Modest fashion: European and Saudi cooperation on the catwalk

The Saudi princess, Safia Hussein Guerras (l.) and Belgian fashion designer Christophe Beaufays (r.) present their collection of modest fashion, at a show in the grounds of the Belgian embassy in Riyadh. It's the first time a mixed public has been allowed to attend a Saudi Arabian fashion show.

Fashion should be modest — this is the only way that Beaufays' and the princess's designs meet the strict dress codes of the Saudi royal family. In the audience, on the other hand, most of the spectators were dressed in Western clothing.

There were no bright colors or bold patterns in the "Khaleeki Chic" collection in Riyadh. This pastel-colored creation, a wide, cloak-shaped dress, was more reminiscent of traditional Arab clothing.

Counterpoint to the "modest" fashion: A model wears a white cowboy hat as a special accessory to a black dress.

The Modest Fashion Week 2017 in Dubai was much more colorful. This model presented a creation by the label Muslima Wear. The label comes from Turkey, but is also represented in the USA, the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia and Dubai.

Muslima Wear, which primarily aims its colorful creations at young Muslim women, has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram. Here's another photo from the Dubai Modest Fashion Week from 2017.

Western top models also appear in Dubai. The American model Halima Aden presented the first modest fashion collection by Turkish fashion designer Rawit Bagzıbaglı there in 2017.

Modest fashion is criticized from the secular side — but it is also controversial among more devout Muslims. Halima Aden, an American with Somali roots, worked as a top model until she left the industry in 2020, because she felt her beliefs were not adequately respected.