Fashion, Anti-Fashion, Non-Fashion and Symbolic Capital: The Uses of Dress among Muslim Minorities in Finland

During recent years, an “Islamic cultural industry” has developed, which seeks to fulfil the demands of Muslim consumers in terms of religiously guided consumption. Dress and fashion are an essential part of this industry, and many fashionable hijab styles can be observed, particularly in urban environments in Europe and elsewhere. In this paper I discuss the dress strategies of Muslim women in Helsinki, Finland. I argue that 1) they use dress, and religious knowledge about dress, as tools to cultivate and express cultural capital; 2) fashion, anti-fashion and non-fashion are strategies in such practices; 3) fashionability, stylishness, piety, modesty, disinterest in fashion, and spirituality are forms of symbolic capital relevant to such practices; and 4) these forms of capital are used in order to gain status within various reference groups. Fashionability, stylishness and disinterest in fashion are focused on gaining the recognition of mainstream Finnish society, while piety, modesty and spirituality are aimed at winning the approval of other Muslims. What each individual chooses as her primary dress strategy depends on her particular social position in relation to her immediate social environment.