Contemporary Muslim Fashions
This exhibition was on display from February 28, 2020 to July 11, 2021.
See all the exhibitions.
View and print exhibition labels.
Contemporary Muslim Fashions is the first major museum exhibition to explore the rise of the modest fashion industry. Modest fashion refers to garments that are both highly fashionable and provide sufficient body cover to address cultural concerns for modesty. Many Muslim women and men dress modestly, in accordance with their faith, but individual and collective interpretations of modesty vary widely.
In recent years, there has been increased awareness of Muslim consumers as an important segment of the global fashion industry, and increased visibility for designers and brands whose clothing responds to their needs. In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, covering in the public sphere is regulated by law. Elsewhere it is a personal choice, informed by religious, cultural, and political concerns. Contemporary Muslim Fashions focuses on the intersection of regional dress styles, global fashion trends, and personal attitudes toward modesty. The exhibition does not aim to be a definitive survey but instead offers a current snapshot of Muslim women and fashion by spotlighting key themes and locations.
Fashion can serve as a platform for self-expression and as a tool for positive social change. The exhibition examines how Muslim women—those who cover their heads and those who do not—have become arbiters of style within and beyond their communities. As designers and entrepreneurs, they have shown that clothing can be on-trend and still meet the needs of diverse wearers. As consumers, they have used their influence to shape global fashion markets. And as journalists, bloggers, and influencers, they have confronted a lack of representation in the mainstream fashion narrative and drawn international attention to the vitality of Muslim modest style.
Contemporary Muslim Fashions is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
The Cooper Hewitt presentation of Contemporary Muslim Fashions is made possible by support from the August Heckscher Exhibition Fund.
Additional support is provided by the Barbara and Morton Mandel Design Gallery Endowment Fund and Edward and Helen Hintz.
Funding is also provided by the Cooper Hewitt Master's Program Fund.
- Poster, We the People Are Greater Than Fear, from the series We the People
- screenprint on paper.
- Private collection.
- 5.2019.1
- Dress And Skirt, Hoodie Praying Ensemble dress and skirt
- silk linen, silk gauze, rhinestones, paste stones.
- Courtesy of Modesty Is a Lifestyle by Blancheur.
- 5.2019.2a,b
- Geometric Abaya dress with belt
- polyester crepe, satin, embossed faux leather, brass-plated buckle.
- Courtesy of Bouguessa.
- 5.2019.3a,b
- Evening Gown, Shawl, And Turban
- polyester crepe, polyester chiffon, polyester net, feathers, sequins.
- Courtesy of Raşit Bağzıbağlı x Modanisa .
- 5.2019.4a/d
- Coat
- silk organza with cutwork and embroidery.
- Courtesy of Wadha Al Hajri (Wadha Haute Couture).
- 5.2019.5
- Photograph, Untitled (Nadiah, a business consultant, gets ready for an...
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Alessia Gammarota.
- 5.2019.6
- Photograph, Untitled (girls flip through the pages of Hijabella, an Islamic...
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Alessia Gammarota.
- 5.2019.7
- Photograph, True Self 2, hijab, niqab, without hijab
- digital chromogenic print on paper.
- Courtesy of Boushra Almutawakel.
- 5.2019.8
- Photograph, Twins, from the series Young, British & Muslim
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Alessia Gammarota/INSTITUTE.
- 5.2019.9
- Photograph, Wedding Guests, from the series Young, British & Muslim
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Alessia Gammarota/INSTITUTE.
- 5.2019.10
- Photograph, Untitled, from the series Witness '79
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Hengameh Golestan and Archaeology of the Final Decade.
- 5.2019.11
- Photograph, Untitled, from the series Witness '79
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Hengameh Golestan and Archaeology of the Final Decade.
- 5.2019.12
- Photograph, Untitled, from Tehran Streetstyle
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Hoda Katebi.
- 5.2019.13
- Photograph, Love to Dress, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Modest Street Fashion...
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Langston Hues.
- 5.2019.14
- Photograph, Kuwaiti Girls, Kuwait, from Modest Street Fashion vol. 1
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Langston Hues.
- 5.2019.15
- Music Video, Hijabi
- video.
- Courtesy of Mona Haydar.
- 5.2019.16
- This object was made by Tunde Olaniran.
- Photograph, Reem, Doha Heights, from the series A Girl and Her Room
- archival pigment print on baryta paper.
- Courtesy of Rania Matar, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, and Galerie Tanit, Beirut.
- 5.2019.17
- Photograph, Lubna, Beirut, Lebanon, from the series A Girl and Her Room, 2010
- archival pigment print on baryta paper.
- Courtesy of Rania Matar, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, and Galerie Tanit, Beirut.
- 5.2019.18
- Abaya, Dress, And Turban
- silk, metallic embroidery, poyester satin, metal, rhinestones.
- Courtesy of Fatma Al Remaihi.
- 5.2019.25a/e
- This object was made by Papillion Jewelry.
- Skeleton Jacket And Overlayer
- digitally printed crepe, cotton, and organza with boning.
- Courtesy of Pose/Arazzi.
- 5.2019.27a,b
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Photograph, Madeena, Putrajaya, Malaysia, from Modest Street Fashion vol. 1
- digital print on paper.
- Courtesy of Langston Hues.
- 5.2019.29
- Evening Gown, Shawl, And Turban
- polyester chiffon.
- Courtesy of Raşit Bağzıbağlı x Modanisa.
- 5.2019.35a,b
- Hijab, Duster, Shalwar Pants, And Inner Top
- combed cotton jersey, cotton.
- Courtesy of Rabia Z. .
- 5.2019.37a/d
