Published
May 20, 2015
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Islamic Fashion Festival to promote "the beauty of modesty" at Cannes

Published
May 20, 2015

Cannes is hosting the International Film Festival this week, but it is also hosting the Islamic Fashion Festival on 22 May. With the fashion show at the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel on the theme of "Lawrence of Arabia on the French Riviera" as the highlight on Friday. 28 looks created by 7 designers from Kuala Lumpur, London, Paris, Jakarta, etc. There will also be a limited edition jewellery presentation, Icon of Grace, created by jeweller Nitin Goenka.

A FW15 look from Ashley Isham, shown in London - Pixel Formula


This isn't the first time the festival is being held though. It has already led presentations in Singapore, Dubai, Monte Carlo, New York, London and Paris. In  fact, Cannes is hosting the IFF's 32nd runway show.
 
The IFF was created in 2006 by Dato’Raja Rezza Shah, a member of the royal family of Kelantan, a Malaysian state. His goal is to make it a major event for the Muslim world, by extolling the wealth of the traditions and cultural heritage.

The event also has an economic side. Indeed, according to the IFF, as cited by Thomson Reuters and the Dinard Standard, "in a report of the global Islam economy, the fashion and accessories market should reach 484 billion dollars by 2019." 
 
Obviously, political preoccupations play a role too. Even if they aren't meant to be the main focus. Although "the beauty of modesty" serves as a reference for the IFF, the organisation's goal is to promote a vision of Islamic fashion "far from the stereotype of the burqa and the hijab." As written by the IFF, it is a matter of encouraging "the expression and interpretation of creativity so that its shows are the embodiment of Muslim fashion, versatile and timeless, of the most dynamic."
 
In fact, a guarantee of its diversity are the shows' participating designers. From Ashley Isham, born in Singapore and educated at Central St Martins and the London College of fashion, to Ida Lundberg, Swedish-Malaysian, who studied design in Italy, to Ghea Panggabean, born in Rotterdam, raised in Europe, and at the origin of a renaissance of traditional ethnic fabrics in Indonesia, and also Rizman Ruzaini, a joint label from two designers, Rizman Nordin and Wan Ruzaini, fans glamorous dresses.

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