Only in the past couple of years have we seen major luxury and high street brands targeting a huge global market – the modest one. The likes of Dolce Gabanna and Michael Kors release exclusive Ramadan and Eid collections annually, capitalizing from their sales in the Middle East mainly, followed by H&M and Ted Baker who also released their very own modest collections for the first time around Ramadan this year.
H&M was the first high street retailer to have featured a hijabi model, and it looks as though other brands are following suit, and channeling inclusion and diversity in a major way and this year. GAP,
the American retailer, has previously been responsible for featuring models of all body types, cultural back grounds and races, and it’s most recent ad campaign is taking it a step further.
GAP’s annual “back to school” advert, titled “GAP to School” was launched in July and has gone viral for its inclusion of a young girl wearing a hijab with her denim jacket and Converse sneakers. Also featured in the campaign are African American children and adolescents from New York dancing and skipping around with their natural afros and cornrowed hair.
Hadia Ahmed, who was the first hijab wearing contestant to win the Miss Maine pageant last year, following Halima Aden’s defiance to wear a burkini in the swimsuit part of the Miss Minnesota USA 2016 competition, oversaw the ad campaign. GAP had also featured a hijabi model in last year’s spring/summer campaign, “I Am Gap, Portrait of an American Summer” celebrating diversity.
With the release of this year’s “GAP to School” campaign, fans of the brand, including hijabi women, took to social media to praise the inclusive advert and how they felt it was important to be represented.
