Some people who are not well acquainted with the true Islamic teachings think that Islam has not provided for all Muslims equal social rights. And on account of the fact that Islam has made some distinctions between men's and women’s rights they conclude that the same distinctions are made in their social rights. As a result, the picture of women in Islam to them is usually the stereotype of an oppressed, inferior figure and bereft of any right.

The Concept of Gender Equality in Society

Islam is the religion of equality and gender is not a standard for the preference of one over another. In fact, Islam has not only taught the equality of all humans before God but also promoted it in the social sphere. Consequently, in the Islamic social system men and women are granted equal rights and there is no difference between them about their gender.

But, the point is that “equality” does not mean the “similarity” of their rights, since men and women are not identical to one another in many respects [1]. Therefore, we can deduce, although through comparing their rights a kind of disparity appears at the individual level, both of them privileges equal rights on the social scale.

The concept of women’s equal social rights is practically extended in all aspects of social life, and meanwhile, the “equality” does not reflect the meaning of “sameness.” Instead, it means that their social rights are equated in the matters related to self-worth and individual value to those of men.

Women’s Rights & The Right of Seeking Employment

Women are given a free hand to choose the occupation they want. But they have to note that their occupations should neither be incompatible with their physical and spiritual characteristics [2] nor in conflict with their duties towards their families.

This is why Islam has absolved them from providing for the family in the first place so that they become able to take care of their household as best as possible [3]. However, they are entitled to receive a fair wage by their works either outside the house from their employers or inside the house from their husbands if they ask for it [4].

The Right of Traveling and Activity in An Ethical Society

There is no restriction on women traveling alone if it is not inconsistent with the interests of their families. And regarding their social presence, it is a women’s right to be protected from men’s malicious eyes, whose obligation is casting his eyes down towards them [5].

The Social Security, Juridical and Political Rights of Women in Islam

In the Islamic social system, an equal emphasis is given to women for benefiting from social security systems and social services [6]. Also, women’s right in benefiting from Islamic legal and juridical systems is equally safeguarded.

Many stories from the early period of Islamic history deal with women who referred their disputes to the Prophet (PBUH&HP) in the same way as men sought his judgment [7]. Moreover, not only they share the right of election and the nomination to political offices with men but also can access the highest levels of political authority due to the Islamic laws, provided that it is not inconsistent with their physical and spiritual capacities and their responsibilities towards their families [8].

The Right to Have Education

This right is so much important that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) once commanded that even slaved girls should be educated [9] and in one famous narration he considered seeking knowledge an essential task for both sexes [10].

Women’s Social Obligations

In the light of the above facts, we can conclude that the idea of inferiority of the social status of women in Islam to men is void and baseless. However, as it was mentioned earlier, men's and women’s social rights are “equal” and not “similar” due to great differences between their characteristics.

That is why the social obligations of women in Islam are narrower than those of men; as Islam has exempted them from the burden of providing maintenance for the family [11] and even some religious practices.

References:

1. Mutahhari, Murtadha, The Rights of Women in Islam.
2. Amini, Ibrahim, An Introduction to the Rights and Duties of Women in Islam.
3. Penny, Sue, Islam, p.39.
4. Lois, Beck, Women in Iran from 1800 to the Islamic Republic, pp. 165-166.
5. Muhammad Javad, Bahonar, Islam and Women’s Rights.
6. Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights; this article is available at https://www.whyislam.org.
7. Johnson, Andy, Religion and Men’s violence against Women, pp. 322-325.
8. Mahmudi, Hassan, Issues in Women’s rights: A Practitioner’s Resource Book, p. 47.
9. Nasir, Jamal, The Statue of Women Under Islamic Law and Modern Islamic Legislation, p. 15.
10. social rights 
11. Cornell, Vincent, Voices of Islam: Voices of life: family, home, and society, p. 85.

Well, one way to answer this question is to consider it by itself and regardless of any side issues. One may thus say that Muslim women –together with the rest of the world– need clothes! women in Islam, too, deserve to wear beautiful and stylish outfits! Muslim women, too, can have a job! And if all that is acceptable, there could be no fault found with designing such clothes or presenting them as a model.

As you know, though, Islam generally gives us the liberty to do all that is sensible, necessary, and harmless but always draws our attention to certain limits and red lines as well. Our answer to such questions, therefore, is usually like; “No problem provided that…” 

So, let’s now have a look at those conditions for women in Islam that might concern fashion designing and modeling?

1. Cover End

As you know, Islam has set a certain limit on women’s covering. This certain limit addresses women’s natural charm and attractions for men, and their understandable desire to expose them.

So, the big idea for setting such specific measures may be that women do not make a pledge of a special extent of covering for themselves which they would never break. Since, it will end up in what we can see today, where women’s bare body is so widely used as a tool to win men’s attention and pleasure. That’s why Islam has issued special rulings for women (and of course men’s) covering. 

2. Modesty for Women in Islam

The second thing, which is even more repeated and stressed on in Islam, is modesty [1]. But what is modesty all about? Cambridge dictionary defines it [with regards to clothes and behavior] as “a quality, in women, of dressing or behaving in a way that is intended to avoid attracting sexual interest” [i].

Of course, modesty is not exclusively for women in Islam. Men, too, are bid not to dress up or behave in a way that may attract sexual interest. What’s more, the same term is also metaphorically used to imply protecting all parts of the body from trespasses, such as modesty of the eyes, modesty of the tongue, or modesty of the heart. So, in a broad sense, modesty is the quality of protecting oneself against wrong desires. And that’s exactly what we need in fashion modeling.

Now, modesty is somehow different from covering obligations. It means a person (or a woman, as concerns this article) might be well covered following the Islamic principles of covering, but her type of clothes or her manners may still leave room for provoking sexual interest.

Moreover, the realization of modesty can be culturally variable. What is considered as an acceptable level of modesty in a cultural background may not be so in another. But in every culture, I guess, women know pretty well what kind of outfit or behavior could attract sexual attention. And that will do!

To Come to an End…

Finally, I should say that Islam is not opposed to men and women looking neat, good-looking, fashionable, or even attractive. If a woman is especially kind looking, for example, she looks particularly attractive to everybody.

Does it mean that she shouldn’t look like that? No way! What Islam tries to avoid is looking SEXUALLY attractive –in the same way that Islam asks men time after time to take care of their sight and never look at any woman –other than one’s spouse- sexually. Because Islam wants all sexual pleasure and satisfaction to be concentrated within wedlock and intended for its strength and persistence, rather than its disruption!

So, yes, fashion designing and modeling are acceptable for women in Islam [ii]. And yes, Muslim fashion designers or models are not the same as others who usually intend to be seductive in their manners and their type and extent of covering. Muslim designers and models are required to cover their body (except for the face, hands, and feet) and to look modest.  In Muslim countries, therefore, fashion shows are held in segregated places when the kinds of clothes being presented do not go along with Islamic rulings on covering and modesty in public.

Notes:
[i] dictionary.cambridge.org
[ii] You can read more about whether Muslim women can have a job here.

References:

1. Al-kafi, vol. 3, p. 714 , Knaz al-‘Ummal, vol. 3, p. 126