Modesty and its Paradoxes

Modest fashion is such a debatable topic to talk about, no matter the religion and the geographical area considered.

Indeed, it is originaly force upon women by men, and its rules are set by men - in their capacity of fathers, husbands and religious leaders - but women themselves may assume a religious choice and direct their fashion options based on their faith requirements. Within the limits set by society and politics - especially in those countries where institutions impose on women their choices - style and spirituality can create specific needs and requests, especialy among the educated, welltravelled middle class women.

Modesty. A Fashion Paradox by Hafsa Lodi considers what does fashion mean for a new generation of Muslim women from all the possible angles and points of view. 

It might be that those women living in the Middle East and able to express themselves through fashion are the luckiest ones. They already made a religious choice, and the hijab was not imposed on themselves as a political tool of pressure. They do not need to risk their freedom for their choice of clothes. They have more than enough financial resources, eventually a family background that confers them a certain status, and they want to spend the money by purchasing goods that do resonate with their religious choices while looking fresh from the Western catwalks. Some do own (online) fashion stores aiming at high-end customers, like one of my favorite outlets featured in the book, Bouguessa. In the end, the end-customers might be not necessarily religious, but having their own style, aimed at revealing less, among others. Everything is a matter of options, as long as women are offered the choices for expressing themselves.

The discussion slightly shifts when it comes to Muslim identity - and observant religious identity in general - in the Western societies as such. Hijab and head covering in general are considered an intrusion which conflicts with the values of open societies and in subsidiary, it might happen to be used as a prozelytism/ideological tool by religious establishment keen to set its borders within the democratic society. 

However, the ambiguity and multiplicity of meanings of modesty does not diminish the demand for modest clothing. Hafsa Lodi is covering not only the Muslim projects in this respect, but relies on similar trends within other communities of faith, including some of my favorite modest Jewish fashion creators, such as Frock NY, RaJu, Mimu Maxi and Batsheva, among others. Those companies count among their faithful customers many Muslim women happy to have found the clothing that suit their style. At the same time, fashion brands - from H&M to Christian Dior - started in the last years to include modest fashion - including hijabs - as part of their collections. 

´Most Muslim modest wear labels based in the West are founded by women who have struggled to find stylish attire that fits with tnheir personal dress codes, and to designing prices for themselves instead, only to realize that there was huge demand from their peers´. Hafsa Lodi adds a lot of examples and features many companies and women entrepreneurs involved in the modest fashion industry based in UAE or Turkey, some of them with a high rate of glamorous success. 

Modesty is a book that helps understanding various trends and fashion choices, including as a way of self-expression. It explains many details and add a lot of depth into concepts that are usually featured in a hurry and which do have a heavy emotional weight. It is a reality that there are women for whom faith is a huge part of their lifestyle, including as a self-assumed choice. Understanding the trends and having an overview over the various options is a step towards a better understanding of the phenomenon, which most probably is here to stay for a very long time. It also helps to understand and respect those options of the women who are expressing themselves differently through clothes and everyday lifestyle.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review