Introduction

The Global Islamic Economy was estimated to be $2.2 trillion in 2018 (ThomasReuters 2019/20). Driven in large part by the consumerism of young Muslims, by category the Muslim spend is detailed at: $1.17 trillion for food and beverages; followed by $283 billion for modest clothing and apparel; $220 billion for media and recreation; and $64 billion for halal cosmetics (ThomasReuters 2019/20: 4). Modest fashion purchased by Muslim women alone was estimated at $270 billion globally in 2017, with a forecast of growth to $360 billion by 2023 (ThomasReuters 2019/20: 63). The story of the Islamic cultural industries is an outlier in discourse on cultural labour for at least two reasons: the commercial and entrepreneurial aspect of much of the cultural production; and the disputed role of religion within cultural production, and more particularly, Islam in Britain and other Western countries.

The influence of the Islamic cultural industries is already visible in modest fashion on the high street, in luxury and e-commerce. Mainstream brand and retailer interest in the Islamic marketplace has grown with high-street stores such as H&M, Uniqlo, and Marks and Spencer launching modest fashion lines, rather than capsule Ramadan collections, along with luxury brands including Dolce and Gabana, and Burberry. French fashion house Balmain was bought by Qatar's Mahoola investment fund whose portfolio also included a 25 per cent share in Italian house Valentino. Meanwhile in Istanbul the first women-only hijabi shopping centre recently opened. What is driving this development and growth? In part it has been attributed to a passion for designer labels especially in wealthy Middle Eastern Muslim majority countries. Yet the more significant driver is the young, large and fast-growing Muslim population worldwide. This is an upwards trajectory given the global Muslim population is expected to rise from 1.7 billion in 2014 to 2.2 billion by 2030 (26.4 percent), and by 2030 up to 29 per cent of the global young population (15–29 years) will be Muslim (Pew Research Forum on Religion and Public Life 2011). Islam has the youngest population of any of the world's largest religions. And, far from being peripheral in significance, Britain is regarded as one of the global leaders in halal media and fashion, ranked fifth in the world.