Photograph, Twins, from the series Young, British & Muslim

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco as part of Contemporary Muslim Fashions.

Several years ago, photographer Alessia Gammarota began to observe an increasing number of young Muslim women on the streets of London proudly wearing head coverings and modest attire. As she recalls, “I started questioning why my perception was different from the [mainstream] narrative of oppression associated with the Islamic veil.” Gammarota gradually developed the idea to “use stories about fashion to open up a dialogue amongst women” around issues of prejudice and discrimination.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Contemporary Muslim Fashions.