Hijab in Fashion Campaigns: Models, Casting and Creative Control

Seeing a woman in hijab in a fashion campaign can feel quietly familiar or strikingly new, depending on the images you grew up with. You might notice the clothes first, recognise a way of dressing, or wonder what it was like to work on that set. The model has a job behind the photograph, with decisions about styling, payment, publicity and the use of her image.

That working relationship deserves attention. A campaign can welcome a model's appearance while leaving her little say over how she is presented. It can also create a rewarding professional collaboration in which her preferences are understood from the beginning. To discuss inclusion properly, we need to look at those arrangements alongside the finished image.

For adults considering modelling, and for people commissioning fashion or beauty campaigns, this guide explores that relationship through two documented careers and practical questions about casting and creative control. The aim is to make the work easier to understand without promising a career, setting a standard of religious observance or asking one woman to represent everyone who wears hijab.

What sort of modelling work is being offered?

Begin with the assignment. A runway booking, a cosmetics advertisement and a clothing catalogue can involve different skills, expectations and uses of the finished material. A message saying that a brand wants “a hijabi model” tells you very little about any of them.

England's National Careers Service describes fashion modelling across shows, editorial photography, advertising and promotional work. Its profile also includes in-house modelling for designers and wholesalers. That range matters: the highly public campaign is one possible job within a wider field, rather than the definition of a modelling career.

Ask what the model will actually do. Is she walking, posing in still photographs, demonstrating a product or speaking to camera? Will she appear as herself, play a character or give a personal account? A spoken endorsement requires a different conversation from modelling an outfit. Someone might enjoy one task and prefer to decline another.

The product category matters too. A beauty brief could concern lipstick, skin preparation, fragrance or hair. Do not infer the required coverage from the brand name. Ask which areas will be shown and whether the creative idea depends on an action or appearance that conflicts with the model's preferences. Resolving that before a booking is agreed gives both sides a fair chance to decide whether the collaboration fits.

Mariah Idrissi: a campaign is a starting point, not a whole biography

Mariah Idrissi's agency biography at Premier Artists identifies her appearance in H&M's 2015 campaign and her work in the 2017 Fenty Beauty campaign. It also describes her as a model and filmmaker. Those specific credits give a clearer picture than repeatedly calling someone a pioneer without explaining the work.

A clothing campaign and a cosmetics campaign place the same person in different commercial settings. That is worth considering when someone assumes that a woman who wears hijab can only model scarves or appear in an advertisement about religion. The relevant question is whether her skills and the proposed presentation suit the assignment.

There is another useful distinction here: being recognised through one advertisement does not make every later project a sequel to it. When writing about a model, identify the campaign, its date and her actual contribution. If she moves into film, presenting or another creative role, describe that work on its own terms rather than keeping her permanently inside the story of a first appearance.

Be careful with sweeping “first ever” claims. A first for one retailer, publication, event or market is a particular achievement. Removing that context can turn a precise credit into an unsupported claim about the whole history of Muslim women in fashion. You can recognise a significant career without making that leap.

Halima Aden: listen to what the model says about the experience

In a March 2021 interview with The National, Halima Aden explained her decision to step away from modelling after announcing it the previous November. She described starting with contractual conditions concerning hijab and male stylists, and initially arranging her own head covering. As other people took more control of the styling, she felt that the results no longer reflected what hijab meant to her.

Her account holds achievement and dissatisfaction together. In the same interview, Aden acknowledged positive parts of her career while explaining why she wanted to change direction. It is a dated account of her experience, rather than a statement about her work today or a verdict on what another Muslim woman should choose.

For a new collaboration, the practical lesson is to make room for the model to explain a concern while the work can still change. A celebrated image does not tell an observer whether the person in it felt comfortable with the decisions that produced it.

What does tokenism mean in a casting discussion?

In this context, tokenism is a useful concern to investigate when a person's identity seems to be doing more work for the publicity than her participation does in the project. It should not become an accusation made simply because a campaign includes only one woman in hijab. A photograph cannot reveal the whole casting process, the contract or the working day.

Consider two hypothetical arrangements. In one, a model is invited because the creative team likes her work, receives a proper brief and can discuss the proposed presentation. In another, she is asked to provide a personal story about discrimination for a campaign that has already decided what her story ought to mean. The number of faces in the final photograph would not explain that difference.

Ask what participation involved. Could the model decline the interview while accepting the modelling work? Was she paid for additional promotional appearances? Did the team use the biography she approved? Was someone able to resolve a concern about the way her hijab was styled? These are concrete questions about a working relationship.

Keep your conclusion proportionate to what you know. A model's account can support a statement about her experience. A documented change to a production process can show how a team responded. Neither should be stretched into a claim that every job at a company is inclusive, or that an entire industry has changed because of one campaign.

Explain the creative boundaries before the booking is settled

“I wear hijab” begins a conversation; it does not provide a complete styling brief. The model decides which details she wants to make explicit. These might concern hair, neck or chest coverage, the shape of the clothes, physical contact, the styling team or the kinds of products she will promote.

Separate a firm condition from an idea you are happy to discuss. For example, a model may welcome different scarf colours while wanting to arrange the covering herself. Another may work with a stylist but need to approve changes before the camera starts. Neither arrangement should be assumed from a previous model's preferences.

Put agreed conditions where the people booking and producing the work will see them. If an agent handles the negotiation, ask how those details reach the client and production team. An understanding held by one person is fragile when somebody else arrives with the wardrobe or takes over the day's schedule.

There should also be a practical response when the brief changes. Imagine that a client adds a second beauty product shortly before the shoot. The useful conversation concerns the new product, the additional work and the proposed image use. The original agreement should not be treated as an answer to a different assignment.

For the photographer and wearer preparing the session itself, our hijab photoshoot planning guide covers the setting, team, coverage and image-selection brief. The commercial booking needs its own clarity about who is commissioning the work and what each party is agreeing to provide.

Make sense of an approach from an agency or client

A flattering message can make a first opportunity feel urgent. Give yourself enough time to establish who is contacting you and what they are offering. Ask for the organisation's name, the person's role and a written description of the proposed work. If someone claims to represent an agency, use the agency's published contact route to confirm that connection.

Read an agency's own application instructions before assembling material. The National Careers Service says that a modelling course or expensive portfolio is not necessary to start, and that agencies look for different qualities. Its advice is a useful counterweight to the idea that you must buy a costly package before anyone can consider you.

Distinguish an application, a casting and a confirmed booking. Sending photographs does not mean that you have been selected for a campaign. Attending a meeting does not establish that paid work will follow. Ask what the next stage involves, whether there are costs and when a decision is expected.

You can prepare without trying to imitate a famous model's path. Choose images that accurately show what an agency has requested, keep your contact information organised and decide which kinds of assignment interest you. If the proposed work falls outside those choices, ask about it directly rather than assuming you must accept it to remain a serious applicant.

Understand the UK distinction between work-finding fees and other services

The GOV.UK guidance for fashion and photographic modelling agencies prohibits upfront charges for finding work, including putting a model's information on a website or in a publication for that purpose. It allows agreed fees once the agency has found work. The terms must be accepted before fees are charged or earnings are deducted.

GOV.UK treats additional services, such as producing photographs or a showreel, separately. Their terms must be supplied in a separate document, and an agency cannot require someone to buy those services as a condition of finding work. The guidance also describes a 30-day period during which the person can cancel those additional-service arrangements without having to pay.

Ask what a proposed charge actually covers. “Joining”, “promotion”, “portfolio” and “administration” are labels; you need the service, the timing and the written conditions. A large package of photographs is not evidence that a paid assignment exists. Keep the work-finding offer separate from any service being sold to you.

The UK government also requires the agency's written terms to explain its services, authority, fees and termination arrangements. Read the full agreement and obtain appropriate advice about anything you do not understand. These are UK examples; arrangements in another country need to be checked against the rules that apply there.

Review the complete offer, including what happens to the images

A day of work can lead to material being used for much longer. Before accepting a commercial booking, ask where the photographs or film may appear, for how long and in which markets. A campaign on a brand's own website is a different proposed use from paid advertisements, outdoor posters or material supplied to other businesses.

Discuss image use and payment together. Ask whether the stated amount covers only the session or includes the proposed uses, and how an extension would be handled. Do not assume that you can withdraw every image later, or that the client can reuse it indefinitely. The agreement needs to answer those questions; where the terms are unclear, seek qualified advice before signing.

Other useful details belong in the same review:

• The work and time required, including fittings, travel and any later appearance.
• The agreed payment, any deductions or expenses, and when payment is due.
• Any restriction on working with other clients, including its duration and scope.
• The process if the date, location, wardrobe or creative brief changes.
• Whether the model is also being asked to post material on her own accounts or take part in interviews.

Give an unanswered question its own place in your notes. “Waiting for confirmation of image-use period” is easier to resolve than a general feeling that the offer looks fine. Keep the final written version with the booking details so that a later conversation can refer to what was actually agreed.

Choose how much of your personal story belongs in the campaign

A model can be comfortable displaying a garment and uncomfortable discussing her family, religious practice or experiences of prejudice. Those are separate choices. Ask whether a personal interview is part of the commission and what the intended questions are before agreeing to it.

If you do want to contribute a story, decide which details you are happy to make public. A short account of why you enjoy a particular creative job may be enough. You do not need an account of hardship to make your presence in a campaign meaningful.

Check how the proposed caption describes you. Words such as “liberated”, “traditional”, “rebellious” or “inspirational” can attach an interpretation that the person pictured never chose. You might prefer a straightforward credit identifying your work. Ask for a route to raise factual errors or concerns, while being clear about what approval rights the agreement actually provides.

Let your own decisions remain individual. One woman's willingness to model a product does not make it suitable for everyone who shares her faith. Equally, another woman's decision to decline a booking does not give an audience permission to question the first woman's sincerity. The work can be discussed without making strangers defend their identity.

What a commissioning team can do before the first photograph

Write a brief that describes the creative work you need. If wearing hijab matters to the concept, explain why and what the model is being asked to contribute. Avoid using a vague request for “diversity” in place of an actual role, and do not expect the person cast to supply the campaign's cultural research for free.

Give practical questions to someone who can answer them. The person discussing wardrobe should know the agreed coverage. The producer should know the arrangements for private changing and the agreed schedule. The person commissioning an interview should know which topics have been accepted. A model should not have to restart the same negotiation with every new member of the team.

Budget for the work the project needs. If you require specialist styling, translation, consultation or extra promotional content, identify it as work and discuss the terms with the person providing it. Do not hide additional responsibilities inside the flattering claim that someone has a chance to speak for her community.

Afterwards, make room for specific feedback. Ask what the model would change about the booking or production process and explain who will consider it. If a difficulty came from a late wardrobe change, the response may belong in scheduling and approvals. A thank-you post will not resolve that practical issue on its own.

Measure an opportunity against the life and work you want

A prestigious name can be exciting, but it does not answer whether a particular job suits you. Consider the preparation, travel, uncertainty, public exposure and payment alongside the creative interest. You may decide that occasional work fits your life better than pursuing every available casting.

For an unpaid collaboration, be especially clear about what each person contributes and receives. Agree the intended output and use of the material before committing time or spending money. A promise of exposure is difficult to assess when nobody can explain the audience, the publication or what will actually be delivered.

Keep a modest record of your own experience after a completed job: the assignment, time spent, agreed payment, what went well and anything you would negotiate differently. Over several projects, those observations can help you identify the work you enjoy and the arrangements you need. You do not have to turn every experience into public content.

The next useful step may be small: reading an agency's application requirements, asking a client to clarify a brief, or declining a proposal that does not fit. Hijab-wearing models deserve room to make those ordinary professional decisions. Their presence in an image matters, and so does their ability to recognise their own choices in the work behind it.

Sources and scope: career guidance from England's National Careers Service; GOV.UK guidance on entertainment and modelling agencies; Premier Artists' Mariah Idrissi biography; and Halima Aden's March 2021 interview with The National. These sources were checked on 23 October 2026. Career examples are dated, and the practical scenarios are original illustrations. Current work or religious rulings are not inferred from an old interview.