Due to modernization, Muslim fashion is evolving from the perceived religious purposes to official wear. Various fashion companies like Verona, DKNY, Mango, Annah Hariri and B. Zarina are designing comfortable hijabs, dresses and cardigans that can be fit when attending business meetings. Therefore, this research was developed to study emerging fashion and trends relating to modern Muslim fashion wear, how the market has evolved and the societal perception. Initially, Muslims dress code was defined as a religious wear that depicted holiness and morality of believers (Jacoby 2004, p.209). Their women strictly followed the culture of covering virtually all their body parts only leaving a small part of their face. However in the modern world, fashion has taken effect and the old culture of Muslim’s dressing codes are gradually changing overtime (Al‐Mutawa 2013, p.241). Some of the methods used in this research include literature review, where a variety of academic and research materials have been reviewed (Farrag and Hassan 2015, p. 95-97). In completing this study, the researcher will utilize interviews, analytical observance, social media and focus groups as the basic methods of qualitative research.
Social media platforms
Social media platforms are important in obtaining information relating to Muslim’s considerations and choice of fashion. The researcher can analyze comments and reviews on websites to understand the society’s perception about modern Muslim fashion (Lewis 2010, p.58-60). A myriad of social networks and specialized blogs that showcase different designer outfits, advertising outlets, and display of abbayyas, jilbabs, head scarves, wraps and shawls are all quickly found in the internet (Latiff and Alam 2013, p.51). Many social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram are constantly used by Muslims to know what the new trending designs and how to acquire them.
Analytical Observance
Analytical observance entails critical evaluation of fashion magazines, blogs and websites. When performing a research on modern Muslim fashion, it is important to engage top selling fashion magazines for reviews and proposals (Abdo 2008, p.441). Researchers can also utilize YouTube platforms to collect reviews and information relating Muslim fashion. One of the most common online fashion platform is Hijab style, which is the first online Muslim fashion guide in the UK. Hijab Style is a populous blog due to its great content about modern Muslim fashion, placing amongst one of the reputable British fashion newspapers and magazines (Hassim 2014, p.84).
Focus groups
This is a qualitative research technique composed of a certain number of people with a common understanding who analyze and give opinions about the modern Muslim fashion. The rise in modest fashion over the last decade has come in reality with the Muslim generation who believe that modernity and faith go hand in hand and must all be respected and exercised (Mount 2017, p.12). The rising number of individuals in the Muslim middle class who have sophisticated and greater affluence in their taste of religion, has made many Western brands to focus on booming the market such as DKNY, which created a capsule for Ramadan collection in 2014 (Boubekeur 2016, p.430).
Results of data collected
Having obtained data from these three sources, various analytical techniques were used to study the credibility and reliability of the results obtained. It was evident that Muslim women have taken a new twist, they wear urban designs while maintaining their modesty and religion (Wagner 2017, p.97). From the analysis of social media reviews, it was established that majority of the Muslims are interested in modern fashion developments. They were often checking and enquiring about new trends in fashion through the internet.
Equally, use of focus groups indicated a rise in the number of middle class individuals purchasing new brands from the western companies. Most of the individuals selected for study accepted to embrace the new Muslim fashion since it was making them more decent in the workplace. Their motive was to get quality fashion designs that still appeared modest to their religion (Almila 2016, p.89).
Discussions
By developing interest on urban designs, it means that Muslims have accepted to adopt new trends in the world of fashion (Jan and Abdullah 2015, p.10). Naturally, for people to accept change, there must be associated utility they are deriving from the product. Therefore, it is a clear indication that Muslims have gained a new look and decency by embracing the modern fashion (Gökarıksel " Secor 2010, p.313-315). In addition, by using social media and internet to get information concerning new trends in fashion design, it is easier to monitor preferences of Muslims and clothing designs according to their preferences.
Therefore, use of technology can be considered as one of the major milestones in obtaining information relating to modern Muslim fashion (Ali and Aslam 2016, p.148). In essence, this is the real solution to providing a wide range of fashion options to choose from. Also, the increase in number of middle class among the Muslims that have made western brands to produce more attractive attires means that the demand of modern Muslim fashion has gone higher this shows that the Muslim community have embraced the change and modern fashion (Maqsood 2014, p.97).
Recommendations
It is recommended that many techniques should be used to get various views of the Muslim modern fashion. It is also prudent to collect data using more accurate methods such as interviewing the focus respondents.
Conclusion
It is therefore seen that a lot of new changes have occurred in Muslim fashion. New fashion companies have designed various outfits like head scarves and wraps for Muslim women. With rise in fashion companies like Verona, DKNY and Mango, new attire designs have been developed to provide Muslims with modern wear. In return, Muslims have embraced the modern fashion, making other non-Muslims to get attracted to this trending styles of dressing. With the use of social media, internet and websites, modern fashion has been communicated to potential customers and Muslims who are not yet brave enough to adopt the new developments.
References
Abdo, A. (2008). The Legal Status of Hijab in the United States: A Look at the Sociopolitical Influences on the Legal Right to Wear the Muslim Headscarf. Hastings Race " Poverty LJ, 5, 441.
Ali, A. and Aslam, A., 2016. Intertextuality: An Effective Tool in Selling Products through Advertisements. PUTAJ-Humanities and Social Sciences, 23(2), pp.141-150.
Almila, A.M., 2016. Fashion, Anti-Fashion, Non-Fashion and Symbolic Capital: The Uses of Dress among Muslim Minorities in Finland. Fashion Theory, 20(1), pp.81-102.
Al‐Mutawa, F.S., 2013. Consumer‐generated representations: Muslim women recreating western luxury fashion brand meaning through consumption. Psychology " Marketing, 30(3), pp.236-246.
Boubekeur, A., 2016. Islamic business and Muslim Entrepreneurs networks in Europe: performing transnational modernity and overcoming marginalization. Contemporary Islam, 10(3), pp.421-432.
Farrag, D. A., " Hassan, M. (2015). The influence of religiosity on Egyptian Muslim youths’ attitude towards fashion. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 6(1), 95-108.
Gökarıksel, B., " Secor, A. (2010). Islamic‐ness in the life of a commodity: veiling‐fashion in Turkey. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 35(3), 313-333.
Hassim, N., 2014. A comparative analysis on hijab wearing in Malaysian Muslim magazines. SEARCH: The Journal of the South East Asia Research Center for Communications and Humanities, 6(1), pp.79-96.
Jacoby, D., 2004. Silk economics and cross-cultural artistic interaction: Byzantium, the Muslim world, and the Christian west. Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 58, pp.197-240.
Jan, M.T. and Abdullah, K., 2015. Fashion: Malaysian Muslim Women Perspective. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 11(10).
Latiff, Z.A. and Alam, F.N., 2013. The Roles of Media in Influencing Women Wearing Hijab: An Analysis. Journal of Image and Graphics, 1(1), pp.50-54.
Lewis, R. (2010). Marketing Muslim Lifestyle a New Media Genre. Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, 6(3), 58-90.
Maqsood, A., 2014. ‘Buying Modern’ Muslim subjectivity, the West and patterns of Islamic consumption in Lahore, Pakistan. Cultural Studies, 28(1), pp.84-107.
Mount, L., 2017. Saris and contemporary Indian womanhood: how middle-class women navigate the tradition/modernity split. Contemporary South Asia, pp.1-15.
Wagner, L.B., 2017. Mattering Moralities: Learning Corporeal Modesty through Muslim Diasporic Clothing Practices. Social Sciences, 6(3), p.97.
APPENDICES
Interview between Researcher and Target Population
Here, the researcher will attempt to obtain information from the target population, that is, Muslims who have adopted modern fashions. Interviewing is a simple technique of obtaining data where the researcher concentrates on finding first-hand information from an identified target. Some of the questions that can be asked during the interview include;
1. What type of fashion do you prefer?
The question addresses individuals’ considerations and choice of clothes, describing their balance between modesty and religion. While some Muslim wears are modest, they might be regarded unholy in religious meetings. Thus an individual associated to such clothing might be labeled as non-religious.
In this case possible answer is Hijab and Cardigan.
2. How does the society perceive your choice of fashion?
In this case, the interviewer is concerned with the societal judgments about a Muslim fitting modern wear. The question will help in understanding a general view of the society towards civilization and modernization of religious wear. A possible answer to this question is that staunch Muslims may regard it as a deviation from religious teachings.
3. What is the Islam religion’s perception about western fashion?
Addressing this question will be helpful in understanding Islam’s teachings on modern fashion.
A possible answer is that while Islam may be against exposure of some body parts, the religion cannot completely disregard new designs of Muslim Fashions considered to be modest and comfortable at workplace.
