For
Cindy, design is very much a socially involved process and
potentially conflict resolving in its ability to approach a social
problem from a radically unconventional angle in order to seek a
compromise. This methodology is beautifully exemplified by the
Capsters, which present a compromise between religious requirements
and life in a modern Western society. This is achieved, argues
Cindy, by emphasizing the accessorial function of her designs rather
than their purely religious function. Thus, her Capsters retain the
religious aura of the Islamic hijab and conform to its physical
requirements while at the same time having an own unique character
and look that could potentially be worn by non-Muslims as well.
From
an orthodox Islamic perspective, the accessory approach may defy
part of the headscarf’s function to distinguish. However, Cindy
argues, the ultimate important outcome of this strategy will be to
liberate the hijab of its political, ideological, and religious
stigmas and thus make it more socially acceptable in a non-Muslim
society. In this way the negative image of the headscarf will be
neutralized and eventually reversed as the headscarf itself becomes
a means of integration.
Sharing
Motives
Since
the launch of the Capsters and the media attention generated by it,
Cindy has embarked on several important projects focusing on
intercultural dialogue and elaborating on the theme of the hijab. In
2002 she published a book titled Sharing Motives together
with female photographer Giti Entezami, presenting 25 portraits of
Muslim women with a great variety of Islamic head coverings
accompanied by 25 quotes illustrating their reasons to cover their
hair. The presentation of this publication traveled across the
Netherlands accompanied by an extensive program of debates and
lectures around the theme of the headscarf. The exposition aimed at
creating more understanding for Muslim women wearing the hijab and
making the Dutch public more familiar with their lives and
motivations. This project constituted a unique and important
endeavor at a time when ignorance of the hijab and its meaning was
regularly displayed by the media in the most unsubtle and
disheartening way.
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A
headscarf for tennis
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Recently
Cindy has been employed to design a safe headscarf for Muslim women
working for the Service Judicial Institutions (for example, as
security personnel in prisons and other penitential institutions).
However, the scarves are still shelved, awaiting a reluctant
minister of justice to approve their actual use.
In
the meantime Cindy is back in her studio working on a new line of
fashionable Capsters to conquer the wardrobes of modern,
fashion-conscious Muslim women. Her ultimate goal is to update the
collection twice every six months.
Capster
On or In the Head?
In
spite of the avid national and international media attention and
many supportive reactions from Muslims as well as non-Muslims, the
Capsters have not yet reached the practical status of a basic in the
young Muslim woman’s wardrobe.
There
are a few possible factors that may clarify the moderate practical
success of the Capsters:
Obviously,
social and political pressures are not the primary factors forming
Muslim girls’ choice of dress. Although they creatively adapt
current European trends to Islamic requirements, the main
trend-setters of hijabi fashion are self-evidently located within
the Muslim community itself, and just as much subject to
globalization as Western fashion trends; that is, Egyptian hijab
styles tend to be popular with the Muslim communities in the West
because of Egypt’s central cultural position in the Muslim world
and satellite TV. Likewise, Muslim women in the Netherlands tend to
wear headscarves produced in Turkey, and to a lesser extent Morocco,
because of the background of the respective Muslim minorities there.
The
manner of pinning or wrapping the hijab has, nevertheless, remained
relatively constant and uniform because of both the specific nature
of the Islamic dress requirements as well as the general
conservatism of the Muslim community.
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A
headscarf for open skate
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The
gap between the radically individualist designs of Cindy van den
Bremen’s Capsters and the generally traditional and uniform tastes
of the community-oriented Muslim minorities may at present be just a
bit too wide to bridge. Young Muslim women are generally no less
fashion-conscious than their non-Muslim counterparts, and for them
to massively adopt a hijab that shows no close resemblance to either
traditional Islamic hijab styles or any item already worn by
non-Muslims is very unlikely without a major advertisement campaign
that is uniquely tailored to the particularities of the Muslim
community.
In
spite of these considerations, there is no doubt that the concept of
the Capsters and its underlying intention to de-emphasize the heavy
ideological load of the hijab and reclaim the image of the Muslim
woman as an independent and involved citizen, has opened up a very
important space in the Dutch hijab discourse-a space that, if
stretched wide enough by eloquent and socially active Muslim women,
may one day define the entire debate.
Rahma
Bavelaar is
assistant editor and recently staff writer for islamonline.net. She
holds MA in Oriental and African Studies, School of Oriental and
African Studies (SOAS), UK. You can reach her at shabeel02@yahoo.co.uk
