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 “Muslim Met Gala”, 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 . View image in fullscreen Nyima Jobe’s Eid outfit in 2021.
Photograph: Nyima Jobe For me, Eid has always been about food ahead of fashion – the aroma of cooking that hits when I arrive at my grandparents’ 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.
