A new phase in the clothing and accessory line of Muslim women fashion has arrived, as a new exhibit in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco aims to showcase all of the elements that make up Muslim Women’s fashion.
Moving away from the everyday unflattering and loose silhouettes in drab, dark colors that observant Muslim women are branded for with regards to their fashion sense. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco has overseen contemporary Muslim fashion shows comprising over eighty different ensembles, from burkins to ball gowns to sportswear, created by both established and emerging designers from all over the world.
Max Hollein, former Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, appointed Reina Lewis, a professor and the author of Muslim Fashion: Contemporary Style Cultures to join Jill D’Alessandro, Curator in charge of Costume and Textile Arts, and Laura L. Camerlengo, Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, to curate this exhibit two years ago. They worked closely with the local Muslim community to solicit feedback on the project.
As a result of the large nature of the Muslim fashion world, the curators emphasized on the term fashions for the title of the exhibit, “There are very many different ways Muslim culture and ancestry and religion interpret their religion. So there are differences within the global Muslim community and there are stylistic differences. For the exhibit, we couldn’t focus on all areas of the world, on all styles of dressing, so we really focused on the areas where designers are making and consumers are wearing highly fashionable modest garments,” said D’Alessandro.
The exhibit features designers from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia. The exhibit also features pieces by Western designers that are inspired by Muslim culture, such as YSL, how frequently took inspiration from Marrakesh.
