In the Netherlands the shawl has been subject of many discussions. The question remains whether it is representative, safe to wear during sports activities and not opposed to women’s rights. Many native Dutch people feel that wearing the shawl symbolises oppression of women. In the Western world wearing a shawl was a big trend in the ‘50’s and early ‘60’s. Since the arrival of Muslim women in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, due to the immigration of foreign labourers, the shawl has almost become a taboo.
Enter Dutch designer Cindy Van Den Bremen, the brains behind Capsters. The history of Capsters lies in the graduation project of Van den Bremen at the Design Academy Eindhoven back in 1999. The concept was based on the idea to give Muslim girls and their gym teachers in the Netherlands an alternative to the traditional hijab to wear during gym class. The designs were realised in close co-operation with Muslim girls and an Imam. Due to all the positive publicity, orders started coming in and soon the brand Capsters® was born. In 2001 the first sports range was launched and has been sold worldwide since. Not only have Muslim women showed interest, but also other women and even men. For several years now Capsters has served an international and diverse clientele.
Cindy discovered that a lot of prejudices were based on negative reports about Islam that appeared in the media. She saw the Hijab as one of the most stigmatised characteristics of Muslim life in the Netherlands.
“In the Netherlands there is a Committee for Equal Treatment: de Commissie Gelijke Behandeling” she said. “They handle possible discrimination cases. In the past a lot of Muslim women have called for interference when they felt discriminated by wearing the shawl. A few years ago this committee agreed that no one should be denied the right to wear a shawl” she added.”
Soon after this same committee decided that wearing a headscarf was dangerous during sports activities in school. It was suggested wearing a swimming cap with a high turtleneck instead. Muslim girls alarmed at the new directives began to excuse themselves from PE, and some began to play truant.
Alll this added up to a design challenge for Cindy: creating a save solution that co-ordinates with the Islamic regulations. “I had to design a new cover that was safe and at the same time covered the head, hair and neck. I had to be aware not to design an existing solution, such as a hood or a cap” she said.
A lot of the Muslim girls that Cindy spoke to during the course of her research complained about the fact that they constantly felt that they had to defend their choice of wearing a shawl. “I think it should be a personal decision whether you want to cover yourself or not. People cover themselves for different reasons but most of all for protection, whether it is the cold, the wind or unwanted looks, it shouldn’t really matter, as long as it is your own choice!” she added.
“When I started my research I did not know I was going to design sportshijabs. I just wanted to do something with the heavy loaded subject of veiling in the West, to see if I, as a designer, could change something that was actually a cultural, political and social problem.
“During my research I discovered that the image of headscarves or hijabs in the west is not representative for a lot of Muslim women. The image of a veiled woman in the Netherlands is mostly that of a not very well-educated, oppressed and timid woman. During my research I spoke to a lot of young Muslim women who are actually the opposite: very bright, independent and outspoken!”
Cindy realised that the image of the hijab hadn't developed since the arrival of the Muslim community in the late 60's and early 70's. The immigrants wives wore the headscarf often as a sign of culture and tradition. Their daughters were born and raised in the Netherlands. Growing up in 2 different cultures made them curious to find their roots. Some start reading the Quaran, something their often illiterate mothers have never done. They interpreted the hijab as a symbol of their descent and wear it with pride.
Cindy’s creative instincts led to her concluding that the appearance of the traditional shawl worn by Muslim girls didn't quite cover this message; “besides this aesthetic problem I discovered a practical problem related to sports in school. A courtcase decided that for safety reasons a gymteacher could expel a girl wearing a hijab from his gymclass. The solution offered by the Comity of Equal Treatment was to wear a turtleneck and swimcap instead. This did not solve the problem: the girls skipped gymclass because they didn't want to feel humiliated.”
It was at this time that Cindy realised the whole issue was not about covering but about the way the girls cover themselves. And that problem could be solved by a designer.
“So I started to talk with girls and Islamic organisations to research the requirements for a new sportshijab. After I made the sketches and the styling I went back to the girls to ask for feedback. This really was an interesting part of the design process: I don't have the 'wearer knowledge' they do. In order to meet their wishes, I needed feedback. Together we adjusted some designs: replaced a zipper by velcro or changed the material into a more flexible one, to prevent any noise around the ears. I also had my designs approved by an Imam, since he is the person the girls go to, to ask for advise on certain matters.”
Besides all the functional requirements Cindy wanted to add a solution for the social problem as well. She realised that if the hijabs did not look traditional but 'hip & trendy' they possibly could change prejudice into some sort of admiration.
“One of the confirmations that I got on that thought was from a 70 year old man, visiting the graduation show: 'I don't like hijabs at all, but I do like your designs'. This made me realise even more that the social problem with the acceptance of hijabs was not about the girls being covered, but the way they are covered.
Last but not least, to make the integration more visible Cindy asked herself not only 'what does a hijab mean for Muslims' but also 'what can the hijab be for non-Muslims'. The answer to that was simple: “it could be just a functional or aesthetic head-accessory. The only thing I had to do was to design something that met both worlds, and that is exactly what I consider integration.”
The project of Capsters did not finish after graduation. Due to all the publicity and all the positive reactions from mostly high-educated, emancipated women all over the world Cindy realised there was a market; “2 years later I introduced the brand of Capsters by the internet www.capsters.com . I still receive enthusiastic e-mails by women and girls who thank me for the simple yet marvellous solution. The feedback that I get are confirming my thoughts and designs.”
While designing the sports-covers Cindy didn’t only focus on the target group, she designed a head-cover that is still suitable for Islamic purposes, but doesn’t explore that message. She created a line of sports accessories that could be worn by anyone, regardless their choice of function, religion or even gender. I made four types of sports-covers.
Cindy paid attention to the different colours, materials and shapes used for clothing concerning a particular sport; “for instance for the tennis model, I looked at the traditional tennis clothing for women, which seems to be the short skirt. A convinced Muslim woman would never wear such a skirt. But since it’s so characteristic for the Tennis sport I assimilated it in the collar.”
Cindy needed feed back on the choice of designs, materials and colours. “I went to an Imam to have my designs judged on Islamic regulations. He was very enthusiastic since I was not a Muslim but yet interested in solving the problems concerning the shawl.”
Cindy’s choice to focus on this subject was not only to solve the problem in gym class but also to start a new awareness by the Western world that a lot of women choose the right to cover themselves. “In the Netherlands the opinion that ‘all girls wear them because their fathers tell them to’, and that ‘all women wear them because their husbands tell them to’ is outdated” she said.
“A lot of girls that are born in the Netherlands but raised with the culture and values of their immigrant parent’s origin, find themselves struggling with their identity. They are born with foreign blood but speak, think and express themselves in a Dutch way. To the outside world they are still foreigners and to their own community they appear to be Dutch.
“To emphasise their individuality they find comfort in wearing the shawl, which symbolises their religion and beliefs. A lot of women experience wearing the shawl as a freedom. They can interact and integrate without loosing their own values and being judged by their own community. Some Dutch people feel there’s no need to wear a shawl since those women are living in the Netherlands. But I believe that you create your own needs. It’s just a way of acceptance…”
Cindy Van Den Bremen has published the book of her research titled ‘Hoofddoeken’ (hijabs). It is available in bookstores throughout the Netherlands for € 12,50 and published by Bulaaq. It is a compilation of quotes of confident Muslim women and journalists and beautiful pictures by Giti Entezami, of different shaped, coloured and worn hijabs in the Netherlands. A selection of scaled pictures and quotes from the book are on exhibition, travelling through the Netherlands. The opening of the exhibition is programmed with a lecture and a panel on the topic of veiling. Years after starting this project it's still developing in a much broader perspective than just the designs.
Further stories of Cindy’s experiences can be found at www.capsters.com
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