Modern and modest: 'Contemporary Muslim Fashions' on show

Focusing on contemporary Muslim style, the exhibition "Contemporary Muslim Fashions" held at Frankfurt's Museum Angewandte Kunst was first shown in San Francisco. The show examines a branch of fashion that is often talked about, but which is rarely given a forum to present itself. Among the exhibits is this design made of silk and Swarovski crystals by Malaysian luxury designer Bernard Chandran.

The show also deals with Islamophobia: The First Amendment of the US Constitution is printed in Arabic on this bomber jacket. Among other things, the amendment lays out freedom of religion. The jacket was designed by Lebanese designer Celine Semaan Vernon. She came to Canada as a refugee with her parents at the end of the 1980s and then moved to the US.

Celine Semaan repeatedly uses her designs to make political statements. In 2017, for example, she designed her "banned" scarves. Some of the scarves feature a satellite photograph of the countries affected by US President Trump's travel ban. The model in this photo is Iranian-American political fashion blogger Hoda Katebi.

In addition to clothes, jackets and political scarves, the exhibition also deals with sports fashion. Among the exhibits are a Nike sports hijab and as well as this burkini designed by Shereen Sabet for her company Splashgear. The swimsuit has stirred controversy in different countries, especially in France where it was banned in some cities.

The Frankfurt exhibition includes pieces to demonstrate that modest fashion does not always mean women must cover. The young German-Turkish designer Feyza Baycelebi signed this creation, part of her collection "Die Lust an Verhüllung" — which translates as the desire or the pleasure to veil.

Naomi Afia from Vienna is another designer promoting empowerment through modest fashion. Her collection "Our Bodies Our Business" demonstrates the variety of styles one can adopt as a Muslim. "I wanted to make a statement for self-determination, a statement against constraints on what people should wear or not, whether these constraints come from one side or the other," the designer said.

Austrian designer Imen Bousnina featured her debut collection at Modest Fashion Weeks in 2018. First initiated in Dubai, such fashion events are now held in Istanbul, London and Jakarta as well. Modest fashion in Europe is mostly imported from Islamic countries like Turkey; this is something Bousnina hopes to change by creating her own designs.

Photographer Wesaam Al-Badr, who was born in Iraq but fled to the US with his family during the Gulf War, wanted to comment on the Western perception of the niqab through his series "Al-Kouture," showing women wearing designer scarves by brands like Chanel, repurposed as high-fashion pieces. It was a form of "soft protest," he says. Would the French would more readily accept a niqab signed Hermès?

This photo is part of the series "Occupied Pleasures," by Tanya Habjouqa. Her portraits shows how people occupy themselves in Israeli-occupied territories. Here girls play javelin right by the Israeli West Bank barrier. The photos won several awards, including a World Press Photo award in 2014.

Countless bloggers, influencers and fashion magazines are dedicated to the Muslim fashion world. On Instagram, so-called "hijabistas" celebrate the traditional headscarf as a fashion must-have. This aspect is also addressed in the exhibition "Contemporary Muslim Fashions," which can be seen in Frankfurt until September 15.