In recent years, there has been increased awareness of Muslim dress as an important segment of the global fashion industry
Set to take place at San Francisco’s de Young Museum of Fine Art, Contemporary Muslim Fashions is the first major museum exhibition to explore the complex and diverse nature of Muslim fashion and current modest dress codes. Created by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, this pioneering exhibition will examine how Muslim women have become arbiters of style within and beyond their communities and, in so doing, have drawn attention to the variations and nuances of their daily lives.
“There are those who believe that there is no fashion at all among Muslim women, but the opposite is true, with modern, vibrant, and extraordinary fashion scenes, particularly in many Muslim-majority countries,” says Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “Contemporary Muslim Fashions is an overdue, much-needed exploration of a multifaceted topic as yet largely unexplored by museums. This exhibition stands out in our long history of outstanding fashion exhibitions and will shed light onto larger political, social, and cultural understandings and misunderstandings.”
The exhibition will focus on designers that have customised their designs to accommodate Muslim women’s diverse modesty considerations, such as Oscar de la Renta, who has created special collections for Ramadan and Eid, as well as the online luxury retailer, The Modist, that collaborates with a broad array of international brands to adapt styles for concerns of modesty. It will also explore how street wear has impacted the way Muslim women dress, the rise of hybrid sportswear garments (such as the burkini and the Nike Pro hijab), and will display commissioned garments from both emerging and established designers.
The Contemporary Muslim Fashions exhibition will run from September 22 to January 6, 2019, at San Francisco’s de Young Museum of Fine Art.
