H&M features its first Muslim model in a hijab

When Mariah Idrissi got a call from a model scout earlier this year asking her to feature in a new ad campaign for H&M, the 23-year-old was skeptical. “Are you sure they know I wear a hijab?” she asked.

Now Idrissi, whose parents are Pakistani and Moroccan, is surprising the fashion world as a new model for H&M, the second largest global retailer after Zara. This month she appeared in the brand’s denim collection launch video while wearing a headscarf.

A handful of brands, including DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger and Mango, have launched special “Ramadan” collections in recent years, in time for the holiest month of the Islamic lunar calendar, or designed clothes with the world’s 1.6 billion Muslim consumers in mind. Most of the outfits feature long, flowing dresses in jeweled colors, skirts, long-sleeved shirts and coats.

However, Idrissi is anything but shy and conservative, and flaunts her faith, face and talent for henna painting, nail art and flawless beauty application on Instagram, one of the ways she was discovered by H&M.