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This 23-year-old model who was discovered on Instagram just made history for H&M

Sep 28, 2015, 22:55 IST

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Youtube/H&M

Mariah Idrissi is helping H&M make history, The Cut reports.The 23-year-old model is the fast fashion giant's first model ever to be shown wearing a hijab.

The London native was discovered on Instagram, the fashion site adds.

She appears as a part of H&M's new campaign, "Close The Loop," which zeroes in on recycling fibers for sustainable clothing - and features many often marginalized demographics, including Sikh men and plus size models.

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 She still isn't sure why H&M chose to feature her.

"I honestly have no idea why," the half-Pakistani, half-Moroccan model said to Fusion. "It might be because hijab fashion has boomed in the last few years and to finally see a hijabi [a woman who wears a hijab] in mainstream fashion is a big achievement."

"Some people think it's great that women can be beautiful and wear a hijab, and others think they're forced to wear it. I'm quite thick-skinned though, so if people did say anything to me, I wouldn't notice it anyway," she said to Fusion

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Idrissi told Fusion she attended Islamic school for 10 years and started wearing a hijab when she was 17. 

Beauty is Idrissi's passion; Fusion notes she opened a salon called Salon Marrakesh, which even features Halal nail polish.

Other designers have utilized Muslim women in their campaigns - including DKNY and Tommy Hilfiger - but these women often still feel ignored, Idrissi expressed to Fusion."It always feels like women who wear hijab are ignored when it comes to fashion," she said to the website. "Our style, in a way, hasn't really mattered, so it's amazing that a brand that is big has recognized the way we wear hijab."

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