'Veiling in Fashion: Dress and Modesty' a virtual conversation panel

This conversation panel took place on the 30th of June 2021. 'Veiling in Fashion: Dress and Modesty was the first event of our Wearers Academy series, a sequence of conversations where independent and academic researchers share their work in a language that is accessible to everyone. The recording is available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zELhvA8s4d8&t=3s Our guest speaker, Anna-Mari Almila is a fashion researcher in sociology at London College of Fashion. She has spent the last eleven years researching Muslim’s women clothing strategies and has published two books on the topic. She was joined by Zinah Nur Sharif, a pro on the topic of modest fashion, who has been writing about since 2010 whilst doing it in style! During this conversation. Anna-Mari and Zinah shared their thoughts and knowledge on veiling in fashion and the intersection between being fashionable and faithful. So why should we care about the topic of Veiling in Fashion: Dress and Modesty? The emergence of an “Islamic fashion system” in a western context where Muslim women are challenged and criticised for their stylistic choices interferes with their self-expression, making it a topic we are all too familiar with when discussing the notion of modesty and femininity. These topics all deal with notions of global feminism, colonialism, cultural imperialism and the history of Islam and the Middle East. About our guest speakers Anna Mari-Almila is a Research Fellow in Sociology of Fashion at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. She writes about the materiality of dressed bodies and their environments, fashion globalisation. She is the author of Veiling in Fashion: Space and the Hijab in Minority Communities (2018) and the Routledge International Handbook to Veils and Veiling Practices (2017). She has been researching veiling in fashion for the last 11 years. Her next book will be Fashion's Transnational Inequalities, and she has also written The Globalization of Wine (2019), and The Sage Handbook of Cultural Sociology (2016). Zinah Nur Sharif is a modest fashion veteran, who has worked in the fashion industry for the last 10 years (and counting!). She has an appetite for customs, arts and branding within fashion. As a citizen of the world, Zinah has lived in four different cities, across three different territories. This has allowed her to develop adaptive proficiency, acknowledge changes and differences and develop exceptional new perspectives that she will bring to our conversation. She has a BA in Graphic Design and a MA in Strategic Fashion Marketing. About Wearers Festival Wearers Festival is a permanent multidisciplinary festival that explores and celebrates the intersections of dress, culture and identity among the diverse communities of London, the UK and the world. About the Wearers Academy series This event is the first one of our Wearers Academy virtual series, a sequence of conversations with independent and academic researchers on dress-related topics with accessible language to everyone.