A fashion event took place last month that seemed — well, not like the other s: the Islamic Fashion Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
上月舉行的一場時尚活動：馬來西亞吉隆坡的伊斯蘭時尚節，看起來，嗯，不同於其他時尚活動。
"Islamic fashion festival? Just doesn't make sense," one Muslim girl tweeted.
一名穆斯林女孩推文：「伊斯蘭時尚節？搞不懂。」
But that, it turned out, was precisely the point.
但事實上，巧妙就在這兒。
Founded nine years ago by Dato' Raja Rezza Shah partly to combat stereotypes about Islam, the festival is part of a wider movement within a slice of the Muslim world — most often Muslims living in minority contexts, or non-Arab Muslim majority countries — that has seized on fashion as a means to reshape the cultural narrative. Or at least how it is seen.
時尚節九年前由拉惹理查拿督創立，部分原因是為了對抗關於伊斯蘭的刻板印象。時尚節是穆斯林世界小部分地區一個更大行動的一環，這些穆斯林多半在居住國屬少數族裔，或是住在穆斯林居多數的非阿拉伯國家，要以時尚為手段重塑文化敘事，或者至少改變外界的印象。
As Reina Lewis, a professor of cultural studies at the London College of Fashion and the author of "Muslim Fashion: Contemporary Style Cultures," to be published in 2015, said : "Every time there is a moral panic in the West about Muslims as a civilizational Other, whether it is about the jihadization of young men or whatever, it is illustrated with a picture of women wearing the hijab or abaya, shrouded in black."
倫敦時尚學院文化研究教授、明年將出版的「穆斯林時尚：當代風格文化」一書作者蕾娜．路易斯說：「每當西方視穆斯林為文明異己而產生道德恐慌時，不論是關乎年輕男子的聖戰狂熱或其他事，總不忘以婦女戴頭紗、穿長袍，一身黑的形象來描繪。」
The designer and blogger Dian Pelangi, who"Islamic fashion festival? Just specializes in rainbow-tinted tie-dyed chiffons and silks combined with African detailing that also cover the head and body, told The Jakarta Post: "I think that if Islamic fashion can gain traction in America, it will change people's perceptions of Islam and Islamic fashion."
設計師兼部落客狄安．佩朗吉，擅長以彩虹般繽紛色彩紮染的雪紡紗與絲綢，結合非洲風細節，設計包覆頭和身體的服飾。她告訴雅加達郵報：「我認為如果伊斯蘭時尚能在美國發揮吸引力，就能改變人們對伊斯蘭教和伊斯蘭時尚的看法。」
The festival, which began in 2006 and is now held three times a year, most recently was a showcase for 26 designers from Malaysia , Singapore, Indonesia and Pakistan. The festival has an official goal to build " an updated visual and cultural reference from which Islam can be related to the modern world through the creative arena of fashion divorced from political, economic and social strife."
這個時尚節始於2006年，如今一年舉行3次，最近一次是結合26位來自馬來西亞、新加坡、印尼及巴基斯坦設計師的作品展示。時尚節的官方目標是「將伊斯蘭與政治、經濟及社會衝突分離，透過時尚的創意領域，與現代社會建立更新的視覺與文化關係」。
But it is also a lucrative market. The Muslim clothing and footwear market was estimated by Thomson Reuters at $224 billion globally in 2012 — 10.6 percent of total global expenditure in the sector, and the second biggest market in the world after the United States ($494 billion in 2012). The news agency projects it to grow to $322 billion by 2018.
這同時也是個有利可圖的市場。湯普森路透估計，2012年全球穆斯林衣鞋市場規模約2240億美元，占全球相關花費的10.6%，是世界第二大市場，僅次於美國（4940億美元）。路透預測，這個市場到2018年將成長至3220億美元。
Malaysia is competing with Dubai and Indonesia for the position of "capital of Islamic fashion," Dr. Lewis said. "It's part of national branding strategy and development ."
路易斯說，馬來西亞正與杜拜、印尼爭逐「伊斯蘭時尚之都」的地位，「這是國家品牌策略及發展的一部分」。
Calvin Thoo, one of the designers who has been participating in the event since it began, said, "There is this crisis where Islam has probably been given a bad name by extremists, and I want to show modest dress does not have to mean somber, or boring or so complicated ." His recent collection featured not just long sleeves and skirts and high necks, but also peplums, chiffon halters, beading on shoulders and arms and lace cutaways, all in jewel tones.
設計師杜志祥自時尚節成立之初即參與其事，他說：「伊斯蘭教大概因極端分子而背負惡名，這是個危機。我想要表達的是，端莊的服飾不必然就是黯淡、乏味或複雜的。」他最近的作品並非只有長袖、裙裝和高領，也包括腰部飾以荷葉邊的上衣、雪紡背心、手及肩部的串珠裝飾和蕾絲下擺，全系列都是寶石色調。
Nor Aini Shariff, whose line is called Jarumas, focuses on what might be termed "haute batik."
設計師諾安妮．夏里夫的品牌「Jarumas」，聚焦於或可稱為「蠟染高級時裝」的服飾。
Most of the clothes on display were marked by saturated colors, from jade to rose, sapphire, crimson and white, as well as elaborate draping and headpieces. They were modest in coverage, but not aesthetic ambition.
此處展示的多數服飾標榜飽和的色彩，從翠玉色到玫瑰紅，藍寶石色、深紅色及白色，加上精緻的皺摺和裝飾。它們在覆蓋身體上很低調，但不吝於表現美學野心。
Where the festival may differ most from the competing fashion weeks of Dubai (founded in 2005) and Jakarta (founded in 2008) is that it has traveled to London, New York, Monaco, Singapore and other cities.
這個時尚節和對手杜拜時裝周（2005年成立）和雅加達時裝周（2008年成立）不同之處，在於它已擴展至倫敦、紐約、摩納哥、新加坡及其他城市。
The festival is a part of a growing awareness in a diverse array of cultures and countries that fashion may be a useful communications tool. Colombia's Inex- Moda has been part of an effort to change the national story from one of drug-running to one of design. And Zambia's fashion week was conceived to move the conversation from poverty to creativity and pride.
一些各不相同的文化和國家日益察覺，時尚或許是個有用的傳播工具，而這個時尚節正是這種意識覺醒的產物。哥倫比亞的Inexmoda用以扭轉國家形象，從毒品國變成設計之國。尚比亞的時裝周則將關乎這個家的話題從貧窮轉為創意與驕傲。
Festival organizers are positive about its potential. "I believe I.F.F. has managed to bring the message that Islam does not equal to terrorism; an easy example is we are still invited around the world," Dato' Rezza wrote in an email message.
時尚節主辦單位對其潛力相當樂觀。拉惹理查拿督在電郵中寫道：「我相信伊斯蘭時尚節傳達了這樣的訊息：伊斯蘭教不等於恐怖主義。最簡單的例子是，世界各地仍邀請我們前去。」
Dr. Lewis was more measured . "I don't want to suggest this approach will end global friction or war," she said. "But alongside the depiction of Islam as a religion of peace and universal values, the depiction of Islam as part of contemporary consumer culture is an effective way to convey the message they live in the same world as everyone else."
路易斯則較謹慎。她說：「我不想暗示這種方法能終結全球摩擦或戰爭。不過，在把伊斯蘭教描述為一個和平、具普世價值的宗教的同時，也把它描述成當代消費文化的一環，是讓世人知道穆斯林也和他們住在同樣一個世界的有效方法。」
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