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Fashion and Identity: Representation, Self-Esteem, and the Muslim-American Narrative

Research Open House 2021

Shireen Soliman
Cassidy Jackson, BA Critical and Visual Studies ‘21
Emily White, PhD, Bank Street College of Education, Advisor
School of Design, Fashion Design
Seed Grant 2019-2020

Fashion, Identity and the Muslim-American Narrative is a design workshop series developed for and with Muslim-American female adolescents.

The goal was to highlight the direct correlation between awareness, agency, and perception of dress and self-esteem established with ownership of one’s authentic narrative.

Teenage girl has book over her face, surrounded by objects that are tied to her identity
Naomi, a participant in Cohort 1, in her self-composed Identity Collage.

Against the backdrop of the Covid crisis and the BLM movement, this work of exploring and establishing connections between identity, narrative, power, and representation became all the more resonant. This workshop provided a dynamic virtual space for young Muslim women to connect and find community through design and shared experiences, during this pivotal time in history.

Teenage girls show off their newly designed and styled fashion looks
One workshop activity was Restyle/Redesign, where participants were empowered to restyle or redesign their own clothes into something new that encapsulated their identity.