Cultural Influence on Fashion: Traditional Muslim Women's Clothing

Cultural Influence on Fashion
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Cultural Influence on Fashion
Muslim Culture
Fashion is one of the continuously changing and fast-paced field across the globe. Culture has a significant influence on the type of clothing and accessories that people of a particular area can wear. The Muslim culture, such as in Egypt has been an important factor in the way their people dress. Before the year 1900, Muslims were required to dress modestly, and their garments were not supposed to highlight body extremities or silhouettes. The clothing was meant to cover almost all of the body, particularly for women, head coverings were a must. The Islam clothing was primarily designed as a free-flowing and loose-fitting garment that covered up to one’s feet.


Traditional Muslim Women’s Clothing
The veils and hijabs that the women wore and their dresses did not have unique designs and were usually simple with less concentration to detail and decorations. Additionally, there was the restriction to particular cloth material to be used in making the garments that were thick to ensure that they were not transparent. The culture of this period put little to no attachment to fashion beauty (Hansen).
Ways That the Egyptian Muslim Culture Encountered the Italian Culture
However, globalization and cross-cultural interactions have seen a considerable transformation of the women Islamic dressing. The technological advancements and trading between diverse people led to the Italian culture interacting with that of Egyptian Muslim fashion. Additionally, the rise of feminists, primarily westerners, between 1900 to date has seen the advocating of the liberation of Islamic women from the strict dressing regulations. As a result, the Muslims began getting interested in incorporating new fashion ideas to their dresses.
The Western Culture
The European Culture, particularly the Italian, has played a significant role in bringing the revolution in the Islamic clothing in Egypt. The Italians believed in one wearing whatever they deemed fit and not doing so because of rules. The kind of dressing was less modest in comparison with the Islamic garments; women were free to dress in clothes they felt comfortable. The culture did not restrict women regarding the choices they made. Also, their women were more exposed and educated than their Muslim counterparts ...