‘Hipster hijabi’ movement brings high fashion to conservative Islamic clothing

Not surprising that this trend should develop, particularly but not uniquely in the US:

The hipster hijabi movement is the byproduct of a young generation of Muslim women coming of age. It grew organically, spurred in part by social media, and continues to take on new meaning by the women who embrace it.

Summer Albarcha coined her photo-sharing Instagram account “Hipster Hijabis” in 2012, when the teenager from St. Louis, Missouri was just 16. She now has almost 23,000 people following her on Instagram. Her loyal following prompted New-York based label Mimu Maxi, run by two Orthodox Jewish women, to send her one of their popular maxi skirts to model.

The collaboration caused a stir, with many Jewish customers blasting Mimu Maxi for featuring a Muslim woman in hijab. Albarcha says the experience only reaffirmed the universal struggle women of all faiths and backgrounds have when trying to find stylish conservative pieces to wear.

“It came out that our ideas of wanting modest fashion and in promoting it is something really similar and something we have in common between our religions,” she said. “We should both be working together to embrace this idea and expand it.”

There also are challenges from within the Muslim community. Women in hijab wearing eye-catching styles often find themselves at odds with conservatives who say hijab should be about covering a woman’s beauty and concealing it from strangers.

“People are resistant to change and people like to keep things the same,” said fashion blogger Maria Al-Sadek. “It’s just like a stigma to be stylish and resemble Western wear sometimes.”

Last year, a group called Mipsterz, or Muslim Hipsters, made a short video of a group of American Muslim women skateboarding in heels and showing off their ultra-stylish hijabi styles. The video drew mixed reactions, including criticism from people who thought it bent too much toward Western notions of beauty and went against Islamic principles of humility.

‘Hipster hijabi’ movement brings high fashion to conservative Islamic clothing.