“Women who cover their heads are usually ignored in the fashion world”.
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H&M’s latest sustainable fashion campaign stars a London-based model named Mariah Idrissi, who also happens to be a devout practitioner of Islam – making her the first hijab-wearing model in the store’s history.
The advert shows her wearing a checkered hijab and sunglasses as part of its Close the Loop recycling initiative.
She added that they were respectful during the shoot: [H&M] asked how much in terms of neck I could show, but to be honest they were very respectful’. According to the Daily Mail, the majority of the team on the shoot were women and men were instructed not to touch her. She was also provided a private dressing room.
“One of the watches was dangling in the wrong way, and rather than just twisting it on my wrist, the cameraman asked a woman to come over”.
She launched her own Moroccan-inspired beauty salon in London called Salon Marrakesh which specialises in henner, Moroccan massages and even has Halal nail polish.
Other designers have utilized Muslim women in their campaigns – including DKNY and Tommy Hilfiger – but these women often still feel ignored, Idrissi expressed to Fusion.
The model appears in both print and video ads for the Swedish fashion brand, including a short film about being environmentally conscious, titled “Close the Loop”.
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Hidrissi said she participated in the ad campaign with the consent of her parents, and H&M provided her with a mostly female staff to work with during the photo shoots.
