Modestwear model and activist Mariah Idrissi at Tania's Teahouse in Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National
Modestwear model and activist Mariah Idrissi at Tania's Teahouse in Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National
Modestwear model and activist Mariah Idrissi at Tania's Teahouse in Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National
Modestwear model and activist Mariah Idrissi at Tania's Teahouse in Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National

Modestwear pioneer Mariah Idrissi talks faith and fashion


  • English
  • Arabic

When you first look at Mariah Idrissi, in her oversized hoop earrings, double nose piercing and on-trend outfit – patterned blouse, mom jeans, sporty trainers and Saint Laurent belt bag –you wouldn’t immediately guess that she attended Islamic school for 10 years, or that her religion deeply influences her career. The 26-year-old, whose stylish ensemble is completed with a salmon-pink headwrap, is the epitome of the modern Muslim woman – one who effortlessly fuses faith with fashion. Idrissi is also famous for being the world’s first mainstream hijab-wearing model, after starring in a campaign for H&M in 2015.

The young model was in Dubai for work this week. In other words, she was flown in from the United Kingdom to dress up in fabulous luxury clothing for photo shoots and campaigns. But while she may have a jet-setting life as a model and brand ambassador, religion continues to ground Idrissi. Alongside modelling for the likes of Miu Miu and Gucci in Dubai, to shooting a Fenty Beauty campaign with Rihanna in California, Idrissi also works with charitable causes. Just a few months ago, she visited the West African country of Niger with Islamic Relief.

Idrissi, who’s mother is Pakistani and father is Moroccan, says that she wants to use her voice and her platform for a deeper purpose than just selling clothes. “As much as fashion is a very secular industry, my faith is what drives every decision I make,” she explains. “I couldn’t call myself a real Muslim if my day-to-day job, which I put so much time and energy into, didn’t have anything deeper. With everything we do in life, there has to be purpose to it, otherwise there’s no point.”

Many believe American-Somali Halima Aden to be the world’s first hijab-wearing model, but Idrissi’s debut in the fashion world occurred almost two years before Aden made headlines at New York Fashion Week in 2017. Idrissi also prefers to take on editorial shoots that feature her as part of the narrative, rather than branding herself as a runway model.

“I’ve always had a voice attached to every shoot I’ve done - they were also about my personality - whereas being on a runway you are literally there just to be seen, not heard,” she says. “I’ve stayed away from runway, because I feel I can’t justify being a hijabi on a runway – the purpose of wearing hijab, or dressing modestly, is you don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to the way that you look; you want the focus to be on you as a person. So even initially with modelling, I thought: ‘Does this make sense with that?’”

Modelling, in fact, was never on Idrissi’s list of aspirations before she was scouted for the H&M campaign in 2015.

Mariah Idrissi modelled for fashion retailer H&M
Mariah Idrissi modelled for fashion retailer H&M

“My background’s actually film; that’s what I wanted to do,” says Idrissi, who studied history and English literature in university. “I really wanted to work for like Disney or some sort of production company as a screen writer, and I wanted my specialty to be telling stories that have not been told about our people in the West. We’ve got Bollywood, but what about all the Asian, Arab and African people living in the West?”

Idrissi says that she came to terms with balancing modelling with her religious and cultural beliefs because she thought she could be a positive example of diversity in an industry that has historically discriminated against minorities, with media largely painting people from the East as terrorists or tokenised ethnic characters. Through her work as a brand ambassador and consultant, Idrissi helps fashion and beauty businesses target more diverse consumers. After her stint in Dubai, she’s headed back to the UK to participate in a panel with The Body Shop to celebrate International Women’s Day.

From dedicated modest fashion weeks taking place across the globe, to targeted modest capsule collections being introduced by international retailers, modesty is very much in the limelight. In fact, this weekend will see Dubai Modest Fashion Week taking place on the Palm Jumeirah, with a host of style-savvy designers and bloggers specialising in conservative clothing. However, while the modest fashion industry boom has seen brands such as Mango and Marks & Spencer create special “modest” lines in their stores, Idrissi’s advice for international labels is to hire brand representatives and spokespeople who have influence over modesty-conscious consumers, rather than simply labeling collections as modest.

“I think the ‘modest’ thing only works when it’s literally a brand that you know doesn’t [usually] make modest clothing. You need a brand representative of the people you’re trying to target,” she explains.

So what does the future hold for the modest fashion industry? According to Idrissi, the hype isn’t going to die down any time soon – instead, modest fashion will become more seamlessly integrated, rather than a buzzword that pops up around Ramadan and Eid. “You shine light on it, create a community around it, and it just becomes a part of the norm,” she says.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

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Canada

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Singapore

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Australia

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Saudi Arabia

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South Korea

Dolittle

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen

One-and-a-half out of five stars

Specs
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Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Lexus LX700h specs

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Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

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Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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Price: From Dh590,000

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The Indoor Cricket World Cup

When: September 16-23

Where: Insportz, Dubai

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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