H&M is promoting inclusivity alongside its new sustainable "Close the Loop" initiative.
The brand has featured its first-ever hijab-wearing model—Mariah Idrissi—in a new commercial for the campaign and, well, it's about time. The 23-year-old London-based beauty is of Pakistani and Moroccan descent, and was discovered via her Instagram page (yep, this is 2015 folks). H&M's ultra-cool Close the Loop video (which also features plus-size model Tess Holliday) has been well-received—particularly in the U.K.—since its debut on Sept. 2.
Idrissi appears in the video while the narrator says "look chic"—which is just what she is in an oversized pink coat, wide-leg pants and John Lennon-style sunglasses, a perfect-for-fall ensemble paired with her printed hijab.
"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 recognized the way we wear hijab," Idrissi told Fusion of her participation in the campaign.
"[H&M] asked how much in terms of neck I could show, but to be honest they were very respectful," she continued.
H&M's Close the Loop campaign encourages customers to recycle their clothing through the brand's local garment collecting program. Collected clothing is then turned into yarn to make—you guessed it—new H&M products. In this way, resources are repurposed in a sustainable, meaningful way, which we're behind.