Contemporary Muslim Fashions

Contemporary Muslim Fashions is the first major museum exhibition to explore the complex and diverse nature of current Muslim clothing styles. The concept of the exhibition was developed at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and was initiated there by Max Hollein. The Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt/M is its first venue in Europe.

Spotlighting places, garments, and styles from around the world, the exhibition focuses on clothing that responds to individual and collective interpretations of modesty. It considers how Muslim women define themselves and are defined by their dress, providing a snapshot of the current moment in Muslim modest fashion. As Islam is a multicultural faith, the dress of its practitioners is shaped not only by religious traditions but also by local customs and global trends. Contemporary Muslim Fashions takes a look at parts of the globe where designers are creating and consumers are wearing highly fashionable garments, with a specific focus on the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and diasporic communities throughout Europe and the United States.

In addition to approximatly 80 ensembles drawn from established and emerging designers in high-end fashion, streetwear, sportswear, and couture, the exhibition includes a wide range of photographs and art works that contextualize the garments on view. Using social media as primary source material, Contemporary Muslim Fashions credits much of the recent, popular awareness of this sector to bloggers and influencers who took to social media when they could not find accurate representations of themselves in traditional media.

Contemporary Muslim Fashions is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in cooperation with the Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main.

Designers and labels
Nora Afia (AT), Nora Aldamer (SA), Wadha Al Hajri (QA), Mashael Alrajhi (SA), Mariam Al Remaihi (QA), Renni Andriani (ID), Raşit Bağzıbağlı (TR), Alaa Balkhy (US/SA), Feyza Baycelebi (DE), Faiza Bouguessa (AE), Imen Bousnina (AT), Bernard Chandran (MY), Georgina Chapman for Marchesa (US), Barjis Chohan (GB), Windri Widiesta Dhari (ID), Sarah Elenany (GB), Jean Paul Gaultier (FR), Bill Gaytten (GB) for Christian Dior (FR), Kuaybe Gider (TR), Izree Kai Haffiz (MY), Anandia Harahap (ID), Rani Hatta (ID), Shakeel Karachi (PK), Mary Katrantzou (GR), Rebecca Kellett (GB), Nzinga Knight, (US), Melinda Looi (MY), Mariam Bin Mahfouz (SA), Saiqa Majeed (GB), Carmen W. Muhammad (US),Naima Muhammad (US), Sanaz Nataj (IR), Nike (US), Hanan Ozair (AE), Dian Pelangi (ID), Pierpaolo Piccioli (IT) for Valentino (IT), Peter Pilotto (GB), Datin Haslinda Abdul Rahim (MY), Maha Abdul Rasheed (AE), Mizaan (DE), Oscar de la Renta (US), Shereen Sabet (US), Yves Saint Laurent (FR), Khanaan Luqman Shamlan (ID), Céline Semaan Vernon (US), Zara Shiri (IR), Fahad Signature (QA), Yasmin Sobeih (GB), Shirin Vaqar (IR), Mohd Hafizi Radzi Woo (MY), Itang Yunasz (ID), Aheda Zanetti (AU), Rabia Zargarpur (AE)

Works by artists, photographers and influencers
Ridwan Adhami (US), Wesaam Al-Badry (US), Boushra Almutawakel (FR), Lalla Essaydi (US), Shepard Fairey (US),Alessia Gammarota (GB), Shadi Ghadirian (IR), Tanya Habjouqa (PS), Hassan Hajjaj (MA), Mona Haydar (US), Langston Hues (ID), Viktoria Kämpfe (US/DE), Hoda Katebi (US), Shirin Neshat (US), Rania Matar (US), Tunde Olaniran (US), Abbas Rattani (US), Habib Yazdi (US)

Director: Matthias Wagner K
Curators: Jill D’Alessandro, Laura L. Camerlengo, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Consulting Curator: Reina Lewis, London College of Fashion
Project coordinators: Mahret Ifeoma Kupka, Matthias Wagner K
Press contact: Annie Buenker, T +49 69 212 75339 / presse.angewandte-kunst [​at​] stadt-frankfurt.de

Funded by Ernst Max von Grunelius-Stiftung, Bankhaus Metzler. Supported by BONAVERI.

Contemporary Muslim Fashions Forum (Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14)
Keynotes and panel discussions with Reina Lewis, Majida Khattari, Naomi Afia, María do Mar Castro Varela and many more.