima Aden announced she was “stepping down” from the mainstream modelling last month due to its misrepresentation of her hijab, she stated that the lack of Muslim stylists was a major issue within the mainstream fashion industry. She recalled photoshoots and styling choices which she deemed were not hijab appropriate and hoped to work with modest stylists that knew what it meant to her.  An article in the Daily Beast delved further into the issue, with Muslim fashion personalities explaining that mainstream production teams are rarely aware of the specific conditions and modesty guidelines that many Muslim models abide by.

Stylists fulfil essential roles in the fashion industry. Though we see fashion shoots in their completed forms, stylists are the ones who do all the work behind the scenes. Whether a piece of clothing is average or amazing, if the stylist does the work right it can look incredible. They not only provide fashion advice for the masses, but mix and match clothing and create entire scenes depicting what type of customer would wear a particular outfit. Stylists are like artists; they develop a way of styling which they become known for, and they often work with brands or genres of clothing that complement their signature styles.

As the modest fashion movement has grown and become a part of the mainstream fashion industry, brands have started to include modest and/or hijabi models in their campaigns to attract female Muslim shoppers, who are perceived to hold spending power. For a movement such as modest fashion, how stylists create modest looks is not only about aesthetics, but it can also impact how audiences view a woman’s religious and personal beliefs, especially when Muslim models are involved. A stylist who is aware of these beliefs and has personal experience with the culture and faith, may have a better understanding of modest fashion, than someone who often works with a different type of customer base — one that tends to show a lot of skin or figure. Modest fashion may have different interpretations, but overall, the style is quite the opposite of what we normally see in fashion in terms of fit, coverage, and overall look. While the mainstream industry could really do with some more stylists specialising in modest fashion, there are already some talented women making major moves in this niche:

Hakeemah Cummings

Hakeemah Cummings is a US-based fashion stylist who specializes in modest fashion. She runs her styling business, CMB Styling, through her website and offers her services styling photoshoots, runway, personal styling, and even bridal styling! When asked about modest styling and her experience working in a fashion week in Washington DC she mentioned:

“The widening variety of ways to stay Islamically covered and stylistically expressive was incredibly intriguing. I wanted to be a part of conveying that message,” She stated to Haute Hijab.

Hakeemah also gave a great perspective on styling with a hijab for her hijabi modest fashion followers:“If your outfit was great and the hijab ruined it, the problem isn’t that you covered your head, it’s how you covered it.”

Zainab Irfan

Zainab Irfan is another upcoming modest fashion stylist and blogger based in Colombo. When interviewed by Merak Mag about her personal style she said, “Everyone has their ways of portraying their style, for me, it’s the baggy clothes styled for perfection.”

There’s also London-based Deborah Latouche, a stylist and art director who launched her luxury modest wear brand Sabirah, earlier this year at London Fashion Week.

As modest fashion was made popular through modest fashion influencers and bloggers , some may equate them with modest stylists. This is a misconception, however, as modest bloggers and influencers show their style on themselves, whereas stylists are professionally trained to style on all types of people of different shapes and sizes. Being a fashion stylist is a challenging career in itself, however styling for modest fashion is often even more difficult as it involves breaking stereotypes and going against the grain of traditional representations of “attractive” and “alluring” fashion, which often operates on a “sex sells” ideology..

Right now, modest stylists are a niche in the fashion and styling industry, but as modest fashion has grown from a grassroots movement to a booming industry, modest stylists will likely enjoy a parallel growth in demand – especially after Halima’s public critique of the industry, and call for Muslim stylists to take a stand for better representation in fashion.