The first Modest Fashion Week in Paris, held inside Hôtel Le Marois, a mansion just off the Champs-Élysées, marks a significant moment for capital's expansion into a market projected to exceed $400 billion in global consumer spending by next year, even as the French state maintains its systematic repression of religious expression in public life.
Capital's New Frontier
Research firm DinarStandard reports that the market for modest fashion has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. This burgeoning sector, which initially catered specifically to Muslim women, is now increasingly appealing to other religious communities and secular shoppers, demonstrating capital's adaptability in commodifying diverse cultural and religious identities for profit.
Nearly 30 designers showcased their collections at the event, featuring loose, long-cut garments and headscarves. Hicran Önal, founder of Turkey-based Miha, presented romantic floral tulle dresses, while Indonesian designer Nada Puspita offered cleaner lines. Aisa Hassan of Australia's Asiyam drew inspiration from nature, incorporating deeper greens and autumnal reds, and French brands Soutoura and Nour Turbans displayed nylon, black, jewel-toned, and boxy garments influenced by Gen Z streetwear. Turkish swimwear brand Mayovera also showcased burkinis, items that cover everything except the face, hands, and feet.
The State's Secular Veil
This commercial spectacle unfolds against the backdrop of the French state's rigid adherence to laïcité, its particular brand of secularism. This doctrine dictates that the state and all public institutions must be free of religion, a principle that has been consistently leveraged to impose restrictions on the religious attire of workers and citizens.
The application of laïcité has led to concrete prohibitions impacting daily life. The headscarf and other religious symbols were banned in state-run schools more than two decades ago. More recently, loose full-length robes known as abayas were also prohibited in schools. Furthermore, the burkinis showcased by Mayovera, while allowed on beaches, remain banned in most public swimming pools across France, illustrating the state's granular control over public spaces and personal expression.
A direct and material consequence of these state policies is the exclusion of individuals from public-sector employment based on their religious attire. People are explicitly barred from wearing religious clothing if they work in professions such as teaching or the civil service, effectively creating a barrier to employment for a significant segment of the working class who choose to dress modestly.
Profits Over Principle
Despite these structural limitations, some participants expressed a sense of progress. Fatou Doucouré, founder of French brand Soutoura, stated that exhibiting her collection in Paris made her feel that Muslim women who cover their hair or dress modestly could “take on any role in any society.” Similarly, some young attendees told the BBC they felt the event demonstrated a “more inclusive French culture” taking shape, with one attendee of Malian heritage expressing joy after previously facing discrimination due to wearing a headscarf. Another attendee noted that her hijab no longer felt like “the centre of political discussion.”
These expressions of perceived inclusion, however, occur within a system where the fundamental state apparatus of restriction remains firmly in place. The market's absorption and commodification of modest fashion for profit does not dismantle the legal and institutional barriers that continue to marginalize workers and citizens who choose to wear religious attire. The “change” celebrated by some attendees is superficial, failing to address the root causes of state-sanctioned discrimination.
France is home to an estimated 5-7.5 million Muslims, a substantial population whose daily lives and economic opportunities are directly impacted by these state policies. Özlem Şahin, head of the organization behind Modest Fashion Week, described Paris as “one of the leading modest fashion capitals in Europe,” highlighting the inherent contradiction of a thriving commercial hub for modest fashion coexisting with persistent state-enforced discrimination against those who embody it.