Known as the first woman to ever wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, model Halima Aden made headlines once again this week when she walked out to close the Christian Cowan show at New York Fashion Week (NYFW). The young American-Somali model dominated the catwalk in a black and neon suit topped with a stunning, chain-link rhinestone hijab.
Halima Aden in Christian Cowan
Aden’s ensemble is part of the 23-year-old British designer debut ready-to-wear Fall 2019 collection, which according to Allure.com, comprised “‘80s-inspired neon dresses, leggings, face masks made out of gems, and over-the-top feather dresses balanced by tangerine leather button-ups and velvet minis.”
Although Cowan’s show was well-received, there was no doubt that Aden’s outfit and the hijab she wore were his star pieces, which is probably why the designer took to Instagram to talk about it. Under a photo of Aden that he posted, he wrote:
“Creating the crystal link Hijab for @halima as the closing look of the show was such a special moment for me. The amount of messages I’ve received from Hijabi women has been so touching. I didn’t grow up dreaming I would dress just one kind of woman, I grew up dreaming of dressing all kinds of women. I wanted to show that modesty and glamour combined will always have power and impact on the runway, but also in real life. Halima we love you! You made this moment.”
As his website explains, Cowan’s work often attempts to bring a youthful take on the many ways today’s woman can dress. With an affinity for unique materials such as vinyl, feathers, mesh, and sequins, Cowan’s debut collection had elements that made heads turn. According to V Magazine, Cowan’s show saw the likes of Nikita Dragun, Slick Woods, and Carmen Carrera sat amongst the front row attendants, highlighting the young designer’s already solid following.
