Aaminah Asghar

Fashion writer based in London. 

[aaminahwrites]

15 QUESTIONS WITH: FAISAL HUSSAIN

Faisal Hussain has always been a creative at heart and his love for helping others allows him to use his creativity to spread love and positivity. His landscape paintings bring a sense of peace to his audience while his charity pieces bring a feel of compassion and a cry for help. Following is our ‘question by e-mail’ about his art and charity work, and a little bit about his background.

 Aaminah: How did you get into art? 

Faisal: Art was a hobby initially since childhood, I loved illustration, reading, and learning from childhood. I participated in community creative and youth events and gained 50 hours’ experience in graffiti spraying with a local graffiti artist. I took GCSE and A-level ‘Art and Design’ and eventually became Freelance in first year of A-levels in 2012. I decided to take my art work into the community at various charity events and I focus a lot on marketing my art on social media platforms. I am co-owner of the Freedomline clothing brand @_freedomline_

 A: Tell me about the style of your art, where it started from and how it evolved.

F: Illustration and landscape impressionism are my main areas of focus. I loved painting sceneries with watercolour, acrylic paints and oils and portraying reality through graphite, chalk, spray cans, and various other materials to create texture in my work.

 A: Who is your audience?

F: My audience is mainly the youth, but it’s targeted at anyone who inspires to grow through art.

 A: Tell me about your background. Where did you grow up, what was your childhood like and how was school life?

F: I grew up in the Millfield area of Peterborough which was deprived of government funding; the City Centre where I was born was known for having a working-class population. Due to my granddad’s effort of coming over into the UK as one of the first Pakistani workers, my family became established in Peterborough. As immigrant families like ourselves started saving more, we moved out the central ward due to the lack of services, criminal activity, school-catchment area problems.

 Primary school was a pretty awesome time; it gave me the scope to fairly learn the fundamentals of many subjects. Secondary school was a journey of personal growth, I managed to find myself personally, mentally and socially. 

 A: What is your favourite piece of artwork you’ve done?

F: My Palestine A-level final exam piece. It showed me how much pressure I could put on myself and my creativity to paint a large acrylic art piece.

 A: What are you trying to communicate with your art?

F: That it is a therapeutic medium, and that you can still make a living through art. You can still work in other areas and still be an artist.

 A: Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?

F: Digital design, which I will in a few months’ time.

 A: How was the Radical Love Exhibition at the Crypt Gallery? 

F: It was a heartfelt gallery, words cannot express the emotions, feelings and realities of how the art portrayed female refugee struggles and third world narratives of love.

 A: What’s your biggest fear?

F: Dying knowing I couldn’t achieve everything that I could have potentially achieved in life; personally, spiritually and creatively.

 A: How do you work?

F: I use my experience and skill set from in academia, volunteering, work and creativity, and try to apply and improvise it in every situation I’m in. I like to learn from every situation that I’m in, whether I’m successful or not in the task. 

 A: What other artists have been inspirational to you?

F: Muhammad Ali (Aerosol Arabic), Banksy, Claudio Monet, Van Gogh and Andy Warhol.

 A: Tell me about the projects you’ve done with the BBC.

F: My recent project was to do with working with the BBC 5 Radio Live project on immigration, communities, Brexit and the city of Peterborough. Working withtwo well-known artists PositiveArtsUK and Tizer enabled me to refresh and develop my creative skill set. We aimed to work with other community members to portray our views and experiences of Britain on the wall mural, on BBC East and BBC 5 Live Radio.

 A: Tell me about your previous charity projects.

F: I have mentored ‘troubled youths’ in a voluntary capacity within a school environment and the local youth club to help them achieve goals and proactive within society. I have also had my own youth hour on the local radio station as a host for Salaam Radio in the summer of 2016. I have been involved in various charities such as Children of Adam and Islamic Relief by fundraising through radio shows, social media management and street collections. 

 I have also managed to help feed 5000 meals to the needy in Peterborough throughout 2015. I have worked with the Student Schooling Association (SSA) within the university to campaign for January exams and the Campus Awareness programme, and organised events specifically for the students such as the culture festival and the Eid festival. I have been volunteering for Peace Child International by participating in a drama project, and participated in a community graffiti project to paint a mural on a local underpass in 2010.

 A: Are there any charity projects you’re currently working on? 

F: I am still currently volunteering with the charity Children of Adam in Peterborough. I’m looking forward to participating with them on the radio programmes in Ramadan, feeding the local homeless and participating in their national and international projects.

 A: Tell me about ‘Official KNOW.’ How did it start and what direction is it heading in? 

F: Founded in 2012, KNOW is a trusted community education platform for people who love to learn. We believe that everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn. Harnessing the power of the sharing economy, KNOW brings together students, experts, teachers, leaders and scientists from around the world to bring you bitesize, digestible knowledge delivered in a modern, engaging way and to the point of understanding.

 Knowledge is not ‘one-size fits all’. We all have different interests, different ways of understanding, and different attention spans. We all have such different backgrounds, experience and expertise. Our strength lies in our diversity as a community. We can learn something from everyone.

 Whether you want to learn about history, politics, health, science or nature, KNOW connects you with those that are in the know - and allows you to become one of them. We’ve just released our new website www.kn-ow.com, so look out for more info! 

 You can find Faisal on Instagram @art.by.faisal and be sure to visit his event page on Facebook at Facebook.com/ArtByFaisal to stay updated with his work.

[aaminahwrites]

The Beauty Behind the Struggle: Drugs and Hijabs

Young Muslims open up about their life struggles and discuss how it changed them

 Drugs and alcohol is such a taboo topic in Islam. Islam teaches Muslims to stay away from alcohol because when you are intoxicated, a person cannot control his or her actions, leading them to possibly make a very big mistake. Although it is haram, or not permissible, many young Muslims seem to turn to alcohol when faced with difficulties, rather than lay out a prayer mat and ask Allah for guidance. 21-year-old Aisha from Leicester tells her story of her struggle with alcohol and drugs.

 “In early 2015 I became very depressed and I was on a lot of medication. It was my 19th birthday my friends convinced me to go out to the club and it didn’t seem like a big deal but from that night on things just started getting worse. I drank a lot that night and when I got home my mum was pissed. The first thing she said to me was ‘what the fuck is wrong with you?’ but she didn’t realise, she just thought I was getting up to other stupid shit. After that, it was once in a while. I stopped speaking to the friend who took me out a lot and I was fine, but when we started talking a while later, that’s when it got worse. 

 “In the Summer of 2015, it got to a point where it became an everyday thing. My depression got worse and it was my way of temporarily forgetting everything that was going on in my life, but it just made everything a whole lot worse. I would even go to work drunk. My grandparents came back from Pakistan one day and I was quite drunk. We were on our way home and it was such a bad experience, we nearly got into a really bad car crash! Then I realised there’s no point in keeping people around like that, that aren’t good for me and that’s when I decided I wasn’t going to drink anymore. 

 “I stopped for a while but in Summer 2016 I was going through a really bad phase again. Not with friends or anything, I had stopped going out but I would just be drinking alone in my room and it had got back to the point where I was doing it every single day and it made me think to myself, ‘what the hell am I doing?’ 

“Now I’ m trying to be good and help myself, I haven’t touched it in a while. I’m trying really hard to be careful because it is something that can get addicting, you just need to get through it. I just used to go out to the corner shop and grab a bottle of vodka then finish it in one night and it’s just such a big waste of money too! It doesn’t even help; it was like a temporary fix for five minutes then I’d call up my friends and just cry to them. It’s just a pattern of moods, you think it would help but it really doesn’t. I used to keep drinking for two to three months straight when things got really bad but since New Year’s, I haven’t gotten completely wasted. 

 “I remember one night in Summer, it was around 5am and I got really bad chest pains, I fell asleep and when I woke up again they just got worse and I just ended up collapsing. My mum took me to A&E and the doctors started asking me really personal questions and their questions were just directing towards drinking alcohol and I just thought ‘oh my God, I’m never doing this again.’

 “My sister came into A&E with me and I was afraid to say anything in front of her but once she was sent out the room, the doctors sat me down and told me I had to tell them what was really going on. They concluded that I had alcohol poisoning because I was just puking up everywhere. After that I’ve been very careful with the amount I take and it’s not an everyday thing anymore. You just think it will make things better but it always just makes things a lot worse. The last time I drank was two weeks ago when I was out with my friends but I made sure I wasn’t drinking too much. I don’t use it as a coping mechanism anymore I just casually drink.

 “When I was 19, my circle of friends at university used to smoke weed a lot, too. It was just a casual thing and I didn’t do it to distract myself from what was happening in my life, it doesn’t really help but it just makes you feel funny for a while. Everything around you is just so funny! But it’s not something that helps with depression. It actually makes you so hungry, at 3 or 4am I used to just get the munchies and raid my kitchen for random snacks. When you have lots of alcohol and weed it trips you out so much, you just feel like you’re going to die. 

 “Weed made me so paranoid. When I used to smoke it a lot I would always think ‘oh my God, can you smell it on me?’ and just silly things like that. I would never do hard drugs like cocaine and I’m definitely not planning to. I have family members who have struggled with addiction and have ended up in jail, but weed is just a minor thing. One thing I hate is when people pretend they’re high to just fit in! Weed is just a once in a while thing, I only do it when I’m stressed with university because it relaxes me. 

 “I live in a family of 6, my dad passed away when I was 15 years old. It wasn’t really a reason to start drinking, I could have easily started drinking then but I was using other ways like self-harm to cope and I eventually stopped because nothing was helping. Everything I tried, I had all these bad coping mechanisms and none of them helped, I just thought to myself ‘I really need to grow out of everything.’ 

 “You go through rough things and you realise not everything you do is right and sometimes you have to let things be. I grew up with 4 sisters and a brother and after my dad passed away, my brother wasn’t very helpful. I didn’t have a father figure in my life and I just felt like I could do whatever I wanted and no one was going to say anything to me. I became really rebellious especially when I was 19 and I felt like my mum couldn’t control me. I knew there was going to be a time when I was going to get the biggest slap on my face and from that, I knew I was going to have to stop what I was doing. 

 “I keep myself to myself. I don’t open up to people easily and during college, I made a friend in sixth form who actually wasn’t that much of a good friend to me. My mum knew from the beginning that she was a snake but I didn’t believe her which caused arguments at home. When I left school, I left with a lot of friends but now I only have one really good friend who I go to university with. I didn’t gel with the people at university, I spend most of my time in the library just working. I have just become closed off and I’m trying to better myself and stay on the right track.”

 Whether you are going through depression or a traumatising event in your life, please remember you have so many people around you to talk to you and help you through things. Alcohol and drugs are never the answer; they only seem to make things worse. For more information on drug and alcohol abuse, call your local drug and alcohol helpline to get the help you need.

  “WEAR YOUR HIJAB PROPERLY”

 A hijab may seem like ‘just a scarf on your head’ to some, but for some Muslim women, it is a sign of independence, freedom and the ability to be totally themselves. Thousands of Muslim girls and women all around the world wear their hijabs proudly but some struggle more than others. I sat down with 20-year-old Ghayda Javed from South London to discuss her experience and she revealed why wearing the hijab was a struggle for her.

Ghayda was born and raised in London, England in a middle-class family of five. She started wearing her hijab in secondary school because she went to an Islamic school, so it became a uniform requirement. “My mum wears it and so does everyone around me it so I thought okay, I’d better start wearing it too” she says. Because it was a requirement to wear it every day at school, it didn’t make a lot of difference between her school life and her home life. She then carried on wearing it in sixth form and university. “I never saw it as a sort of ‘oh men can see my hair’ thing, I never understood that sort of aspect of it but I just wore it because everyone around me was wearing it. It was like a symbol of my independence, I’m in control of my actions now and I can do what I want, at least that’s what I thought at the time. It came to point where I did like wearing it, I’d think to myself ‘I’ll wear my scarf to weddings, I don’t feel ugly wearing it, it’s just nice. I think it came to summer 2015 when I went to Canada and I remember my dad specifically telling me ‘wear your hijab properly’ and this led me to think ‘hold on, I’m not wearing my hijab for someone else, I’m wearing it for myself, not for someone else’s opinions.” 

 This interaction with her dad caused Ghayda to rethink why she was wearing her hijab in the first place. “I realised I wasn’t wearing it for myself, I was wearing it for the people around me. I thought to myself, I will wear it the way I want to.” Slowly, she started taking off her hijab and it became less of a priority to her. “I started seeing the hijab as just a part of my religion. When you’re out in public, the first thing people think when they see a girl in hijab is ‘she’s a Muslim and probably a very strict one.’ As a Muslim, you do need to act a certain way because that’s your job to represent it in ‘the right way’. I didn’t like being outside and wearing a hijab and suppose, doing shisha because I just don’t think that’s right in my opinion, which is why when I’m out and about having fun I just take it off. I don’t want to send the wrong message about Islam.” 

 Ghayda struggled with keeping her hijab on, mainly because she was afraid of what people in the community would think of her. “I was scared to fully stop wearing it because I thought everyone in the community is going to think ‘she’s going to turn into a hoe’ so I only took it off after leaving the house or when I was far enough from home.”

 Wearing her hijab to university and to work put things into perspective for her. “I thought to myself I’m here to get my money, I’m here to get my education. I’m not here to mess about. I’m here to make something of myself and that goes back to why I started wearing it in the first place, it was a sign of independence for me.” 

 Reflecting on her journey, Ghayda discusses why she took it off. “There is something so beautiful about wearing the hijab and I want to learn it rather than putting it on because I want to wear it and that’s what I realised overtime when I took it off, that it’s a process of learning it again and the actual reasons for wearing it. It takes time and you can’t really expect someone to take this big step, just like that. But I did it in the wrong way and it took me a long time to realise that.

 Even after wearing it for the last 9 years, Ghayda still struggles with her hijab and wants to take the time to learn about the reasoning behind it, rather than wearing it for the sake of her family. “Even now I still struggle with it. It’s difficult, it’s really difficult.”

[aaminahwrites]

Exclusive Interview with Valenci UK

The young modest fashion designer discusses education, family and inspiration.

Sana Zinga, an up-and-coming fashion designer based in London has been making waves in the modest fashion industry with her stunning line, Valenci. She creates some of the most unique clothing pieces I’ve seen, ranging from floor length capes to simple jumpsuits. Her creations are the perfect mix of modern day fashion and modest fashion, allowing young girls and women to be creative in their fashion choices but still stay true to their modest roots. It is refreshing to find a brand that caters to the modest fashion world while still being fresh and trendy. Established in 2016, Sana’s brand has really taken off in the modest world, especially on Instagram (@valenci.uk) and has received a lot of support from popular beauty and modest fashion bloggers like Dina Tokio. I got in touch with Sana to find out a bit more about her and her creative process. 

 The 21-year-old designer who was born and raised in North West England has always had a true love for designing and styling clothes. Her passion comes from her mum, who loved to sew and make elaborate garments for her and her family. “From such a young age, I was always very particular about what I liked and disliked” she says. She took a fashion design course at high school but went on to study biology, chemistry, maths and business for her A-Levels, then taking pharmacy for her degree. “I always saw fashion as a hobby but never a career. I went on to university to study pharmacy and that’s where it all changed, I literally woke up one morning and decided to change my career path.” Sana decided to fulfil her dreams and study fashion design, something that truly made her happy. “I called the University of Central Lancashire and I was adamant on joining the BA (Hons) Fashion Design course the same year but one semester late. I think the head of school saw a true passion in me and gave me a chance. I can’t thank her enough.” This just goes to show that there is no harm in changing your career path and not taking on the degree that is thought to be ‘practical’ or ‘something you can make more money from.’ 

 Sana’s own personal style is quite similar to the garments she designs. On a casual day, you’ll find her in sporty or casual looks but her ‘going out’ look is always simplistic and classy. Her OOTD is always dependant on her mood. “I design garments that I personally LOVE and would wear myself. I could never be passionate about my brand if I personally wouldn’t wear the garments I sell.”

 Her inspiration can come from anywhere. “It could be a door handle, it could be a building.” It isn’t surprising that she finds inspiration in something so simple but so structured, her garments have a really unique architectural feel to them. Historical costumes with lots of layering is another source of design inspiration and she loves taking classic cultural garments and giving them a contemporary twist. Sana designs for both younger and older women and creates versatile designs which can be styled by both generations. “My mum and I can both wear my designs in completely different ways, versatility is very important when I design.” This is clear in her current collection; her designs are so timeless and a simple piece can be styled several ways. Sana’s designs cater to older women who have always made modesty a priority when putting together an outfit and younger women who now make modesty a priority in theirs. 

 “I love having a theme for my collections, it creates a story and mood at the starting point.” Always making it a point to theme her collections, Sana believes themes provides a lot if information about what she wants to create and having a theme allows her ideas to flow. “One thing leads to another and you end up with a beautiful product that wouldn’t have been made possible unless a concept was used.” Sana urges designers, both established and up-and-coming, to use themes when designing a collection, exploring and researching a specific topic unveils very interesting details that can help create silhouettes and shapes.

 The modest fashion industry is on its way to becoming mainstream, designers have taken inspiration from the modest fashion world and applied it to their collections like Dolce and Gabbana’s Autumn/Winter 2016 collection which featured a range of abayas and hijabs. Sana believes modest fashion designers can quickly become recognised in the mainstream fashion world if they create garments that are on trend and add a modest twist while keeping their designs unique. “I think big things will happen for the modest industry and big things are already happening.” Designers like Oscar de la Renta and high street brands like H&M are almost giving validity to the modest fashion community by designing clothes that can be worn by modest women worldwide. Popular fashion blogger Mariah Idrissi was recently featured in a worldwide campaign for H&M, proving that Muslim women and the modest fashion world are making waves in the fashion industry.

 After some thorough research on current catwalk shows, Sana predicts different pattern cutting techniques will be big for next season. “There has also been lots of ruffles and balloon sleeves, which I love!” she explains. In her very rare spare time, Sana loves to lounge in front of the TV with a nice cuppa. She also loves a good Italian dinner on the weekends.

 10 years from now, Sana would love to expand her brand into a wider market. “I want my brand to be noticed within the modest community and be recognised outside of the modest market.” Although she designs modest clothing, her designs can easily be worn by people of all ages, races, sexes and beliefs because of how versatile her creations are. “I would love to see my brand in high street stores” she continues.

To see more of her stunning collection, follow Sana on Instagram @Valenci.UK or visit her website www.valenci.uk

(This article was written before her label name was changed from Sana Zinga to Valenci UK so I wasn’t able to ask about the inspiration behind the new name and where it came from).

[aaminahwrites]

A Revert’s Journey to Islam: Laura Brown and Sean Tobin

White British reverts discuss their journey to becoming Muslims

As the world’s fastest growing religion, Islam provides Muslims with a structure of life. Although there are many rules and regulations as revealed in The Holy Qur’an, Muslims find peace with the religion of Islam as it gives them guidance on how to live in a peaceful and respectful way. Islam is a very calm religion, with values based on being a good person and worshipping Allah. Every day, Islam welcomes many people into the religion. People all over the world are finding peace with Islam and finding that meaning of life they’ve spent their life looking for. Journalists at The BBC predict that Islam will take over Christianity by 2070, becoming the world’s largest religion. In 2010, Indonesia had the world’s biggest Muslim population but it is predicted that India’s population will be larger by 2050. It is also predicted that 10% of the people in Europe will be Muslim in 2050. Despite the negative stereotypes and the constant wrong attention from the media, Islam is loved by people all over the world and it will continue to grow. 

The Internet is a very powerful tool. Many converts, or reverts as Muslims believe, share their stories online to inspire other people. Blog posts created by reverts include very detailed accounts of their experiences and why they chose Islam. Young YouTuber Laura Brown shared her story on YouTube and told viewers how she found peace and structure of life with Islam. Laura grew up a Christian Catholic but wasn’t the most religious girl, despite still believing in God. Although she went to a Catholic primary and secondary school, she admitted that her parents only sent her there because it was convenient in terms of travel. Laura believed the only religion was Christianity, since it was all that she was exposed to and she didn’t quite understand that other people believed different things. Becoming a young adult, Laura started to question Christianity and became confused by what she was taught in school and what was written in the Bible and started to ask her family and teachers questions that no one could really answer. Christianity and science was a big question mark for her and she just didn’t understand how they both correlated and by this point, she totally disregarded her religion. “At this point, I started steering away from Christianity.” She explains in her YouTube video. Because of this, she turned into a bit of a rebel and started drinking and partying which came from the lack of structure she had in her life. “I did it just to feel accepted and fit in,” she continues. Laura soon stopped because she felt uncomfortable with what she was doing and it wasn’t getting her anywhere in life.

 During her time at secondary school, she made some Muslim friends and felt accepted by them and their circle of friends. Through Instagram and Facebook, Laura connected with friends of friends and found herself in a circle of Muslims that educated her on Islam and showed her the positive, peaceful side. “They were the nicest people I’ve ever met; they wouldn’t hurt a fly!” she exclaims. “That sparked an initial interest, the interest and research to learn about Islam.” After opening up to a few people about her interest, she approached a Muslim woman who often shopped at her workplace and she gave Laura a copy of The Holy Qur’an in English, which she read and felt like answered the questions she had about religion which The Bible couldn’t answer before. 

 After spending a period of time doing extensive research, she decided she wanted to take part in Ramadan and fast with her friends. During Ramadan and fasting, she realised she wanted to be a Muslim and luckily, her family was very supportive of her decision. She contacted a local mosque to ask if they had any advice for reverts or held any Madrassah classes and they put her in touch with a revert school. The Imaam at the mosque she visited asked her why she had delayed her Shahadah (declaration of faith) and Laura felt like she didn’t know much about the fundamentals of Islam like prayer, but the Imaam pointed out that she was already following the third pillar of Islam by fasting. The Imaam invited Laura and her school friend to a Madrassah class and surprisingly, the Imaam announced that Laura will be taking her Shahadah in front of everyone. Naturally, this made her nervous because converting to Islam in front of an audience is a very daunting thing to do but Laura felt comfortable once she began. “Once I started saying my Shahadah, I felt like it was only me, the Imaam and Allah.” After hearing the words “Mashallah you are now Muslim,” she became very emotional and burst into tears. She couldn’t believe the comfort she felt with Islam and the people all around her.

 Living a very happy life, Laura has been a Muslim since July 22nd 2016. She feels at peace with herself and is still learning more about Islam. At the end of her YouTube video, she tells her viewers “I’ve finally found my place, I found my family, I feel so at home. So far it’s been nothing but joyful and it’s come with ease, Alhamdulillah.”

 Channel 4’s recent 4-part documentary Extremely British Muslims follows the story of young Muslims in Britain and their struggles as a targeted religion. Episode Two: ‘The Rules,’ focuses on an ex-EDL supporter Sean Tobin who found Islam and reverted in 2010, now known as Abdul. In their younger days, Abdul, or Sean, and his brother Lee were adamant on Britain becoming an anti-Muslim nation. He was brought up in the White working class town of Dudley. In the episode, Abdul is shown waking up his teenage step-sons for Fajr, sunrise prayers. After marrying a Muslim woman from Pakistan, he finds himself a stepfather to a daughter and two teenage sons who are used to a more relaxed interpretation of Islam, so living with a revert who devotes his life to following every rule in Islam proves to be a culture shock. In the show, Abdul says “I never had any structure or rules to live by, I was just drifting and wandering. Every successful person does need rules and regulations and I think Islam promotes that kind of discipline.” Teaching his stepsons about Islam has become a part of their daily routine. Abdul keeps in contact with his brother, Lee, who is still coming to terms with his brother become one of those they hated. When visiting Lee, they reminisce on the past. “We were just normal teenagers and we liked going out and getting wrecked, […] drinking, taking drugs.” Abdul then carries on and says “The party was always at our house; I was the host.” Lee’s thoughts on Muslims are the pretty typical things you’d hear in the news. “Bad, bad thoughts, like you hear things about stoning women to death, 7/7 London bombings, […] people talking and they’ll all blame Muslims.” He was set on his views and when asked if he’d be interested in finding out more about Abdul’s life and visiting mosques, his answer was clear. “No, I ain’t got time, no. I don’t think so.” Heartbroken, Abdul tells the viewers “I don’t think he understands it, I don’t think any of my family members understand it and I don’t think they want to understand it.” 

 A well-known celebrity who has surprised us all with her recent spiritual journey is actress-turned-business woman Lindsay Lohan. Lohan has been very open about what she chooses to follow and how Islam has impacted her life. In an interview with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, she explains how she is exploring different religions and trying to understand everyone’s point of view. When asked about a picture taken of her holding a Qur’an, she clarified that it was taken four or five years ago, making us question how long she’s been interested in Islam and learning about the religion. When asked if she is in the process of converting to Islam, she simply says “I don’t want to speak on something I haven’t finished yet, I don’t think that’s right. As I said before, I find a solace in studying not just the Qur’an [but] other religions, just like meditation […] in the Islamic culture, I feel like is a family to me, a lot of my friends are Arab.”

 She spoke about her experience with the airport security at New York City airport. After being recognised for her headscarf, airport security took her aside and performed vigorous checks on her. When they opened her passport and finally realised who she was, they apologised profusely but asked her to take her headscarf off. “What scared me was, is that moment, how would another woman who doesn’t feel comfortable taking off her headscarf feel?” She admitted that it was interesting to see and something like this occurred for the first time because she wore a headscarf. Lohan is in the process of finding herself and her inner peace, but hasn’t confirmed she is reverting to Islam yet.

 For more information about converting to Islam, contact your local mosque and an Imaam will be happy to help you or visit http://revertmuslims.com/RMA/. Visit Laura’s YouTube channel http://youtube.com/LauraBrown.

[aaminahwrites]

The Rise of Modest Fashion: What Does This Mean for Muslims Worldwide?

Back in the early 2000s, young Muslim girls weren’t exactly spoilt for choice when it came to dressing modestly. Mainstream fashion influencers flaunted revealing clothing and it became difficult for Muslims to dress in a way that is modest without making them look like their grandparents decided to dress them. The modest fashion market has expanded like crazy over the last decade and it has become increasingly easier for young Muslim girls to pop in to their local shopping centre and buy a full modest outfit that is current and trendy. In the past, Muslim women were restricted to abayas and maxi dresses with long cardigans, making them feel like they’re stuck in a box. Nowadays, we can wear a pair of loose-fitting trousers from New Look, a chic blouse from Mango and an edgy jacket from TopShop and create a gorgeous outfit, perfect for modest fashion lovers.

 Mainstream fashion has shown a lot of acceptance towards the modest fashion world. Catering to the Islamic requirement of loose clothing, Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana released a collection of elegant abayas which came as a surprise to a lot of Muslims worldwide. The collection features models in Islamic cover, complete with a hijab and holding classic D&G bags. The abayas and hijabs are made of sheer georgette and satin materials and still feature the classic D&G embellishments like lemons, roses and daisies with their signature lace detailing. As a young Muslim woman, I was pleasantly surprised by the collection but using pale white models with European features instead of ethnic Muslim women served as a reminder that rich Eastern fashion and culture will always be glamorised by Western society, but the religion of Islam will never be accepted or celebrated by them. It made me feel quite uncomfortable, seeing a white woman praised for wearing a hijab and abaya yet Muslim women don’t even feel comfortable stepping out the house wearing their hijabs as a badge of honour like they should. Although the collection is a nod to the modest fashion world, I feel a sense of appropriating current traditions without giving the Eastern world the recognition they deserve. Modest fashion blogger and designer Dina Torkia recently expressed her thoughts on her website. She wrote “I dreamed of being included in the mainstream of haute couture & whilst D&G have managed to recognise us with this collection, they’ve also managed to exclude us.” Torkia, under the name of ‘Dina Tokio,’ designs modest yet fashionable clothes for women. Her self-named collection, now sold out, features stand-out garments like harem pants with eccentric prints and high-low dresses which can be very easily styled.

 Muslim women and hijabs are becoming increasingly visible in the public eye. Muslim women are appearing in mainstream British media in shows like EastEnders and The Great British Bake Off, showing the world that Muslim women are just as normal and safe as any other woman. Mariah Idrissi, a 23-year-old fashion blogger from London has recently become the face of global clothing chain H&M’s fashion campaign. The campaign also featured a man in drag and a man with a prosthetic leg, all under the united slogan of “There are no rules in fashion.” H&M has been praised across social media, by both Muslims and non-Muslims. 

 Us Britons love a bit of The Great British Bake Off. In 2015, Bengali-Muslim Nadia Hussain surprised Britain and herself with her amazing baking skills, eventually winning the series. She quickly became the favourite to win with her fascinating flavour combinations and her unforgettable facial expressions. Nadia changed the face of Bake Off and gave Muslims all around the world a bit of recognition they deserve. After her Bake-Off success, Hussain presented her own BBC documentary The Chronicles of Nadia where she takes us to her homeland of Bangladesh and explores the roots of her culture while working with charities like Thrive. She is currently writing a weekly column for The Times Magazine and a monthly column in Essentials Magazine. Nadia is constantly defying stereotypes and proving that Muslims have an insane amount of talent and shouldn’t be shoved into the ‘terrorist’ box.

 London Fashion Week is one of the most popular fashion events in the world. Recently, modest fashion house Haute Elan hosted their very first annual London Modest Fashion Week at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London. LMFW showcased some of the most gorgeous collections from clothing designers all over the world including London, Turkey, Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore. The show proved to be very successful, selling out their tickets in the first 3 weeks of being announced. The event brought a lot of press coverage and a lot of good attention to the modest fashion world and gave young designers a chance to break the barriers and prove that modest fashion can be just as trendy and successful as mainstream fashion. Designers included Sultana Jesmine from Egypt, Zayn Shafiq from the UK, Yans Creation from Malaysia and 7araka from Gibraltar. Zukreat from Artist of Makeup also attended the show and showcased her wide range cosmetics of cosmetics which included colours suitable for all skin tones. 

 Modest fashion has not only taken over the mainstream fashion world, but the runway, too. Young Muslim model Halima Aden has recently been signed by international modelling agency, IMG Models and walks for well known and loved brands like Max Mara and is on the cover of CR Fashion Book. In an interview with Times 2, she tells her story of finding her place in the fashion world. “When I was growing up, I never saw someone walking a runway or giving an interview in hijab, or because they were doing something good,” she says. “If I saw a Muslim on TV I was like ‘Oh my God, what crime did they commit’ So for me to be in the news now because I’m doing something good, well, I think that image means a lot to a lot of people.” It could be argued that it doesn’t matter who wears the expensive designer clothes down the runway, the models are simply hangers that showcase the garments down the runway, but it totally matters. Representation matters.

[aaminahwrites]

An indirect interview with Jessica Rabbit. Here, we ‘discuss’ the topic of American politics which was actually quite interesting to write about and became one of my favourite pieces.

The text reads:

Politics and Cosmos with Jessica Rabbit

The famous Jessica Rabbit discusses politics and the American elections over some Cosmos.

Politics is such a dirty word. The topic itself has become so controversial, especially in today’s world. Since last year, American politics has been the undivided centre of attention. The new presidential candidates running this year have become one of the most talked about candidates ever, all with very different opinions, personalities and views. I sat down with the gorgeous Jessica Rabbit to find out her opinions on the 2016 presidential elections.

“Well, darlin’, it seems like we’re in quite some trouble this year. Mr Obama was an amazing president, gosh knows he did all he could to maintain the integrity and respect of America. How I wish he could be President forever, but all good things must come to an end.” She explained in her swanky Soho burlesque bar she had recently opened. With the clinking of drinks and stunning old Hollywood music being played in the background, Jessica Rabbit talks about why it’s so important to choose the right candidate to lead America.

First, we have a female democratic with a very high chance of winning. Hillary Clinton has very strong opinions and views on what she would like to change about America. She seems to be after having power for herself. She has become so consumed in winning the elections, just so she can have that title and be able to call herself the ‘President of the United States.’ The thought of gaining power has driven her so much so that it seems like she’s not really focused on trying to make America better, much like the Labour party for the UK, actually. “She just seems like a very power-hungry woman. I mean, I’m not in any position to be talking about power being in the wrong lady’s hands” she boldly says while she takes a sip of her peach Cosmo.

“Bernie Sanders is really what we need for America. He stands up for so many of the right things and allows citizens of this country to have a voice and live freely. The other candidates are leading when little old Bernie should be way in the lead.” As Mrs. Rabbit says, Bernie Sanders believes in all the morally right things, allowing people of all races, sexes and sexual orientations to have a voice and feel included. Sanders is also democratic but unlike Clinton, he genuinely cares about the wellbeing of America. “The one topic I really believe in for Bernie is making college tuition free. Kids get a great education but are in way too much debt by the time they reach 21. That’s not fair on them, it’s not fair on anyone except the government. They have to spend the rest of their lives paying back hundreds of thousands of dollars and always end up feeling so trapped.” Jessica has always stood up for freedom of speech and living and being able to express yourself as an individual.

“Don’t even get me started on Trump, in no way does he deserve to be in power. Just like Hillary Clinton, all he wants is power and to be able to call himself the President of the United States.” It is actually quite disappointing that the attention came to Trump in the beginning of the elections as a joke, but it’s not so funny when his republican ass is in the lead and you’re all panicking now. Jessica is absolutely right, he doesn’t seem to even care about the wellbeing of the people of America. The scariest ‘policy’ he has put forward has to be sending immigrants ‘back home.’ America is supposed to be a free, developed country open to the rest of the world. Of course, it has taken its views on immigrants and Muslims to the very extreme. Trump has even proposed the idea of Muslims being made to wear badges to differentiate them amongst the crowds. I’m sorry, was my delicately placed hijab and my brother’s chest-length beard not enough to tell you that we are proud Muslims?

The presidential elections are due to take place in November of this year and we are all urging America to vote for the right candidate *cough* Sanders *cough*. White male privilege has been hated on for hundreds of years now, but isn’t it sad that the chance of a woman winning the elections has finally come yet we’re all praying for an old white man to lead America?

Words by Aaminah Asghar

[aaminahwrites]

An indirect interview with Grace Neutral about body modification and self confidence. I wasn’t able to interview her in person so I gathered information about her from previous interviews and articles and created this interview.

The text reads:

Grace ‘Not Very’ Neutral’

Grace Neutral’s unique look brings attention to the body modification world.

She’s far from your average girl but her existence is simply unique. Grace Neutral’s beauty is other-worldly and the things she has achieved in her career so far will make you question your own. Grace loves the idea of being different and loves body modification. The now 26-year-old tattoo artist born in Dubai is such an eccentric soul, she loves experimenting with ways she can look different and she does it beautifully.

 In the simplest explanation, ‘body modification’ means to deliberately change your physical appearance. People usually think the art is just about tattoos and piercings, but it actually dates back centuries and comes from various cultures. It’s pretty hard to find a woman without at least her ears pierced, which is probably the most common way of ‘modifying’ one’s body. Women and men both have lots of different piercing these days, the most common being ears, nose, eyebrows, tongue and around the mouth piercings. Tattooing seems to be even more popular; more people seem to have secretly hidden tattoos they got on a lad’s holiday in Ibiza than an unseen piercing hidden on their body.

 The first thing you would notice about Grace Neutral is her eyes. Sure, they’re a gorgeous emerald colour, but the whites of her eyes are actually bright blue. This paired with her facial piercings and little elf ears would make you feel like you’ve just met an otherworldly creature. Grace had started off as a body piercer and used to draw as a hobby, but one day, she decided to try tattooing and picked up a handpoke (a chopstick with a needle attached to the end of it rather than on a machine) and it all escalated from there. With her body being a work of art for 10 years in the making, Grace admits she has regretted some tattoos but are now easily covered up with intricate artwork inspired by different cultures and designs.

 Her favourite thing she has modified is her tongue. She has split her tongue in two in the front, creating a snake-like tongue, which Grace pulls off so effortlessly. “I’ve been obsessed with Marilyn Manson from a very young age and I remember hearing that he had a split tongue and I thought it was the coolest thing ever so I just wanted it done” she explains in an interview with The Debrief. “Your tongue is actually two separate muscles that are attached together which is why the split works so well - you can individually control each one. It’s really cool, you can pick stuff up and they play with each other! It’s literally the funnest thing ever.” Grace also loves scarification. Scarification is when you get parts of your skin cut and peeled away, which leaves a kind of groove in your skin when fully healed. She has these on her forehead, chin and cheeks and almost looks like an invisible tattoo. Scarification is not as popular in the present day, but thousands of years ago, warriors used to adorned head to toe with gorgeous tribal prints, showing off how proud they were of their tribes.

 Scarification has been reflected in fashion. Through the years, designers have turned to this ancient African art to create some gorgeous collections that perfectly embody the crisp lines and edges scarification involves. Iris van Herpen created a stunning collection for Haute Couture Week in Paris in 2014. Through her collaboration with Jolan van der Wiel and inspiration from David Altmejd, van Herpen’s collection, ‘Wilderness Embodied’ features some gorgeous pieces that perfectly combine the ancient practise of scarification and fashion. Scarification is always done on the body, but can be reflected through fashion pieces if you prefer to keep your skin natural.

 Follow Grace on Instagram @GraceNeutral and check out her Tumblr ahistoryofweedcraft.tumblr.com.

Words by Aaminah Asghar

[aaminahwrites]

Pierre Cardin: Why Not?

Pierre Cardin started working for Dior in 1946 during the era of ‘New Look,’ and was actually credited with helping to design the ‘New Look,’ accentuating the female body and bringing attention to a small waistline and a skirt that exaggerates the hips. He then left Dior to set up his own company in 1950. In Paris, he had opened an informal menswear boutique. The clothing consisted of solid roll neck jumpers and collarless jackets.

 Cardin had a huge interest in architecture and this was reflected in his clothing. He used a lot of geometric shapes, which then became a trademark in the 1960s. He really embraced ‘the Space Race’ and his love and fascination for this era was apparent in his clothing.  Dresses were heavily decorated with rectangular and circular motifs and plastic visors were used like hats, which resembled astronauts’ headgear. Materials like vinyl, silver fabrics and large zips were heavily used and wool crepe and jersey textiles were the main materials.

 Cardin’s garments are often made as unisex garments and he actually ignores the contours of the female body; this came within his Cosmocorps collection, which was launched in 1964. The collection featured white skin-tight catsuits, tubular dresses and used man-made fibers. Some of his pieces were made entirely of metal and plastic and high-heeled leather boots were the choice of shoe. Collars were used on some pieces and were over-sized and cutouts were very revealing. Large zips were the focus point for fastenings because of the aesthetic of the ‘Space Age’ but small, invisible zips were also used. In 1968, Cardin created his own fabric called ‘Cardine,’ which was a bonded, uncrushable fiber that incorporated geometric patterns. Paco Rabanne was a designer that also used metal in his pieces. For a sci-fi fantasy movie, Barbella, Rabanne created dresses with metal chains and plastic discs. He did this by laying the model down on a table and shaping the metal directly to the contours of her body. Andre Courreges was another designer who launched a ‘Space Age’ collection in 1964.

 His silhouettes were squares and triangles, focused on geometry. The look included boots, goggles and hems that stopped three inches above the knee. Materials used were plastic, metal and PVC and primary colours were popular in his collection. Cardin himself has said, "I've done it all! I even have my own water! I'll do perfumes, sardines. Why not? During the war, I would have rather smelled the scent of sardines than of perfume. If someone asked me to do toilet paper, I'd do it. Why not?"

[aaminahwrites]

Young filmmaker set to become one of Britain’s finest

Lareb Naseem tells the story of how her personal experiences introduced her to the art of filmmaking.

 “Filmmaking started out as a hobby – really because I failed my other three subjects and media was the only subject I didn’t get a U in.” 20-year-old Lareb Naseem from Croydon is hoping to take the young people’s filmmaking industry by storm. Current events have driven her to make films and raise awareness about how people are treated across the world, specifically focusing on religion and racism. “I want to make a change. This world is going downhill and no one is uniting to stop these events – it’s actually creating huge gaps between races, religions and countries.” She started making montages around two years ago when she made end-of-year montages for her leaver’s assemblies during her final months of sixth form. “I’ve always had a huge interest in media and I knew it’s the area I wanted to go in to, it’s just lucky that media turned out to be the only subject I was really good at anyway.” Lareb is currently studying a Media BTEC course at Coulsdon College and is working on trying to inspire young people to open there eyes and really see what’s happening in the world. “Young people these days are so glued to social media, but are actually quite blind as to what’s happening in real life. They’re only bothered about catching up with their friends and wondering which filter looks the best for their Instagram post.”

 Recently, Lareb has done a course with the British Film Institute which required her to work with a team of 12-16 people and create a short film about a real life situation in a teen’s life. Her short film is called ‘One More Shot’ and is about a young girl who gets caught up in the dirty side of partying and becomes unaware of her actions from the night. She is always trying to make people think and feel something. This is her main goal when it comes to researching her topics. She says “if it doesn’t make you feel something, I haven’t done my job.” She doesn’t sugar coat her films and topics she writes about, the reality of today should be told like it is.

 “John Hughes will forever be my favourite director. He is the King of 90s coming of age films.” Lareb started showing interest in Hughes when she noticed he doesn’t make ‘typical’ movies. There is always more to the teen than meets the eye. Hughes goes into the details of a teen’s life which most filmmakers these days use for adult storylines. These issues are very deep-rooted like abuse, love, the absence of love, drugs and alcohol. These movies are not mindless, meaningless movies that you could have playing in the background while doing something else, they focus on issues that teens deal with and are brought into the light, much like Lareb is doing with her movies. “What I like about him is that he is a bit of everything, he is a producer and a writer as well as a director – kind of like me.”

 David Harewood is another one of Lareb’s inspirations. He captures a character perfectly and can easily switch from one character to another. She specifically loves his role in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and literally screamed when he retweeted her movie ‘One More Shot’ on Twitter, to which he replied “save your voice for when the phone starts ringing.” She then goes on to say “this is why Twitter is my favourite social media platform. It’s so easy to interact with people and you’re not limited in what you have to say, believe me when I say 140 characters is enough! I was so ecstatic when he replied to my tweet; it’s just the perfect boost and motivation to carry on making films, although ‘One More Shot’ was the first serious movie I made anyway.”

 Lareb is not only a filmmaker, she is also a writer. One place you can read about all of her concerns and worries is her blog. Her way of writing is very truthful. She is not afraid to write down all her thoughts and express exactly what she feels. “One thing I love is poetry. I love writing poetry but I feel like it’s not something I would want to share like I do with my blog posts and films.” These short poems, unlike her posts and films, focus on a struggle with herself. She writes about religion and practising religion, her own battles with herself and just trying to figure out where she stands religiously. “I try to be as pious and as humble as I can but just like everyone else, I have struggles with myself and I am constantly trying to be the best Muslim I can be.”

 “I really hate negativity and negative energy. I love helping and I always find myself helping people, which actually becomes a weakness of mine. I need to limit myself in what I do because some people end up taking advantage of my extra help. I don’t like to backbite because it always leads to bullying.” Lareb is a girl with a huge heart and most of her film ideas are related to things that she feels other people can relate to. Her desire to spread positivity is reflected in her work and creates an amazing atmosphere for her colleagues to work in.

 When asked about the future, her answer was “I don’t think about the future.” This was quite different as everyone probably thinks about the future quite a lot; it was something I had never heard before. She likes to take every day as it comes and it actually does make sense to live in the moment rather than constantly worrying about the future and wondering if everything is going to be okay.

 Lareb wishes to study Contemporary Media Practise at Westminster University in September. This degree allows her to test all aspects of media, such as filming, journalism, writing and editing. To see more of Lareb’s work, visit her blog http://clutteredthoughtprocess.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow her on Twitter for updates @ribeeno.

[aaminahwrites]

TREND ALERT: Blood Reds and Captivating Golds

I explore the SS16 runway shows to find out which designers are using these beautiful colours on the runway.

The runways of Spring/Summer 16 saw beautiful arrays of rich reds and gorgeous golds, along with some exquisite pieces of jewellery and accessories. This season features some of the most amazing accessories dressing up garments and creating these timeless, elegant looks. These looks were quite similar to traditional Indian bridal looks, fabrics like chiffon and silk were used and the use of huge diamonds and emeralds in the jewellery pieces really gave the garments a very traditional Indian look.

 Oscar De la Renta's SS16 ready-to-wear show featured some really rich reds. The garments mainly consisted of very fitted dresses, with sleeves barely making an appearance. The garments that walked the beginning of the show were really captivating, the reds paired with black and white created a contrast between garments, making the show really eye catching. Red was used throughout this collection, but later came with green, black and sky blue pieces. Two goldish-yellow dresses also made an appearance. These pieces stood out amongst the more subtle pieces, the gold-yellow was really the highlight of the show.

 Another designer who used the gorgeous combination of reds and golds is Naeem Khan. His collection seemed to focus mainly on red and gold, with white and blue breaking up the colours. His collection featured floor-length, flowing gowns with a few shorter dresses. The silk and chiffon pieces worked beautifully well with red and gold, really bringing out a royal feel to the collection. Prints were immaculate, featuring geometric shapes, crisp stripes and perfect ombres. The accessories that accompanied the garments were personally, my favourite pieces. Khan only paired his creations with really heavily embellished red and blue earrings and a hat covering the models hair, focusing all the attention on his dresses. This actually looked beautiful, as even a simple hairstyle would have hidden the beautiful earrings that paired perfectly with his dresses.

 Dolce and Gabbana used a wide variety of colours in their show. The theme of the show was based around travel and fashion's early days. Garments in the show reflected how different areas influenced different pieces. Colours of garments included a bit of everything, blues, yellows, reds, pinks, greens, oranges, everything, but had a lot of reds and golds, especially in jewellery. The red pieces stood out amongst the rest of the collection, especially a beautiful red lace jumpsuit that looked somewhat Chinese inspired. On the jumpsuit were a bunch of gold pineapples, a table and a chair. Although it was slightly random, it worked well and looked amazing. The jewellery was once again my favourite part of the collection, with very small but eye-catching gold earrings that contrasted against the darker pieces, which made them stand out. But they were perfectly matching with the brighter ones.

 Jewellery was actually very prominent on the SS16 runway. The jewellery that adorned Balenciaga's garments were very Indian-bridal like. The pearl earrings accompanied with diamonds embedded in gold plates reflected old Indian influences. The jewellery pieces were actually quite similar to those of a Pakistani fashion label, Khaadi. Khaadi uses very old Pakistani and Indian themes to create eccentric pieces and pearl is probably the most important element of their jewellery collections. These kind of pieces are usually worn at weddings by both brides and guests, and it is apparent that the SS16 runway were very influenced by Indian jewellery, as more pearl earrings and necklaces with Massai style statement chokers adorned the garments at the Chanel Airlines show. The garments in this show were not of Indian style but the chokers very much reflected it.

 SS 2016 shows in Paris have also showed quite a heavy influence of Indian jewellery, adorning models with body chains and hand chains. These are also very prominent in the Indian culture. In Bollywood movies like Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastani, old Indian influences are prominent and body and hand chains are used a lot to accessorize beautiful garments. The Saint Laurent show used body chains against soft garments to bring out the contrast between the two and the Rodarte show at New  York used hand chains along with their very dark and graphic pieces.

 Dolce and Gabbana's SS16 women's collection was very heavily based on the theme of citrus fruits but what caught my eye was the bucket bags the models carried with them. Bucket bags have been used for centuries with Indian bridal outfits. Bridal wear designer Manish Malhotra always uses the bucket bag to accompany his bride's outfits and completes the look of an elegant, put together bride.

[aaminahwrites]

‘Does the fashion industry have a mostly negative effect on a young person’s identity?’

Actually, no it doesn’t.

It is argued that fashion has a very negative effect on a young person’s identity. In this debate, I am going to be discussing the effects it has on young people aged 15-19. Fashion itself is something that is always changing and young people are adapting to the fashion culture more and more. Because fashion is something that’s so vast and changes with time, one could argue that this could cause a young person to change their own identity with it. Although fashion could be seen as a mainly negative thing, I would personally have to disagree as I feel like it allows young people to explore and adopt an identity. I see fashion as something that’s very unique and it’s actually quite easy for young people to find a style that they love and tweak it so it would suit them.

 There are so many cultures and subcultures within fashion, young people could find a very big comfort in fashion and exploring identities. They could also find comfort in the people they meet through these cultures and subcultures, meeting people they have a lot in common with could have a very positive effect on their lives. This could also improve communication skills in young people, as the second decade of a young person’s life could be a very difficult one. This allows the young person to comfortable communicate with people who could be strangers to them, and most definitely boost their confidence. The connection with other people that are similar to them could make a young person very comfortable in their identity.

 ‘Hijabi’ fashion is something that has really caught my eye. As a Muslim myself, it thrills me to see Hijabi girls being able to embrace fashion just as much as the next person does. Some posts I have seen under the hashtag #hijabistreetstyle on Instagram are actually quite amazing. These girls seem to have so much passion and confidence in fashion and personal style, despite extreme and very wrong stereotypes surrounding Muslim women and oppression. Dina Toki-o, real name Dina Torkia, is one of the most influential hijabi bloggers. At age 26, she runs a very successful YouTube channel, Instagram page, blog and now has her own clothing line, where every piece is designed by her. Her style is very unique but still conforms to Muslim standards. In an interview with The Guardian, she says “I think of dressing smartly as a way to represent myself and my religion [..] I don’t understand why you can’t be interested in fashion and be a Muslim.” In her very early YouTube days, Torkia received a tonne of hate and negativity in the comments of a lot of her videos, which include simple make-up tutorials, hijab tutorials and general conversational style videos. The hate and criticism did not stop Torkia from pursuing her dream of designing and creating a line of clothes which are still very ‘hijabi friendly’ and has now launched a very successful line. Her clothing is available to view on www.DinaTorkia.com. This has fundamentally allowed young Muslim women to have the courage to try out different, unique fashions and has allowed them to connect to other people across various platforms of social media. Although I do not wear hijab myself, I love looking at Instagram accounts of stylish hijabi women. I personally feel so proud to see these young women basically putting a middle finger up at unrealistic stereotypes and doing what they love. Some of my favourite accounts are @SimplyJaserah, @HijabiHustle and for you Muslim boys, check out @Subhi.Taha all on Instagram.

 Exploring fashion could lead to a young person becoming very interested in designing and making their own clothes. The rapid change in fashion could be difficult for young people to keep up with when it comes to buying new clothes and adapting their wardrobe to what is current. Designing and making their own clothes could bring productivity, creativity and happiness into a young person’s life. Designing and making can also bring a huge freedom of expression, and allow young people to be whoever they want to be, regardless of age, gender and race.

 Although I do think fashion is a very positive aspect of a young person’s identity, fashion can play a very negative role in someone’s life. The fashion industry emphasises unrealistic expectations of body image and self confidence and it is very easy for young people to be under the influence of body shaming. I just want to emphasise the fact that there is always a more positive side to fashion and it is always best to channel negative emotions into creative energy.

[aaminahwrites]

Couture: Out of Fashion?

Recent departures of big names in fashion left a question on our lips

Couture is a prestige and high form of fashion, with designers making exquisite garments personalized to their very important customer base. To normal people like you and I, couture is a huge luxury and is something we would just dream about purchasing, but for A-list celebrities and models like Kate Moss and Rihanna, couture is something they're just used to, something they would quickly purchase for a red carpet or an event. Couture has been around since 1858, when couturier Charles Frederick Worth opened the first haute couture house in Paris, creating luxury designer pieces for the upper-class Parisian women. The haute couture unit really proved popular with the women of Paris and later started to expand into Milan, New York and London.

 Two of the most prestigious labels in fashion saw the departure of their designers in late 2015. Raf Simons, who was the amazing creative director at Dior, left in mid-October 2015, leaving all Dior and fashion lovers in shock. It is no doubt that Simons was one of the best creative directors Dior had, and his work within Dior was absolutely gorgeous. Simons really brought the essence of Dior and created a lot of signature looks within the label and designed the most elaborate pieces, collection after collection. Fashion saw a very sad day with Simon's departure, with news spreading like wildfire and fashion fans not being able to quite understand what's happening. Alber Elbaz, creative director at prestige label Lanvin also left, which actually may not have been his own decision. It is understood that there were ‘disagreements’ within the Lanvin Empire, bringing Elbaz to his last days there. Another very sad day in fashion, as Elbaz was such a respected man and his legacy at Lanvin will continue to live on. 

 Things are not only rocky in the couture world, but it seems like magazines and fashion companies are losing important people, too. After 25 years of becoming the founding editor of Allure magazine, Linda Wells steps down from her position and takes a break from the fashion world in mid November. The news came about after Allure magazine had celebrated their 25th anniversary, but Wells felt like the magazine needed a new, fresh editor. The task wasn't easy for her, as she explains in an interview with Fashionista.com, but she is certain the magazine was in need of a re-vamp. Allure magazine isn't the only company losing an important person, but two more executives have decided to leave popular fashion site Yoox Net-A-Porter.  Citigroup Inc. analyst Mauro Baragiola explains to The Business of Fashion that cultural clashes were the main risk of departures.

 This brings me to my next point, is there such thing as 'designer burnout?' The departures of very important creative directors is making people wonder if couture is still as important and needed as it used to be, or if it is something that could be rare or gone in the near future? Amy Zia is a young couturier who lives in Calgary, Canada. She has such a passion for designing bespoke clothing and likes to design for her friends, family and likes to sell her pieces online. I spoke with her to find out her opinions about couture. She says “[I love] the fact that they’re one of a kind, high end fashion garments. It can never be replicated in style, design or size.” Zia has explained that she would love to work for a label, but just for the experience, as she doesn’t find it promising. Her long term goal is to have her own label which she is working towards. You can find her across various social media platforms under Amy Zia Designs. I also spoke with Claire Richards, manager of a London boutique, Pastiche Couture. She loves couture and says “there are no expenses spared to create something beautiful. Couture is the highest level of fashion.” Richards has a huge passion for couture, but she disagrees with designer burnout and believes couture is something irreplaceable.

 Designer burnout isn't something that's talked about a lot, though the thought of a designer genuinely having no idea what to create next has crossed my mind. The idea of designer and creative burnout brings quite an uneasy feel; it brings a big question to my mind, why do people chase couture? Couture is the highest level of fashion and unless you have a huge A-list celebrity fan base, a designer doesn't sell much couture. The high street has become increasingly important, with some high street stores like H&M and TopShop collaborating with big name designers. H&M's latest collaboration with French brand Balmain was so popular; it sold out within a few hours both online and in stores. High street stores have become a place for high end designers to lure more people into their fan base.  The launch of the H&M x Balmain collection proved very popular which is evident by how fast it sold out and attracted many new young fans to the label. The collaborations of high end labels with high street stores is actually a very smart business move, young people or fans in general are able to access their favourite designer's garments without having to pay a few hundred or thousand pounds for them. The ease of access and collaborating with a high street store that's so well known and popular also brings a sense of comfort to fashion fanatics, surely it would be scary to want to go and buy an original Balmain piece, but since H&M is a store that is available so globally, shoppers feel comfortable and can get a taste of the real thing. Maybe this is a reason why the world of couture is slightly rocky, high street stores are collaborating with such big brands and bringing attention to them, couture seems to be missing out.

 Couture will always remain very important to the fashion world, as that is where most designers find freedom and where their creative energy goes in to. Although ready-to-wear collections can be quite daring and strange, couture shows off the most exquisite pieces a designer could add to their collection. It does look like couture houses could be in some trouble, but that brings a question to everyone's lips, what's next?

[aaminahwrites]

Mary Katrantzou: SS16 Catwalk Report

Mary Katrantzou’s Spring/Summer 2016 collection showcased one of her most wearable collections to date. This was presented at London Fashion Week 2015 and featured gorgeous pieces that resembled quite a strong galaxy look. Katrantzou’s inspiration was the topic of cosmology, which focuses on the science of the origin and development of the universe. Through surface decoration and colour, Katrantzou created dresses and two-piece suits that were exquisite.

Cosmology combined with exploration lead Katrantzou to create this gorgeous collection. The style of the garments came from a combination of Balkan, Spanish and Romanian attire with references more towards Spanish attire, distinct heavy ruffles and skirts graced the catwalk. The heritage paired with French couture workmanship created a whole new unique image.

Garments in the show were very distinctive pieces. They ranged from knitted tops and leggings which were shown at the beginning of the show, to shift and tunic dresses shown mid way, to jackets and three piece suits which were shown at the end. The pieces in the collection had very similar cuts and silhouettes to them which became a common denominator. Colours used in this collection were very similar to what Katrantzou uses regularly. She focused on bright colours on surface decoration against dark fabrics, reflecting the idea of the galazy and universe. Popular colours were red, blue, yellow, orange and purple, with two looks being solid purple with no extra colours on them. The show started off with bright colours and lots of sparkle, transitioning to more muted pieces with block colours halfway through. The show ended with full black pieces with red and blue motifs.

The actual catwalk show itself reflected Katrantzou’s collection, both the collection and the runway space complimented each other really well. The show was set up as a normal scheduled catwalk show, but had a huge mirror as a background so the garments were easily seen from the back. The runway was dark blue flooring and guests sat on chairs level with the show, the runway wasn’t raised. The models looked stunning, all with deep side parts and hair tucked behind their ears. Makeup was kept simple, with colourful mascara applied to just the middle of the top and bottom lashes to give an extra pop of colour. All of the models were wearing black ribbon-like chokers that were tied with a bow at the back of the neck with the hair still tucked in. This looked really unique and complimented all the pieces. The music played was really calming, almost like smooth jazz but sped up halfway through.

Some really important faces graced the front row of the audience. The front row included Veronika Heil Brunner, style editor at Harper’s Bazaar Germany with her husband Justin O’Shea, buying director of MyTheresa.com. With them sat Tim Blanks, editor-in-large at Style.com, Imran Amed, editor-in-chief of Business of Fashion and Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of British Vogue.

The show was a resounding success and was a unique and modern show. The idea of cosmology and the universe brought something different to the catwalk and also brought a burst of colour to London Fashion Week.