Today, the majority of people wear what might be called “world fashion,” a condensed and extremely affordable version of Western clothing, frequently consisting of a T-shirt and pants or a skirt. In addition, there are numerous smaller, more niche fashion industries that serve certain national, regional, ethnic, or religious markets throughout the world. The design, manufacture, and marketing of saris in India and boubous in Senegal are two examples. On a smaller, regional scale, these industries coexist with the global fashion industry.
The widespread adoption of the hijab (religiously appropriate attire) by Muslim women in the early twenty-first century, not only in the Middle East but also throughout the Islamic world, was a significant development in the field of ethno-religious dress. Veiling standards and fashions vary widely because there are millions of Muslim women living in numerous nations worldwide. For some people, veiling entails a complete exclusion from the ups and downs of fashion. Other women, including those for whom modest clothing is required in public, might put on chic European styles under their more traditional street clothes. Others have aimed for appearances that are stylish yet understated themselves. The market for modest clothing was expanding internationally at the start of the twenty-first century.
