MODESTY A LA MODE: Redesigning the headscarf for devotion and comfort
Shrouded in headscarves, Muslim women in Western countries face a range of reactions: pity, outrage, ostracism. Recently, sanctions have mounted across Europe to restrict Muslim women observing hijab, or modest dress typified by the headscarf. Dutch designer Cindy van den Bremen created Capsters (www.capsters.com), a line of athletic headscarves, when Dutch schools forced girls to remove headscarves for safety reasons in gym class. This fall, she launches two related projects: designing a safe headscarf for prison guards and expanding Capsters with a fashion line.
In creating Capsters, van den Bremen addressed perennial complaints of the women themselves—improving breathability and adding more comfortable closures—while working with an imam to observe the Koran's edict to cover hair and neck. The prison-guard model meets strict safety standards: it's non-flammable and tears loose readily to avoid choking.
While not Muslim herself, van den Bremen felt provoked into action as a Dutch citizen: "I asked myself: Do I have to pity these women? Are they denied rights in having to wear hijab? How Dutch are they?" As she learned, unlike their mothers, younger Dutch Muslim women read the Koran themselves and regard observing hijab as a liberty. "Usually, in the Netherlands, everybody gets their rights [respected]," van den Bremen continues. "These women don't consider themselves victims. To them, this is a proud sign of being religious."
True to the live-and-let-live spirit of the Dutch, van den Bremen's designs are willfully non-denominational. She wears the fashion scarves as a shawl; her father doffs the Outdoor Capster while biking in winter. She quotes an email from an observant American Muslim that sums up her satisfaction: "'If I wear Capsters, it shows I'm willing to integrate, but within my own values.'" She pauses. "It's so nice to hear from these women. We talk about them so much, but we never really listen."
—Jude Stewart for I.D., September/October 2005
|
