The annual Met Gala has come and gone but, this week, one community is gearing up for a gala of its own. Eid al-Adha is one of the most important dates in the Islamic calendar, a time for repentance, forgiveness and celebration. The festival has been branded online as the âMuslim Met Galaâ, with the hashtag #eidoutfit and #muslimmetgala amassing more than 1.1m views on TikTok.
In recent years, users have begun to share their intricately put together Eid outfits, from Middle Eastern thobes and abayas, to west African boubou gowns and Pakistani shalwar kameez.
For me, Eid has always been about food ahead of fashion â the aroma of cooking that hits when I arrive at my grandparentsâ house. I count the days down until I can indulge on benachin (jollof rice made up of tomatoes and spices served with meat and vegetables that is the national dish of my country, the Gambia). However, the online buzz has also reignited my interest in the sartorial side of the celebrations. For the past three years, I have attended my own gala, dressing up dramatically with friends and going to fancy restaurants to celebrate. My favourite look has to be from 2021 when I wore a black and gold embroidered abaya (pictured above) with soft glam makeup and henna tattoos. For 2024, I made a promise to myself to introduce more colour, and so this Eid my abaya is pink.
So what are others planning on wearing and what has the Muslim Met Gala brought to their festivities? Here are three Muslim content creators from across the world, on how fashion and Eid can go hand in hand.
âItâs recommended to wear your flyest clothesâ
Eid literally means festival, so from a young age itâs been instilled in me to dress up â itâs always recommended to wear your flyest, newest clothes.
The whole Muslim Met Gala came about because I think everyone recognised how much Muslims dress up on Eid. Itâs not every day you get an opportunity to wear something extravagant to share your culture, especially when youâre living in the west.
As an African family originally from Guinea, we are very vibrant in the way we dress â that is all incorporated into my Eid outfit. I typically wear a gown made from a material called bazin, renowned for its stiffness and vibrant sheen.
The trend makes Muslims more relatable. I see non-Muslim people on TikTok rating outfits, bringing more awareness to the religion and just talking about how gorgeous it is.
Outside the fashion element, thereâs so much more to Eid. Itâs a time when we come together with our families, friends, loved ones, people who you probably havenât seen for a long time. Itâs a time of community â we eat together, pray together and congregate. Love can be felt all around. Aïssata Diallo (pictured above), 31, New York
âI wear what I wear on a normal day â but times 10â
The excitement of Eid stems from my childhood. The night before, my mum would hang all our new clothes up â from the top of our heads to our socks, everything had to be brand new.
Eid isnât always the same now, the magic fades as you get older. [But] the Muslim Met Gala has sort of reignited it. I think thatâs why people started to really make more of an effort.
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For my Eid outfit, I pick whatever I feel is my style but that will also enhance me. So whatever I choose to wear on a normal day, but times 10.
Iâm half Lebanese and half Brazilian and I wouldnât say I have a specific cultural dress to turn to. But I look for prints, colours, vibrance, and I think that comes from my Brazilian side. Last Eid I wore a very heavily sequined wrap dress that was made in Kuwait and which, with its colours and frills, really stood out. Habiba Da Silva, 29, Birmingham/Zanzibar
âThe perfect Eid outfit has to flowâ
Every Eid, I choose an outfit that speaks to my character [and] that I feel confident in. I think the key characteristic for a perfect Eid outfit is something that flows, but I have to say this year I am really resonating with the colour blue â out of the five Eid outfits Iâve bought three of them are blue. I love to order a lot of outfits so on the day I have options.
[Social media users] equating Eid to the Met Gala is definitely a smart move, because it amplifies representation of us Muslims around the world. I think it brings such joy for those celebrating, especially those who pay close attention to fashion. Eid for us Muslim girlies is the most anticipated occasion every year, and itâs so exciting to see everyone online go all out â watching all the content is very wholesome.
In Malaysia, our Eid outfit is slightly different. We tend to do a lot of long skirts in homage to our traditions in south-east Asia. The men wear a traditional Malay outfit called baju melayu, which consists of a long-sleeved shirt and trousers paired with a songkok (cap), and the women wear a baju kurung, which is a loose-fitting full-length dress, made up of a blouse and skirt.
We all visit other peopleâs homes to celebrate. Despite all the ups and downs we face in everyday life, weâre still here and trying our best to forgive each other and do better. Arissa Munira (pictured above), 26, Malaysia
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