H&M features its first Muslim model in a hijab

Mariah Idrissi, who is of Pakistani and Moroccan heritage and based in London, appears in the high street brand's video wearing a checkered hijab and sunglasses to to promote its Close the Loop recycling initiative.

Speaking to Fusion about the campaign, Mariah who chose to start wearing a hijab at 17, said: 'It always feels like women who wear hijab are ignored when it comes to fashion... so it’s amazing that a brand that is big has recognised the way we wear hijab.'

H&M - the world's second largest global retailer - invited Mariah to star in the ad by way of a model scout, and at first she was skeptical.

With the permission of her parents, however, she went ahead on the basis of it being for a 'good cause'.

Mariah says the team at the shoot were mostly women, and that men were instructed not to touch her. She was also provided a special private dressing area.

'[H&M] asked how much in terms of neck I could show, but to be honest they were very respectful,' she said.

The fashion giant is currently asking shoppers for their unwanted clothes, regardless of their brand or condition, so it can either re-sell them as second-hand, or recycle the fabric.

Mariah's appearance in the video is accompanied with a voiceover stating: 'Look chic'. The video also includes an elderly man in drag, a plus-size model and a boxer with a prosthetic leg.

It closes with the statement: 'There are no rules in fashion but one. Recycle your clothes.'

Mariah currently runs a Moroccan-inspired beauty salon in London, where she offers henna tattoos and special Halal nail polish.

Her Instagram account boasts more than 3,400 followers, who flock to admire her selfies - in which she is always wearing a turban hijab that completely covers her hair but doesn't wind around her neck.

Instead, she wears high-necked accessories or polo necks to protect her modesty.

Yesterday, Mariah posted a quote to her Instagram which reads: 'Hijab includes the way a person walks, talks, looks and thinks. 

'All of it should be done modestly and applies to both men and women.'

(dailymail.co.uk)