Islamic fashion in Malaysia: the commodification of religious values on Instagram

• Published in: Asian Journal of Communication
• Main Author: Zulkifli C.N.; Rajandran K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85184388509&doi=10.1080%2f01292986.2024.2314775&partnerID=40&md5=91bb29614553bd419c7f53bc0aa6c00c

Islamic fashion has expanded considerably in the last five years and it has gained favour from people due to different branding communication strategies. One of the major strategies is commodifying Islamic teachings to make and sell female attire that appeals to Muslim women. To understand this phenomenon, this article examines five Malaysian Muslim women’s fashion brands on Instagram, analysing the language and pictures used to represent Muslim women and communicate Islamic values. Using frameworks in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS), this article investigates how local Muslim women’s fashion brands represent Muslim women and how they use language and pictures to transmit Islamic messages related to Islamic fashion on Instagram. The analysis reveals that Muslim women’s fashion brands on Instagram have successfully commodified Islamic principles by communicating them through fashion by portraying Malaysian Muslim women as modern, sophisticated and fashion-savvy individuals. These findings also indicate that local fashion brands have successfully commodified Islamic principles by communicating them through fashion, increasing societal awareness of Islamic practices in Malaysia. © AMIC/WKWSCI-NTU 2024.