Image from Melbourne Museum Website
There was a movie a few years ago
Sex and the City 2 when Carrie Bradshaw and her girlfriends took a trip to United Arab Emirates.
In one scene they are lead by a group of Muslim women into a secluded room where the women suddenly throw off their abayas to reveal Louis Vuitton designer dresses underneath.
The two groups of women ooh and and ah in unison. The message being that they are all women and women are unanimously rapt in clothes.
Faith, fashion, fusion exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum
I know that the movie received a lot of flack for this scene, which I won't go into here, but I'm not sure that the attempted point was wrong and that was -- that most women adore clothes.
But Islamic rules of modesty (hijab) don't always fit with Western ideas of fashion.
The new exhibition at the Immigration Museum 'Faith, Fashion, Fusion: Muslim Women's Style in Australia' showcases Muslim designers and fashion entrepreneurs who are at the forefront of the multimillion-dollar fashion industry we normally don't get to hear about.
The designs are startling, and vibrant but above all modest. And with nearly 38 per cent of Muslim Australians born in Australia, "modest fashion" is part of a new culture.
Many of the labels were founded by Muslim women who became tired of what the regular fashion industry was offering, so they started to design their own clothes -- ones that would be stylish and fashionable and fit with Australia's lifestyle and climate.
Their fashionable clients, or hijabistas as some call themselves, use social media to keep up with worldwide trends. Some have fashion blogs which have tips on how to make fashion fit with
Muslim dress code. There is an example of one of the Facebook pages
here.
The gorgeous styles are not just for Muslim but for non-Muslim women as well.
The exhibition offers everything from the high-end dresses inspired by pop star Rihanna, to the swimwear designer who
created the one and only BurqiniŽ.
A number of high profile Australian Muslim women are profiled in the exhibition, offering personal insights to their lives as well as their clothes.
Faith, fashion, fusion exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum
This exhibition is a travelling exhibition from the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, where it was a huge success. It is great to see this different exhibition now in Melbourne.
Entry is free with Museum admission.
Image from Melbourne Museum website
