I, as an unapologetic western feminist, have zero religious mandate to cover up, but I think these look pretty cool and I wonder if we might see these catching on with non-muslim girls who just like the aesthetic. Heck, it could be warm in winter….or pair with goggles to keep the sand out at Burning Man!

from Capster.com

Betwa Sharma writes for the Huffington Post, Making the Hijab Work:

Ausma Khan, editor of Muslim Girl, a magazine for Muslim teens in the United States and Canada, says, “In America we’re seeing an evolution where the governing principle of modesty remains the same, but at the same time it is incorporating contemporary styles of dressing.”

…Khan, whose magazine devotes many pages to fashion, notes that this demand is not met by supply. “There is an untapped market for girls who don’t want to look like versions of Britney Spears but at the same time want to dress well,” she says. “The designers have not caught on yet.”

One designer with foresight is Cindy van den Bremen who operates out of the Netherlands. In 2001, she launched a hijab range to match sports needs and solve the problems that bulky hijabs caused Muslim girls in the gym.

After eight years, Capsters have become an international brand selling online and in stores across Europe, Canada, US, Middle East, Indonesia and Malaysia. “To be honest, there have been more requests for wholesale than I could handle,” she says.

As the forest fire rages through retail clearing out the dead wood in the malls, its going to be brands like Capster who innovate to produce a well engineered, appealing product to a gaping niche that will be the new trees rising up from the ashes soaking up the heretofor blocked sunlight. And currency.

Capster for surfing

On a practical level I’ve often wondered about the hijab: perhaps it gets way easier if you wear it all the time, but any time I’ve tried to wear a scarf over my head (costume, warmth, etc) I’ve never been able to keep the darn thing on my head. Which makes me wonder about how being mandated to wear one restricts you in less obvious ways by restricting the activities you can engage in. (This phenomenon is not entirely that different than high heels or tight skirts, no?) So I think it’s a genius adaptation for a girl to be able to approach her parents with a garment they can’t argue with, but that she can still go surfing in.

In my scans of the Fall fashion shows I didn’t see a noticeable trend towards hoods, but they always show up from time to time:

Zero + Maria Cornejo Fall 09, style.com

Topshop offers this trendy update on the ubiquitous hoodie. Notice that unlike the sweatshirt style hoodie that’s nearly always worn down the shoulder, this one looks like it covers the neck, although not entirely the hair:

Topshop Fall 09, style.com

A few more Capsters. I’m sure the knockoffs are already in merchant stalls.

Capster for tennis

Here’s one presumably for more dressed up occaisions. To get the full effect, I recommend hitting their website and checking out the 360 flash view.

Capster "Lady"

Capster for everyday

the original Capster, for aerobics