Modelling is a form of art and art often has expressive forms with different models expressing varrying messages through their designs and dress codes.
As I walk in the streets of Mombasa in my day to day duties as a reporter I managed to meet with a young girl residing in the coastal city. I sit with her for few minutes at Mombasa Aviation College as she shares her especial story in the fashion industry.
As many would attest to, modelling is not a concept quite embraced in the Islamic culture. Most individuals have the notion that a model would go to lengthy extents to expose her body as an object for admiration before people as they walk in ramps through pictures on magazine's cover pages. Albeit this type of myths, Bai Mohammed still goes ahead with her passion in modelling whilst trying to demystify underlying misconceptions prevalent around the coastal area and beyond.
The student from Mombasa Aviation College in her career expresses modesty and her dressing goes to speak volumes of modesty that can also be embraced in a much growing fashion industry on the regional and global frontier.
In her perception, Mombasa's fashion industry is lucrative albeit still being a baby industry. Bai thinks that people's perception are slowly changing to accommodate modelling as a genuine career. She however believes there is still a lot to be done to break psychological barriers that limit the fashion industry from growing beyond events organised by friends and beyond few outdoor ultra glamorous parties and runway walks.
When she started out, she had no idea that it was the beginning of her modelling career. She was still in high school back then. She then attended an event which was called Mombasa Got Talent. She says that she got an invite from a friend who she studied with in school. So in that event, Bai's friend had an aunt who was a make up artist and one of the designers there. Immediately she saw Bai, the aunt asked in a joking manner, "are you one of my models?" Of course she wasn't because she had attended the event as any other person. Along the event, the make up artist cum designer missed one model from which point she turned to Bai again.
Bai says she had never modelled in her life but she knew that she wanted to. Then again, we are in Mombasa and the whole idea is not really well received; so Bai panicked and made so many calls. Finally she called her mom who then allowed her to model and this was her starting point in the fashion industry. She modelled that once in what was a runway event and that's how her career kick started.
While doing all that is connected to her modelling work, Bai feels that she expresses modesty. Coming from a city that is so full of muslims and full of the Islamic community, she intimates that through modelling she communicates modesty. It doesn't have to be bikinis nor indescent pictures for her but with her hijab, Bai can model as well.
As an industry, Bai refuses to accept Mombasa is doing well but opines that the county is still trying. "If you see how we were and where we are now, it is totally different and we are growing. However the career is not really accepted by the society." She says that she has faced a lot of challenges with that. To this end, she tries to imprint the idea into people's minds that if someone can walk around with a bikini, then why should people be backlashed for walking in a long dress and a nice hijab? The modelling concept isn't really accepted but Bai intimates that people are trying to grow past the myth and misconception that modelling is just not for muslim girls.
Some of the events she has modelled in in the past was Mombasa Got Talent event. It was a well known event in Mombasa. She also modelled for a renowned make up artist, Swalha Al Amry in Mombasa in Grand Enchanted Event as an English bride. Bai has also been featured previously in the Vogue Polish Magazine. She has built a brand through her Instagram being a model and a content creator, so people, event organisers and brands can always book for her services through her Instagram account.
Bai's thought is that we need to delve more into the fashion industry and support it as much as we are supporting other talents such as football and music.
She opines that policies and actions should be put in place not only in Mombasa county but also nationally so that we can quickly catch up with the global communities in the fashion and modelling industry.
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