Islamic wear becomes trendy

Finally, Islamic clothes have become trendy. In SA, Marie Claire magazine was first in pushing the limits on Islamic wear in a fashion shoot. We chat to Sadie Cragg, the magazine's fashion director, in an exlusive interview...

iafrica.com: Given that Islamic wear for women continues to be represented in a negative light (Britain and France have banned the veil in schools, in Afghanistan the burka is seen as a form of oppression, even modernity's ‘less is more’ scorns it) what pushed you to portray Muslim women ‘covering up’ in a positive way?

Sadie Cragg: Here in South Africa and particularly Cape Town we have a large Muslim community. In fact both the junior fashion editor and fashion assistant at Marie Claire are Muslim. We wanted to portray Muslim women as they are — fun-loving, social and interested in fashion. This was an accessories fashion story so the burka provided the perfect canvas against which to show this season’s latest bags shoes and jewellery

iafrica.com: Are you hoping this exposure will make this dress code more acceptable in a Western context?

Sadie Cragg: I think that this story will make people more familiar with women wearing burkas, as well as challenging a few stereotypes. The story portrayed Muslim women during the course of their day as relaxed and having a good time, pretty much the same as any other young woman. Our readers can see that women who wear hijab are just the same as them.

iafrica.com: How did the models feel wearing the clothes? Was it fun doing it up with the bling and accessories?

Sadie Cragg: Even though none of the models were Muslim they were very comfortable in the burkas. One of the models was from Brazil but does lots of work in the Middle East, so she had been dressed for shoots like this before. I used lots of very expensive jewellery, which is always fun. We all like trying on the real deal that we could never afford!

iafrica.com: How were the models perceived when they were out in public doing the shoot in the burkas and hijab?

Sadie Cragg: We shot in a variety of different locations, including the beach and a busy McDonalds restaurant, and didn't encounter any problems or comments. I think people in Cape Town are familiar with seeing women dressed like this.

iafrica.com: Do you believe one can be a fashionista in a burka?

Sadie Cragg: Definitely — If you look at Muslim women around the world, especially in places like Dubai and London, many of them are fashionistas. Underneath the burka are the latest designer labels. Furthermore, as the shoot proves, a bag or great shoes can be proof enough that you know your fashion trends.

iafrica.com: Please share any bright ideas you might have on how to wear these scarves and still look cool...
Sadie Cragg: You can tie the scarf in quite a few ways: either simply wrapped aro
und the head and tied over the shoulder; or by wearing a coloured scarf underneath that peeps through at the top of the forehead that matches your bag, eye make-up or shoe; or with the fabric piled on top of the head.

iafrica.com: What has the public's reaction been to the fashion spread so far?

Sadie Cragg: We thought that this shoot might cause a bit of controversy but we have only received positive responses. We have had a very positive reaction from several Muslim readers, who have written to Marie Claire to congratulate us for portraying Muslim women in such a positive light and for challenging stereotypes. These are women who are proud to be Muslim and do not feel at all oppressed.

The burka fashion shoot featured in the April 2007 issue of Marie Claire magazine.