News:

The Mercedes Benz fashion week came to a close on September 11^th 2014. It is a global event covering Berlin, Australia, Miami, Istanbul and has its main attractions in New York. Its purposes is to showcase the new fashion projects of established designers as well as affording platforms for new talent to showcase their work. The bi-annual event is regarded as being pivotal in setting the trends for the next seasons and its influence reaches all nations from the elite to the high street retail outlets.

Comment:

The fashion industry portrays itself as the height of human achievement and cultural development as it allows for the human creative aspect to be free and unrestricted in its expression. However it does not take a very deep analysis of the clothing industry to realize that fashion is not energized by art or intellectualism, but, like all of the industries existing within the Secular Capitalist viewpoint. It is only an elite few who dominate the fashion world and they in turn choose a select few ego maniac designers who hunger for personal glory and recognition. Attracting the media for publicity is an intrinsic part of fashion week and designers know well that there is no such thing as "bad press". In this regard any opportunity to shock and outrage the audience is pursued vigorously as this means all eyes will turn to the companies names and branding. In the secular liberal context all fashion must follow the following formula:

1)     A violation of Islamic rules and morals such as the blurring of gender identity and the exposure of awrah in public places.

2)     The absence of rational thinking in creating ridiculous and impractical outfits that can never be worn in reality. This aspect often extends to the gross distortion of the normal beautiful body forms created by Allah (swt) so that people adopt strange/alien or animal forms such as the coat made of human hair (Atıl Kutluoğlu's 2014-2015 Autumn and Winter collection) in the Istanbul fashion week expo.

3)     The development of new ideas is pushed to the extent that the boundaries of what is harmful at the psychological and physical level are continuously pushed back. Examples of past ‘heroin chic' (the mid-1990s drug addict model look characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes , and severely underweight/ androgynous appearance) and ‘size zero' practices of looking like and anorexic which is a very bad example for young.

Fashion weeks events are not only known as a platform to ‘see', but to ‘be seen' to have attended and been in the presence of ‘greatness' as this allows fashion victims to raise their, otherwise, mediocre existence to a higher level - a reality that has increasingly caught the attention of comedy satirists, who have exposed the shallow nature of ‘fashionistas' (A person devoted to fashion clothing, particularly unique or high fashion). This month one popular comedian invented names of designers and fake runway shows and then asked fashion week attendees of their opinions of them. Given the superficial and sheep like mentality of fashion devotees, many people pretended that they knew who these designers where and praised ridiculous clothes such as a dress that had the neck line closed so that one's whole face was covered when they wore it. One person justified paying over $3000 for the "dress of suffocation"! Alhamdulliah for the Ideology of Islam that gave true elevation of the human being through emphasizing that a man or women's status is judged according to his closeness to the truth and his relationship to Allah (swt) the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

((يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ))

"O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you (Muttaqi). And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)." [Surah Al Hujurat (the Inner Apartments): Verse 13]

In following the Aqeedah of Islam, there is nobility and dignity in being a slave of Allah (swt) as it is the Lord of the heavens and the earth only that deserves to be followed. The fashion world creates the false illusion of success when people praise each other for the clothing they wear, whist they harbor the worst of thoughts and conduct. The truth is that the fashion world care nothing for art or human greatness and has only the objective of convincing people to regularly buy clothes that they don't need in order to have social acceptance. The Muslim is above such vacuous vanity; and has liberated himself from the worship of creation seeking true happiness in the approval of Allah (swt).

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Imrana Mohammad

Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir