At London Fashion Week, models wore headscarves adorned with jewellery, inspired by traditional Yemeni fabrics, at the show of British-Yemeni designer Kazna Asker. This marks a resurgence of bold printed hijabs, which are increasingly popular among Gen Z Muslim women as a deliberate fashion choice rather than a means to blend in.
Driving this trend is Vela, a US-based label founded in 2009 by sisters Marwa and Tasneem Atik. Their scarves, featuring prints from Bambi-style motifs to Syrian-inspired designs, regularly sell out within minutes. Tasneem Atik says the new wave represents 'boldness' among Muslim women and an assertion of how they want to be seen, moving away from blending in for safety.
In the UK, Sooqlina, a London-based modest fashion retailer founded by Lina Salih in 2024, has released polka dot and plaid hijabs that sold out within days. Salih notes that printed hijabs have always been embedded in the culture of first- or second-generation immigrant Muslim women, but darker colours became a 'safety net' after 9/11 due to Islamophobia.
Hafsa Lodi, author of 'Modesty: A Fashion Paradox', explains that neutral palettes helped visibly Muslim women blend into a society that 'othered' them. Now, the post-Covid generation is 'very much over being plain and solid and minimal', according to Marwa Atik. Vela's keffiyeh-inspired hijabs, some printed with Urdu phrases about strength and resistance, have repeatedly sold out since late 2023, with Marwa saying it is done in solidarity with Palestinians.
Tasneem Atik concludes: 'Muslim women are not afraid to be seen.' The printed hijab has shifted from being coded as 'too much' to a deliberate part of an outfit, reflecting a broader cultural and political shift among young Muslim women.
