Shifting Landscapes of Fashion in Contemporary Egypt

Abstract

This article traces various emerging trends in the Egyptian fashion industry in relation to changing lifestyles in Egypt. It focuses in particular on the emergence and coexistence of different local fashion genres, namely “Islamic chic,” locally produced Western “chic,” and so-called “ethnic chic,” all of which have come into existence next to imported Western fashions, which have a long tradition in Egypt. These new trends can be interpreted as part of the interactive processes of globalization. It is argued that both the ethnic look and Islamic chic are promoting new strategies of “distinction” and refined taste. Intricately connected with identity formation and closely associated with “folklorizing” culture, “traditional” clothes along with local handicrafts and ethnic items have become fashionable amongst the well-to-do and tourists. Meanwhile, Islamic attire has transformed from being an austere marker of resistance to Westernization and upper-class pretensions to a new form of “embourgeoisement” with the aspirations for social inclusion that this entails. While the ethnic look functions as a status marker, Islamic chic has become a new means to social elevation.

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