In pushing sustainable fashion and encouraging recycling of clothes, retail giant H&M released an video that featured, among other personalities, a woman wearing a hijab. The video, entitled "Close the Loop," depicted models of many nationalities and genders. The ad was Mariah Idrissi's debut as a model for H&M too, according to CNN.
She appeared less than 10 seconds in the video with a hijab over her head and the rising model said that she agreed to be a part of it because, "women who wear hijab are ignored when it comes to fashion," she said in an interview with Fusion.
"So it's amazing that a brand that is big has recognized the way we wear hijab," she added. "[H&M] asked how much in terms of neck I could show, but to be honest they were very respectful."
The 23-year-old doesn't understand why her appearance in the ad has been singled out when it also featured a transgender, plus-sided models, an amputee, Sikh men and a woman with hairy armpits.
"It might be because hijab fashion has boomed in the last few years and to finally see a hijabi [a woman who wears a hijab] in mainstream fashion is a big achievement," she told Fusion. Indeed, other brands have had their share of dabbling in Muslim fashion, such as DKNY, which launched a Ramadan collection in 2014, according to Vogue. It makes good business sense too as over $266 billion was spent by Muslims on clothing and footwear in 2013 alone, according to Fortune.
Idrissi, who is London-born with a Pakistani mom and a Moroccan dad, was apparently scouted from her Instagram account where she shares nail art, henna painting and makeup application.
"It was just a one-off, I didn't plan on it getting this big," she told CNN. Her participation in the ad has received criticisms, saying it goes against Islamic tradition and beliefs.
"I've seen a few comments where (people are) against it, but there's nothing that says there is anything against it. In our religion, anything that's not stated as forbidden is permissible," she said.
"As long as I'm dressed correctly, according to Islam, then there's no problem. It's just promoting the hijab, in a way. If anything, it's good."
Watch the H&M ad featuring Mariah Idrissi below:
