Building a New “World Fashion”: Islamic Dress in the Twenty-first Century

Abstract

This article critiques the concepts of “ethnic dress” and “world fashion” along with the common perception that there is only one world fashion system dominated by the West. A new framework—based on microcultures, cultures, and macrocultures—can allow us to recognize non-Western fashion systems that have a global reach. For example, Asian, African, and Islamic dress appeal to consumers in multiple nations and should not simply be considered “ethnic dress.” This article then goes on to analyze similarities between Islamic fashion websites as an example of a non-Western world fashion system. These sites, geared primarily toward Muslim women living outside of the Islamic world (in areas such as Canada and the United States), give consumers several advantages over going to the local mall: the styles and names of garments are similar if not identical to what Muslims wear in countries like Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan; the clothing is always modest; and the businesses offer a shopping experience in tune with Muslim values. In addition to clothing for women and sometimes men and children, many of the sites offer quotes from the Koran, a “hadith of the day” (comments on the message and lifestyle of the prophet Mohammed), discussion boards, and even advice on how to wrap a headscarf. Over the last five years, as the technology and speed of the Internet has improved, these websites have begun to play a vital role in spreading fashions between different parts of the Islamic world.