Fashion week’s religious debacle: Brand Mowalola comes under fire for hurting Muslim sentiments

During London's Fashion Week, Mowalola Ogunlsei, a Nigerian-born designer, returned to the fashion pages with her latest collection, Mowalola SS24. However, the fashion brand was scrutinised when a model walked the runway in one of the designs to replicate the Saudi Arabian flag.

The controversial item in question sparked much criticism from Muslims, particularly those of Saudi descent who accused the designer and the fashion house of insulting the religion of Islam.                                

The reasons for the controversy surrounding the piece of clothing are directly related to the phrase the flag displays. The calligraphy on the flag reads the profession of faith for followers of Islam, holding immense sacred significance. Reading, “There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah” in Arabic, the attire was a major oversight on cultural sensitivity.

The outrage 

Many took to social media platforms to call out the insensitivity the designer displayed, proclaiming it as absolutely “unacceptable behavior” on the fashion house’s front. Others, however, seemed to believe this was not just an innocent oversight but rather an attempt at gaining clout, pointing out that “Google is literally free.”

Some, while adopting a more educational tone, called for the brand to recognize its mistake. “Even when unintentional harm is caused, willingness to apologise and learn is crucial! But dismissing other’s perceptions, beliefs, and concerns only depends disrespect,” wrote one X user, while another asked the fashion community to “fight culture appropriation and blasphemy.”

Designer issues apology 

Ogunlsei was first observed to post a controversial response during ongoing backlash, writing, “cry me a river” on her X profile - more popularly known as the former Twitter. However, receiving more backlash for her nonchalant response pertaining to the uproar, the designer of the line did issue an apology for her error of judgement, claiming that "forgiveness [was] the greatest superpower." 

Taking to X, the designer explained that the inspiration behind her design was indeed flags of the world, not realising that this flag in question was etched with religious sentiments. Mowalola assured onlookers that the design would be removed from the collection effective immediately.

“One of my key inspirations for SS24 was to use the national flags of different countries. After the show, I found that one of these flags – Saudi Arabia – features sacred words, and its use has caused great offense. Now that I’ve been educated on this topic, I sincerely apologise for this,” the designer continued, “I’ll ensure this design is removed from the collection. I deeply regret any hurt or offense my oversight may have caused. Thank you for holding me accountable, and I appreciate your understanding as I learn from this experience.”