Stockholm, Sweden - In the last few weeks the Swedish fashion brand Hennes & Mauritz, known globally as H&M, has made headlines for featuring a Muslim woman in hijab in their 2015 fall collection campaign video.
They are not the only Swedish retailers to have done so. Ahlens department store also featured Muslim women in hijab in their 2015 fall campaign.
Both drew praise. But there was also criticism, with some accusing the retailers of "normalising the hijab and supporting the oppression of women".
This kind of sentiment is all too familiar to Iman Aldebe, a Muslim designer who was born in Sweden to Jordanian parents.
Many of her designs feature haute couture turbans that are sold in exclusive department stores in Sweden, Paris, New York and Dubai.
The imam's daughter
But getting here hasn't been easy. As the daughter of a recently retired imam, Aldebe grew up in a religious Muslim family in Stockholm, where, in the early 1990s, the only place to worship was a mosque in a basement that doubled up as a community centre.
Muslims from all over the country would come to the capital to worship there, to buy religious books and halal food and to learn the Quran. For a few hours at the weekends or during the holidays, the people who gathered there felt the acceptance that came from being around those who shared their beliefs.
And, in such circles, there were clear expectations for how an Imam’s daughter ought to look and behave.
"I started wearing hijab when I was six," explains the 30-year-old designer. "Growing up, I was always monitored. Wearing makeup and anything that differed from [what] the [rest of the Muslim] community [wore] was not acceptable."
"I felt that I had so much responsibility and a certain role I had to live up to," she reflects.
But an interest in fashion always bubbled beneath the surface.
"I remember while growing up how I used to dislike the way my mum and her friends had the same uniform, colourless headscarves. They also used to wear the same style of A-line coat – it was the only thing available [in the shops] at the time that was deemed modest," Aldebe explains.
They are not the only Swedish retailers to have done so. Ahlens department store also featured Muslim women in hijab in their 2015 fall campaign.
Both drew praise. But there was also criticism, with some accusing the retailers of "normalising the hijab and supporting the oppression of women".
This kind of sentiment is all too familiar to Iman Aldebe, a Muslim designer who was born in Sweden to Jordanian parents.
Many of her designs feature haute couture turbans that are sold in exclusive department stores in Sweden, Paris, New York and Dubai.
The imam's daughter
But getting here hasn't been easy. As the daughter of a recently retired imam, Aldebe grew up in a religious Muslim family in Stockholm, where, in the early 1990s, the only place to worship was a mosque in a basement that doubled up as a community centre.
Muslims from all over the country would come to the capital to worship there, to buy religious books and halal food and to learn the Quran. For a few hours at the weekends or during the holidays, the people who gathered there felt the acceptance that came from being around those who shared their beliefs.
And, in such circles, there were clear expectations for how an Imam’s daughter ought to look and behave.
"I started wearing hijab when I was six," explains the 30-year-old designer. "Growing up, I was always monitored. Wearing makeup and anything that differed from [what] the [rest of the Muslim] community [wore] was not acceptable."
"I felt that I had so much responsibility and a certain role I had to live up to," she reflects.
But an interest in fashion always bubbled beneath the surface.
"I remember while growing up how I used to dislike the way my mum and her friends had the same uniform, colourless headscarves. They also used to wear the same style of A-line coat – it was the only thing available [in the shops] at the time that was deemed modest," Aldebe explains.
She began studying fashion design in high school when she was 16-years-old and quickly realised that there was an entrepreneurial side to her passion for crafting clothes. She started creating graduation and wedding outfits that were fashion-forward but still modest.
"I started with small orders for my immediate circle of friends and family," she says.
Aldebe went to university to study journalism and law, but a year into her studies she decided to take a gap year.
Re-imagining the hijab
That year proved valuable; teaching her much about how the real world of retail worked. But it also gave Aldebe her first taste of anti-hijab discrimination.
She remembers seeing an ad outside a boutique that was looking to recruit a sales person.
According to a 2014-2015 report by Thomson Reuters, Muslims globally spent $266bn on clothing and footwear in 2013 and that number is expected to rise to $484bn by 2019.
"When I went inside to query about the position I was told that it had already been taken," she says.
"I had a feeling they were not genuine so I sent in my friend, who was not wearing hijab. When she asked about the position, they asked her how soon she could start," she sighs.
There was also the time when she tried to find retail work via the job centre, and was told by the person handling her case that religion doesn’t belong in the workplace.
"That person also told me that it was probably better for me to take off my hijab," she remembers.
Feeling disappointed but determined, Aldebe returned to university. She graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism and law in 2012.
Eventually she got a part-time job in a boutique – but first she made some adjustments to the way she wore her headscarf.
"I decided to change [the way I wore it], from wrapping it around my face to tying it all at the back like a traditional African head wrap. I went to the interview and I was accepted."
She recalls how customers would complement her on how "cool" it looked.
"I started with small orders for my immediate circle of friends and family," she says.
Aldebe went to university to study journalism and law, but a year into her studies she decided to take a gap year.
Re-imagining the hijab
That year proved valuable; teaching her much about how the real world of retail worked. But it also gave Aldebe her first taste of anti-hijab discrimination.
She remembers seeing an ad outside a boutique that was looking to recruit a sales person.
According to a 2014-2015 report by Thomson Reuters, Muslims globally spent $266bn on clothing and footwear in 2013 and that number is expected to rise to $484bn by 2019.
"When I went inside to query about the position I was told that it had already been taken," she says.
"I had a feeling they were not genuine so I sent in my friend, who was not wearing hijab. When she asked about the position, they asked her how soon she could start," she sighs.
There was also the time when she tried to find retail work via the job centre, and was told by the person handling her case that religion doesn’t belong in the workplace.
"That person also told me that it was probably better for me to take off my hijab," she remembers.
Feeling disappointed but determined, Aldebe returned to university. She graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism and law in 2012.
Eventually she got a part-time job in a boutique – but first she made some adjustments to the way she wore her headscarf.
"I decided to change [the way I wore it], from wrapping it around my face to tying it all at the back like a traditional African head wrap. I went to the interview and I was accepted."
She recalls how customers would complement her on how "cool" it looked.
I felt that I could make some changes that wouldn’t compromise my beliefs and would be acceptable both within my religion and within Swedish society," she says.
In 2006, Aldebe appeared, along with some other Muslim designers, on Sweden’s TV4 morning magazine show to discuss styles of hijab.
"Following that segment, Aftonbladet, a leading Swedish newspaper, reached out to Swedish department stores and asked if they would consider selling headscarves and catering to Muslim fashion," Aldebe explains.
The answer, they told her, was no.
Aldebe began to think more seriously about the concept of modernising Muslim fashion. She felt certain that these stores would change their opinion once they realised how much of an untapped market Muslim women wear was. She started to set up her "modest" fashion business.
Filling a gap
"It's interesting to see how some of these stores that refused to sell hijab years ago are now embracing it and capitalising on Muslim fashion," she says.
And it is a fast-growing market. According to a 2014-2015 report by Thomson Reuters, Muslims globally spent $266bn on clothing and footwear in 2013 and that number is expected to rise to $484bn by 2019.
With millions of potential Muslim consumers worldwide, brands like Mango and DKNY have released lines specifically catering to the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset and family and social gatherings are more common.
Aldebe recognised this huge gap in the market. By observing her customers, she noticed that many wanted to be able to buy ready-styled headscarves. That was where the idea of the turban came from. She now has a "Happy Turban" line, where every headpiece is unique. It has proven popular among Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
In 2006, Aldebe appeared, along with some other Muslim designers, on Sweden’s TV4 morning magazine show to discuss styles of hijab.
"Following that segment, Aftonbladet, a leading Swedish newspaper, reached out to Swedish department stores and asked if they would consider selling headscarves and catering to Muslim fashion," Aldebe explains.
The answer, they told her, was no.
Aldebe began to think more seriously about the concept of modernising Muslim fashion. She felt certain that these stores would change their opinion once they realised how much of an untapped market Muslim women wear was. She started to set up her "modest" fashion business.
Filling a gap
"It's interesting to see how some of these stores that refused to sell hijab years ago are now embracing it and capitalising on Muslim fashion," she says.
And it is a fast-growing market. According to a 2014-2015 report by Thomson Reuters, Muslims globally spent $266bn on clothing and footwear in 2013 and that number is expected to rise to $484bn by 2019.
With millions of potential Muslim consumers worldwide, brands like Mango and DKNY have released lines specifically catering to the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset and family and social gatherings are more common.
Aldebe recognised this huge gap in the market. By observing her customers, she noticed that many wanted to be able to buy ready-styled headscarves. That was where the idea of the turban came from. She now has a "Happy Turban" line, where every headpiece is unique. It has proven popular among Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
But she doesn't just style turbans and headscarves, she explains. "I also design clothes that are suitable for Muslim fashionistas," she says.
That, however, hasn’t always been well received. "It took years before people would start to accept what I was doing."
She recalls the criticism she faced when she first started modernising Muslim fashion in 2001. Her critics came from two usually opposed groups – Muslims and Swedish nationalists.
That, however, hasn’t always been well received. "It took years before people would start to accept what I was doing."
She recalls the criticism she faced when she first started modernising Muslim fashion in 2001. Her critics came from two usually opposed groups – Muslims and Swedish nationalists.
This Content was originally posted on: Al Jazeera
