Free Dissertation Proposal About Western Fashion Effects On Islamic Fashion For Women Out-Wear

1 Overview
In order to assess the importance of modest concept in Islamic fashion especially for Muslim women out-wear this study investigates the effects of western fashion on the Islamic fashion.
1.1 Objectives
- Evaluate the likelihood for long term adoption of emerging fashions.
1.2 Research questions
- How can we define Islamic fashion concept?
- How does a man’s concept of Islamic Fashion differ from a female?
- What is the importance of modest concept in Islamic Fashion?
- Is the Islamic world exposed to a wide variety of fashion or a narrow?
/> - How western fashion affects the Islamic fashion especially on women out-wear?
- Is Muslim women have been influenced by the western fashion because they are the fashion trendsetter or because they are only fashion follower?
2 Literature review
2.1 The Effect of Western Culture on the Muslim Woman’s Fashion
Saima Chowdhury is one of many attractive young women on YouTube offering a tutorial on how to dress sexy. Unlike many other young women however, Saima is Muslim, and she is instructing other Muslima's on how to wrap their hijab in a “sexical fashion” which she says will bring all the male and female honeybees to the viewers yard. At the annual ISNA convention in September of 1999, young women seen at the McCormick center roam, comfortably attired in an altered interpretation of the Western uniform of blue jeans and T-shirts: T-shirts over long sleeved shirts, with baggy pants and scarves covering their heads. (Syed, 2005) Another YouTube video featured a band of skateboarding young Muslim women in hijabs bopping along to the beat of Jay-Z. The video drew heated debate over what many considered the efforts of these women to “appear” American. While startling at first, Saima and these other women are actually part of a growing segment of young Muslims taking the matter of personal style and religion into their own hands, a sign of how Western fashion is creeping into ethnic cultures throughout the world and changing them. Whether this is a good or bad is a matter of heated debate. Western styles have influenced Islamic fashion, but the influence goes both ways.
This intersection of cultures has brought about an insidious change in both that, depending on the point of view of the individual, is either a positive move forward or alarming move back. Though undesirable by many, this interchange in the wake of the technological expansion of the world is inevitable. The closer the world comes to a truly global state of existence the more thoughts and cultures will meld. With the internet comes the ability for the average person to look into the lives of people halfway across the world, drawing on new landscapes for fresh ideas. What this means for Islam and the way Muslim women choose to dress – whether they continue to wear “traditional” Islamic attire or branch out into something completely unknown is yet to be seen. Certainly the fact that an interchange has happened at all demonstrates a need to study why, how and what the proper response should be, especially as governments begin to intervene in matters of personal choice and religious freedom.
Because clothing is very easily politicized, guidelines should be explored and put in place that determine to what extent women should be protected from the government, their culture and even themselves when it comes to their choice of clothing. Until now, there has been no need to understand the role and place of the Muslim woman in the world of fashion. However, the last several years has shown countries such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Turkey, Algeria, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada all focusing on the hijab and Islam not only in the political arena, but in law as well. (Winter, 2006) However, Muslima's are an untapped segment of the market who, wholly ignore until now, are fighting back in unique and unanticipated ways. Whether for or against the encroachment of the West, Muslim women all over the world hold strong opinions about what it means to be Muslim, female and fashionable at the same time.
The swimsuit, an example of a fashion need of the Muslim woman remained largely unexplored. Those venturing out to the beach would so dressed in a regular jilbab or abaya, hampering their ability to fully enjoy the outing. When the Burqini hit the market, Muslim women snapped it up in droves. (Fitzpatrick, 2007) This polyester bathing suit was designed to fit the dress code Islam. Agda Zaetti came up with the idea after watching young Muslims girls struggle to play water sports in their bulky, modest attire. The suit, she says, is about comfort and freedom of choice.
Because Muslim are an untapped market, it stands to reason that an understanding of the needs and cultures of these women warrants further exploration. After all, the majority of women of any culture, ethnicity, or religion like to shop. So why is it that Muslim women remain mostly ignored by retailers, considered insignificant and perhaps even desexualized to the point where they are not even considered to be interested in what they wear and how they look. Indeed, it is true that many Muslim women feel fashion is in opposition to their religion–that the purpose of fashion is to accentuate the female form, a vanity the Holy Quran forbids. Still, many others believe that fashion is an individual choice and not dictated at all by religion outside of the injunction to dress modestly. What modesty means is open to wide and heated interpretation. Everyone has an opinion, and it is these opinions that are bringing a hitherto unknown issue to the forefront of the world that until now has marginalized the Muslim female as oppressed and largely genderless outside of her role as chattel for the males of her culture.
2.2 Traditional Religious Dress of the Muslim Woman
According to Hijab Couture, (2014) fashion and religion intertwine in Islam. For those who are ultra conservative, the terms Islam and fashion are incongruent. Muslima’s who wear makeup and skinny jeans with their heads yet covered are often criticized as missing the whole point of the hijab. The question of what, exactly, is Islamic fashion is complex and the cause of much dissension, so much so that even those completely outside of the Muslim community have been dragged into the internal debate. The first avenue to explore would be what the original instructions of the religion prescribe for female dress. For that, one must go to the Holy Quran, the guidebook of every Muslim in terms of law and religious practice. “O Prophet, tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of believers to let down upon them their over-garments. This is more proper, so that they may be known, and not be given trouble. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (Holy Quran, Chapter 33: verse 59)
This, as explained by Akou in “Interpreting Islam Through the Internet: Making Sense of Hijab,” as well as one of the few verses in the Quran on dress tells both men and women to lower their gaze and further instructs women to cover their head and chest, and to not display themselves to men other than their immediate relatives. “And say to the believing women that they lower their gaze . . . and do not display their adornment except what appears thereof. And let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms. And they should not display their adornment except to their husbands or their fathers. . .” (Holy Quran, Chapter 24: verse 31) Although this verse is very similar to the latter, the latter includes the explanation that modest dress protects women from being subject to harassment. In Syed’s “Why Here, Why Now? Young Muslim Women Wearing Hijab,” a young woman recounts her decision to begin wearing hijab after moving into a co-ed dorm room during college. She was the recipient of unwanted sexual attention; after donning hijab, the “idiots” left her alone. The incident neatly wraps up the entire point of what many understand to be the purpose of hijab, to protect women by dressing them modestly.
Despite the two above verses, the Quran gives little instruction on the methodology of wearing hijab. In fact, the term hijab itself simply means “anything that covers.” The meaning it has come to have in recent years, as a scarf worn over the head by Muslim women specifically, is a new one. In lieu of actual Quranic instruction, many come to rely on ijtihad, a process of interpretation by Muslim scholars, which the masses are supposed to heed. (Akou, 2014) Ijtihad itself is controversial. Islam, author Ssenyongo says, has no pre-determined style of dress to which all must adhere.
The agreement the majority of Muslim scholars have come to is that, at the very least, Muslim women are required to cover their head and entire body in a way that obscures the female form. (Ssenyongo, 2007) In the absence of Quranic certainty and depending on the culture, nationality and a number of other complex factors, one Muslim woman might state that it is better to follow the advice of scholars because they know better. Another might protest that anyone can read and become a scholar – and that Islam liberates all to think for them, which is why there are no formal priests in the Islamic religion. Anyone, technically, may become an Imam. This is the center of the very debate over Islamic fashion; what it is, who determines the guidelines and the consequences if a woman does not adhere to certain standards.
2.3 What is Islamic Fashion?
Muslim women seem to agree, no matter on what side of the fashion debate, that dressing modestly is important to their personal beliefs and identity. Modesty, in “Being a Muslim fashionista might cause you problems,” is about more than dress, however. It is also about the way a woman carries herself. A woman can pray five times a day and may be closer to God than a woman who wears a headscarf. The Muslim woman wants people to interact with her based on her mind, and not on her physical beauty. She wants to be able to practice her religion, identify visibly as Muslim, but still be fashionable. On top of this is the sense of cultural persecution many experienced after 9/11 which encourages Muslim women to remain steadfast in wearing such a visible symbol of Islam. (Hijab Couture, 2014) However, to categorize Islamic fashion is nearly impossible because Islam is a religion – not an ethnicity or even a culture. Many people have a difficult time separating the two, thus blurring the lines between ethnic, national, regional and religious identity. Young women are left open to criticism for their choice in dress, enduring levels of scrutiny in a way women of other religions will never experience. (Todays Zaman, 2014) Though religion is a kind of ethnic identity, the boundaries by which religious ethnicity can be defined are varied and blurred by both time and space. (Syed, 2005) These ethnic identities are situational and produced in the context of the political, social, and regional climate. Therefore, to try to define Islamic dress within the bounds of ethnic culture is very difficult.
“Building a New" World Fashion": Islamic Dress in the Twenty-first Century,” tackles the difference between religion and culture along with how they relate to fashion. There are three levels of culture. Macro culture belongs to what is termed as world fashion – fashion that nearly every group of people are conversant with such as blue jeans and t-shirts. Western fashion is considered a macro culture –though there is a strong case for labelling Middle Eastern/Asian fashion as a competing world fashion, which will be explored a bit later on. Next is culture, which is both ethnic and national. Finally, micro culture is considered local, regional sub cultures, such as – in terms of Western society – Goths or skaters. This is how dress can be termed as both Islamic and Western – because a blend of the two cultures. The macro culture of Islam is referred to as the Umma, or community. (Akou, 2014) Nations like Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which are cultures, have incorporated Shari'a into their laws. Because the macro culture can affect the micro culture of the people within it, Muslim fashion, Hijab Couture says, is as varied and colorful as the myriad of nations that are home to Muslims. Though there is a consensus that Islamic fashion is first and foremost modest, what modest means is still open to interpretation? However, the bottom line is that the fact that a woman wears a hijab at all is religious – how she chooses to wear the hijab is a reflection of the culture in which she lives. Again, the Quran does not bother itself with style. Inspiration stems from the world around her (Todays Zaman, 2014).
This famous item of Muslim clothing is called a hijab, a square, oblong, or two-piece headscarf designed to drape over the head, neck, shoulders, and chest. Hijabs come in a variety of colors and styles, trims and beads. There are multiple ways to drape a hijab depending on style and culture. There are fabrics for every season. Accessories such as jeweled pins, bonnets, or lace headbands lend even more individuality. The array of choices is endless and a Muslim woman can be as unique in her styling as she pleases. (Tarlo, 2010)
“Secularism aboard the Titanic: Feminists and the Debate over the Hijab in France,” reports that the head covering is very much subject to the micro culture in which the woman lives. In Sydney, where there is a larger population of Greeks, the head covering is a plain black scarf knotted under the chin. In Algiers, a shawl added to the mix is a growing taste for turbans and wrapped headpieces that may or may not expose the neck. Whatever style a woman choose to wear, there is debate over which is the religiously sanctioned method of draping. For some women, the answer lies in religion. For other women, the answer lies in fashion (Todays Zaman 2014).
Along with the hijab are two very similar versions of a long coat or cloak type dress, the abaya and jilbab. Though the technical definitions of each might differ from the reality of the garments, they each fit loosely over the entire body from shoulders to toes. A jilbab, more specifically, also refers to some type of covering for the head to go along with the dress. At Eastessence.com, pages of long, flowing dresses with embroidery, beads, lace, and other accoutrements appear on beautifully made up models. Mainly abayas, every so often a jilbab – seemingly to be more of a trench coat type garment – or a burqha with niqab show up. Specifically a site devoted to Muslim women, the abaya and jilbab – close enough in style to seem the same thing – seem to be the go to clothing style of choice for Muslim women.
However, in “Reconsidering Stereotypes: Anthropological Reflections on the Jilbab Controversy," author Tarlo reiterates that the jilbab is not official religious dress of Islam. This too is open to many heated discussions between Muslims. The case of Shabina Bengum in London further entrenches the stereotype that the jilbab is Islamic, rather than cultural. The publicity over this case ignores the fact that there are many Muslims who are ambivalent and do not go along with the interpretation that jilbab is part of traditional as well as obligatory, wear for Muslim women.
2.3 The Unique Challenges Muslim Women Face in Fashion
Feminist scholars argue vehemently against hijab and jilbab, stating that it is a sign of oppression. They cannot fathom that a Muslim woman would choose to wear a veil, that it is, in fact, a part of her identity. (Ssenyongo, 2007) However, many Muslim women are of the view that it is Western women suffering oppression at the hands of men. Because Western women are slaves to fashion houses, they argue, that design clothes that leave them open to the lustful gazes of men; they are truly the oppressed ones. How can a man treat a woman with respect if he sees her as a sexual object? The Muslim woman, on the other hand, is judged for her mind and capabilities, rather than her sexuality (Tarlo, 2005).
Therein lays the debate- two very different worldviews clashing due to unavoidable proximity. One that believes open sexuality is freedom, and one that believes open sexuality is slavery. Admittedly, these are two extremes. Many more women lay somewhere in between. Muslim women range from those who wear hijab and those who do not. Of those who do not wear hijab, many still accept and agree with sisters who choose to do so. Many disagree with the choice to cover, in the belief that it may prevent a woman from finding a husband or employment. Many women who wear hijab face discrimination in the workplace. (Syed, 2005) Even family may sometimes be opposed to the wearing of a hijab, or even if accepting, may be vehemently against jilbab. This is a phenomenon unique to Muslim women; no matter how she chooses to dress, she will always be subject to criticism on a personal, religious, ethnic, and even political level. Furthermore, Islamic dress has even caught the attention of governments in many countries, a burden no other group of women has had to experience.
In London a Muslim girl, Shabina Begum, was expelled from school for wearing her jilbab. (Ahmad, 2005) Despite the fact that the school had a population of 90% Muslim girls, the “regrettable limitation of personal freedom” imposed by the school was upheld by the High Court. Interestingly enough, the ban was placed by a Muslim head teacher who took it upon herself to protect the students from Muslim extremists. According to the opinion of Lord Scott, it was inconceivable that the shalwar kameez (a traditional Pakistani garment of a long, loose tunic worn over loose trousers), which was permitted by the school for Muslim girls to wear, was not considered modest enough to comply with Shabina’s religious beliefs. This is an example of how the clash of cultures and interpretations impose themselves on the lives of Muslim women. Here one Muslim woman was enabled to impose her views of Islam on another. However, these bans are not just in London. Other countries such as Turkey and France have also taken up laws against Muslim women wearing ‘religious symbols’ in what should be a secular state. Between 2004 and 2005, forty-eight cases from the expulsion of hijab wearing students went to the French courts. (Winter, 2006) Feminists argue against allowing the headscarf because of its symbolic representation of feminine oppression and religiously imposed conservatism.
However, Islam is not the only religion with a history of veiling. In studying the article “Let Modesty Be Her Raiment: The Classical Context of Ancient-Christian Veil,” it is discovered that in ancient Greco-Roman society, on which Western civilization is founded, veils such as the Pharos, himation and peplos existed. These loose garments draped over the head and body. Upper class married women wore a head and shoulder covering called the palla. The purpose of veiling was to guard a woman’s sexual honor from the male gaze, but also meant aidos, a term defining the concept of a woman’s modesty, respect, and reserve.
Early Christianity also called on women to wear the veil, and for admittedly oppressive reasons. Paul, an early Christian writer, tells women that the veil is a sign of their subjugation to their husband’s, and that men need not cover modestly because they are a reflection of Christ. (Tariq, 2013) Traditional Christian attire was modest. In fact, pictures of the Virgin Mary depict a woman in a long, loose robe covering her entire body except for her hands and face – much like an abaya or jilbab. Even now, when conducting a Google search on modest female clothing, dozens of non-Muslim sites appear in the results. A significant segment of the population agrees women should dress modestly, even cover their heads. Jewish women wear long skirts and snoods, or bandanas, some Christian women wear what appear to be bonnets and prairie skirts with old-fashioned puff sleeved blouses. They espouse Christian ideals on their websites of modesty and family. These women are not considered oppressed or the subject of political discourse.
2.4 The Intersection of Western and Islamic Fashion
These similarities in philosophies in dress are an example of how Western and Islamic fashions, in some sense, intersect. There is concern that with the globalization of Western ideals, ethnic cultures are becoming dilute. (Akou, 2007) Traditionally, non-Western garments were considered specifically for members of a particular ethnicity. However, if the spread of Western influence has caused a change in Islamic culture, the effect is mutual. Garments such as the kaftan and salwar kameez have spread across the world and are entering mainstream markets. Tunics, readily seen on the shelves of American clothing stores, were introduced from the East. So while it is true that the West have given the world jeans, T-shirts and sneakers, the Islamic world has given the West something back. The Burqini, though designed specifically for Muslim women, surprisingly has a non-Islamic customer base as well. (Fitzpatrick, 2007) These women could be purchasing the full body swimsuit for many reasons – health, weight, modesty, or pure comfort.
The interjection of terminology on the internet into Islamic clothing sites reflects this gradual merge. Some online Muslim retailers are using terminology that is traditionally Western – such as jacket, duster coat, sandals, cardigan, dress, and blouse. Hijabs for sale sport patterns with popular logos of Western design houses like Cartier, CK, Dior, Chanel, Armani, and even Nike. However, the effect goes too ways. On websites selling to Muslims, options include messenger bag called “sadu bags” and backpacks referred to as a “madrassa bag.” (Akou, 2007).
While it is true that Muslim women defend their right to dress as modestly as they please, and interpret fashion to their taste, the practicalities of doing so are often difficult, another unique issue that faces the Muslim woman. The market for modest ready to wear clothing, outside of countries home to a predominantly Muslim population is slim to none. Though in many countries such as Malaysia and Turkey, there are chain stores selling fashionable mass-market clothing for Muslim women. But everywhere else, retailers are missing this market, and Muslimas are settling for purchasing the most modest clothing available in street wear. (The Economist, 2014) Muslim women have hard time finding clothing that is trendy, but modest.
The newer generation does not want to dress like their mothers – they associate that image as belonging to the old image of subservience to men (Tarlo, 2010). Because of this, the online market for Muslim women is growing. These markets challenge the juxtaposition of faith and fashion in Muslim women, hoping to reframe the hijab in a way that makes it appealing to the new generation but still supports the moral convictions of the older. Hijab House is an online retailer based in Sydney, Australia, offering a line of chic but modest apparel for Muslim women. Founder of the label, Tarik Houcher, insists that other designers need to see the potential of this market is huge, and they need to access it while they still can. (Ubudy, 2014) The line of dresses and abayas on the website are long sleeved, made of jersey fabrics that cling to the body in a way that may be less than traditional, however, the feminine appeal of these garments can’t be denied.
Wahid Rahman owns hijabshop.com, an online boutique that delivers fashionable selections of headscarves, skirts/trousers, jilbabs, and even sportswear for Muslim women. Wahid faces a dilemma in walking the line between appealing to modern young women who want to look fashionable and women who are more traditional. There is some resistance to the use of models, even mannequins, because to some this is a violation of religious doctrine and objectifying the female form. He talks about how he went into the business after listening to his sisters and female relatives complain about how difficult it was to find clothing. The street vendors did not sell clothing that fit their needs and brick and mortar retailers were even worse. Nowhere could a woman find a long skirt without compromising on a slit, sheer fabric or tight fit. A woman could go to fashionable young retailers like Forever 21 and H & M find a blouse with the perfect length and drape – but the sleeves were short. (Spinks, n.d.)
Despite his good intentions, however, and the positive feedback he receives from many Muslimas all over the world, he must still walk a fine line between the conservative and more liberal Muslim community. His business thrives, however, because the market for Islamic street wear is strong, and in direct relation to the spread of Muslim cultures into the Western world. One of the needs of Muslim women, sportswear, was addressed by Cindy van den Bremen, a Christian Dutch citizen who once dated a Turkish man and became familiar with the issues Muslim women face with dress. As the designer of Capsters, sports hijabs for women, she is a representation of the interesting intersection of Western and Islamic fashion. Cindy created Capsters to address a need she saw in the market – a hijab that would be suitable for sportswear and allow modern Muslim women to participate in athletic activity and solve the problem of hijab. (Tarlo, 2010) Wahid, always on the lookout for new, urban inspired designs, stocks Cindy’s Capsters on hijabshop.com. The feedback was tremendous. Women who had suffered for years while attempting to exercise to or play sports were thankful. Many, who eschewed such activities all-together because of the dilemma of dress, were now able to enter into that arena. In an ironic way, Cindy’s sports head covers were liberating.
Another response to the market is Silk Route, a company selling a line of jilbabs styled to reflect modern sportswear, made from fabrics like cotton, jersey and canvas. The design features incorporate piping, denim stitching, slashes and pockets. The advertisement for these jilbabs featured a young women walking down the street in traditional black jilbab and hijab and by the end of the advertisement, she had transformed into a modern Muslima in an urban beige jilbab with a hood she draped over a white hijab. Wahid runs two different versions of the advertisement, one where the face of the model is visible and one where it is not. This is in consideration of the wide variety of opinions from Muslims on the appropriateness of showing a woman’s face in order to advertise clothing. (Tarlo, 2010)
These modern styled jilbabs are a response to a market that is becoming increasingly hip. In an article in Marie Claire magazine, “Hipsters in Hijab: What Does a Muslim Woman in America Look Like?,” Marwa Atik, a young Muslim American talks about adding a zipper trim to her hijab and posting a picture on Facebook. Undeniably influenced by Western fashions, this sparked a trend that now has Atik and her sister designing scarves full time out of their Los Angeles studio. The home page of her website, velascarves.com, features the Freedom Scarf, a red, white, and blue patterned hijab wrapped with panache around the head and shoulders of a tastefully made up model. A steampunk inspired scarf in white and black leather with lace also retails on the site.
The word Vela is drawn from the Latin word for veil. Marwa admits that her scarves are about taking modern fashion trends and applying Islamic standards of modesty. (Jahani, 2011) The picture accompanying the article shows several models in a range of headscarves, all attired in Western, though modest, wear. Jeans, some skinny and some cut with wide legs, and long sleeved loose shirts with an iconic stiletto heel. This represents the frustration of young Muslim women living in the west. Atik remembers being upset with the lack of variety imported into her local California area Muslim oriented shops. So she began creating her own shawls, adding trims and lace and sequins. Atik states that Islam is also having an effect on American and European clothing, saying that evening wear is now sporting sleeves- gowns are also becoming longer and looser. Atik's average customer is a trendy Muslim woman who likes to socialize and needs something appropriate for the Southern California lifestyle. She studies fashion magazines filled with images of Alexander McQueen and Elie Saab for inspiration.
What does Marwa tell us about the influence of the West on Islamic fashion? It tells the world that, first, Muslim women are interested in fashion. It also says that fashion to them is about personal choice, politics, religion, beauty and every other influence a non-Muslim woman takes into consideration in her choice of dress. Marwa also demonstrates how though debatable, the blending of Western styles with Islamic ideals is not as incompatible as many insist. It is about interpretation and understanding of personal boundaries. In the Marie Claire interview, Marwa mentions that many of her friends and customers who wear her scarves are not Muslim. The fact that her designs are feminine, trendy, and versatile makes them accessible to women of all beliefs. This is how Islamic and Western fashions begin to meet, through the tastes and needs of an audience which at the bottom-line, only cares about how an item of clothing makes them feel. Marwa was in the viral video mentioned at the beginning of this paper, and she is stunned by the reactions it received. She says that she is not trying to be American – she is American, who also happens to be Muslim, a fashion designer and a skateboarder. (Spinks, n.d.) Between the lines, her outrage is evident. Living in a society that attempts to give her a box and ask her to stuff herself into it is the challenge of every young Muslim woman.
2.5 Conclusion
It is undeniable that the Western world has influenced Islamic fashion. However, not only does such influence seem to go both ways, but it appears to be largely voluntary. Far from being voiceless and oppressed, Muslim women appear to be making the same choices in dress that women of other belief systems make. Whether the Muslim woman chooses a plain black abaya, a street wear inspired jilbab, jeans and a headscarf or none at all the fact remains that it is her choice, as much as it is the choice of any other woman. Oppression does not seem to occur any more frequently in cultures where Islam is the dominant religion than in cultures where Christianity is dominant, or where society is secular. The fact that the hijab is such a rallying point around law, religious freedom, human rights, and secularism seems to be an effect of current political landscape. What must be decided is how far those against Islamic fashion are willing to go to deny women human rights and freedom of speech and religion – the same rights activists’ claim Islam denies women. Ironic, since these same people wish to take away the right for a Muslim woman to choose her attire on the basis that, of course, the very fact that a woman is Muslim means she has no choice.
However, the rise of young, educated and fashion forward women such as Marwa, and Muslim men like Wahid and even non-Muslims interested in solving design problems like Cindy all give a more balanced perspective. The truth is that Muslims are people too. They have points of view. Some are good, and some are bad. Fashion, though perhaps of more religious relevance to them than most other cultural groups, is still just a matter of personal taste – including the taste to wear a head covering. Though some see the influence of the West on Islamic fashion as negative, others see it as an inevitable and positive collide of cultures due to globalization and the blurring of national and ethnic boundaries. One thing is for certain, where there is a market there is a way, and Muslim Fashion Week will keep going strong.
3 Methods
Many forms of research were considered for this project, Interpretivism, Positivism, Quantitative and Qualitative as well as both deductive and inductive approaches with the conclusion that that the best method for this study will be Interpretivism utilized in the deductive Qualitative approach (Yin, 2010; Cresswell, 2011). Secondary evidence based on the literature review, case study and survey analysis evaluate societal influences and provide the working infrastructure and evidence. This strategy will be utilized so that data can be effectively defined and analyzed and then used to form further theory.
4 Methodology
4.1 Research Approach
This research employs a qualitative research design to examine all aspects this subject (Kothari, 2004; Yin, 2010). Qualitative and the associated interpretative method provide a wider analysis of the subject matter and form research that is well-balanced study. In order to draw in-depth insights and accurate definitions it is necessary to examine the topic from different perspectives (Yin, 2010; Creswell, 2009). The quantitative approach of research is an established, objective, systematic process that does not seem to be well suited to the needs of this specific study (Cresswell, 2009; Greene,2007). Alternately, the qualitative method focuses on the literature review and survey collection method in order to obtain relevant evidence that can then be interpreted and resolved (Kothari, 2004; Cresswell, 2009; Greene, 2007). A clear drawback with the qualitative research is the difficulty to definitively conclude the degree of influence the researcher had on the outcome (Yin, 2010; Cresswell,2009). Due to this fact, a high degree of objectivity is required during the process of study.
3.2 Research Methods and Procedures
Data for this study is collected from both primary and secondary sources. Secondary sources create the opportunity for a researcher to develop a better framework as well as gain crucial insights in order to formulate hypothesis and understand the underlying causes (Yin, 2010, Cresswell, 2009). Books, journals, national records and data comprise the primary sources of secondary data found in this study.
Primary data will be collected from a sampled population of not more than fifty respondents in the form of semi-structured interviews (Yin, 2009; Cresswell, 2009). This approach gains insight into personal perspectives as well as the challenges facing the cultural integration efforts. Qualitative semi-structured interviews are very efficient for acquiring data due to the fact that they allow participants to provide a personal form of association with this study (Yin, 2010; Kothari, 2004).
4.4 Data Analysis
The qualitative data created and defined in this study will be assessed using a thematic analysis, thereby producing a classification that can then be coded and understood (Yin, 2010; Cresswell, 2010). Secondary evidence found in the literature will be assessed using Hofstedes culture dimensions in order to gain a better understanding of the overall process (Kothari, 2004; Yin, 2010).
5 Time line/ Gantt Chart
Over the period beginning on Oct 1st through the 10th to finalize the proposal followed by a week, 12th to 20th to write the literature review, collect suveys 20th – 30th, followed by the analysis and conclusion.
6 References
Al Ubudy, W. (2014). Muslim fashion revolution hits Australia. World News Radio. [online] Available at: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/05/19/muslim-fashion-revolution-hits-australia [Accessed 10 Sep. 2014].
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Akou, H. (2007). Building a New" World Fashion": Islamic Dress in the Twenty-first Century. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body \& Culture, 11(4), pp.403--421.
Akou, H. (2010). Interpreting Islam through the Internet: Making sense of hijab. Contemporary Islam, 4(3), pp.331--346.
Ali, M. (1991). The Holy Qur'an with English Translation and Commentary (English and Arabic Edition) [Columbus, Ohio]: Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore, Inc., U.S.A.
Ali, S 2005, 'Why Here, Why Now? Young Muslim Women Wearing Hijāb', Muslim World, 95, 4, pp. 515-530, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 September 2014
Creswell, J. W. (2010) Research design. Los Angeles, Calif. [u.a.]: SAGE.
Fitzpatrick, L 2007, 'The New Swimsuit Issue', Time, 170, 5, p. 50, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 10 September 2014.
Jahani, S. (2011). Vela Scarves Blends Western Fashion With Islamic Tradition. OC Weekly.
Ssenyonjo, M 2007, 'The Islamic Veil and Freedom of Religion, the Rights to Education and Work: a Survey of Recent International and National Cases', Chinese Journal Of International Law, 6, 3, pp. 653-710, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 September 2014.
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