Aesthetic Negotiations Between Conflicting Forms of Life: The Case of Modest Fashion

Modest fashion is more than a simple new fashion trend. It is the subject of debates and controversies involving complex social and cultural dynamics that are particularly relevant in today’s global cultural landscapes. This essay takes into account the phenomenon of modest fashion on the basis of examples provided both by the growing and varied offer by brand designers, and by its contextualisation in fashion media such as magazines, blogs and social media channels, focusing on different central theoretical questions it opens. In particular, modest fashion is a cultural practice governed by social forces and individual choices. It is an exemplary case of cultural hybridisation typical of this digital age that challenges strictly binary schematisations (such as fashion v. traditional costume), creating third spaces where identities and loyalty to traditions are fluid and can be negotiated. We will show how mediating between personal stylistic choices and the requirements of traditional dress codes leads to a singular fashioning of the religious identity itself. The logo-hijabs or the abayas produced by international luxury labels, as well as the search for ‘smart’ materials for a re-coding of modest clothing in a sporty way, are all examples of different sign combinations that aim to express personal tastes and defy aesthetic conventions. In conclusion, clothing is always a domain where mediation processes take place. If the norms of traditional modesty demand a more or less binding observance, at the same time the rising possibilities of personal aesthetic agency in the fashioning of the religious selflead to a subtle reinterpretation and sometimes secularisation of the symbolic value of traditional attire.