The Halal Standard In Textiles And Clothing

Though the term "Halal" is most commonly associated with food, it is actually relevant to many aspects of life, including tourism, finance, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, logistics, cosmetics, and, of course, clothing. We know in Islam that both men and women are required to dress modestly. But today, Muslims wear a wide variety of clothing, which is influenced not only by religious considerations but also by practical, cultural, social, and even political factors.

Is such fashion, however, considered ethical clothing?
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How well do you know the materials used in your clothes, shoes, and accessories?

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Islamic Fashion And Halal Supply Chain

Islamic fashion is the branch of the fashion industry that is influenced by Islamic principles. The growth of "an Islamic consumer sector, which purposefully forges links between religion and fashion, encouraging Muslims to be both covered and trendy, modest and attractive" is a relatively recent development.

As it is for food, when it also comes to Halal standards for clothing, the Halal supply chain knowledge is important to Muslim customers, producers, and marketers who play an essential role in Muslim marketplaces.

Halal supply chain includes knowledge of halal resourcing (RES), halal production and design (PRO), halal handling, storage, and packaging logistics (HAN), and halal retailing (RET).

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What Are The Halal Standards And Guidelines For Clothing?

Based on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) halal food standards, the Halal World Institute established the principles of halal standards in textiles and clothing, among other standards that they follow internationally.

Everyone is encouraged to familiarize themselves with the products they buy. When purchasing a product, a number of factors need to be taken into account, such as: what is it made of? (This is important for food items as it is for clothing). Where was it produced? (Perhaps you don't want to buy products made in certain countries or under certain situations); who made it? (Perhaps you don't want to buy products made by certain companies or in certain conditions).

The supply chain starts with halal resourcing, which refers to the raw materials used (fabrics, cottons, strings, accessories), which is the subject we are going to explore here.

Note: Please be warned that some of the web pages links provided here, contain pictures or videos that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audiences; people with certain medical condition should avoid watching.

How Natural Materials For Clothing Are Produced?

The natural materials that have been used for thousands of years include Cashmere, Cotton, Linen, Ramie, Silk, Wool, Leather, Bones, Horns, and Ivory, which are utilized for clothing and accessories. Let’s briefly take a look at the process of how these materials are obtained.

Cashmere: Goats' soft undercoat is used to produce cashmere. As workers hold the animals down, step on them, bend their legs in an unusual position, and tear out their hair with sharp metal combs, the animals scream in pain and fear. The hair-removal process usually leaves goats with bloody cuts, and they are not given any painkillers or veterinary attention.

»»» The Cruel Cashmere Industry
»»» Cruelty Behind Your Cashmere Sweater
»»» Goats Killed For Mohair

Silk: Silk is the fiber that silkworms use to weave their cocoons. The worms are boiled in their cocoons to extract the silk. An estimated 1,500 worms are killed to generate just 1,000 grams of silk.

Wool: Previously, sheep's wool was removed from them during the molting season, but nowadays, sheep are sheared and bred for continual fleece growth. Mass-scale production techniques mean that flocks are typically comprised of thousands of sheep, making it hard to provide each one with the individual attention they require. This is far from being an innocent way of obtaining fleece.

Shearing sheep is commonly believed to benefit animals who would otherwise have too much wool, but in reality, sheep only produce the minimal amount of wool necessary to protect themselves from extreme cold and heat.

Aside from over-crowded living space and inadequate care, since shearing too late leads to the loss of wool, timing is thought to be crucial. Numerous sheep die as a result of exposure brought on by hasty shearing.
 
Typically, shearers are paid based on volume, which encourages quick work without consideration for the wellbeing of the sheep. That alone makes the shearing shed one of the worst environments in the world for cruelty to animals.

»»» Cruelty In The Australian Wool Industry

Leather / Skin: Islam allows the use of leather goods. Today, however, almost all leather originates from animals that are reared and killed in a process known as modern factory farming, a system that is contrary to Islamic teachings. Even when the leather is produced through so-called "halal" slaughter, animals suffer.

There is footage that reveals the horrifying reality of tens of thousands of crocodiles in Vietnam being raised and violently killed to make "luxury" crocodile-skin bags, belts, or watchbands sold around the world.

The crocodiles are kept in small, concrete enclosures—some narrower than the length of their bodies—for 15 months before finally being slaughtered. The living conditions and the killing method have long been shown to be inhumane.

»»» Vietnam’s Crocodile Skin Industry

Fur: While the leather of Halal animals killed for food consumption is permitted, fur is only allowed when it is needed for warmth. Fur garments would only be acceptable in places where other options are not available-or when it is used as a byproduct of certain cultures’ indigenous lifestyles.

The great majority of fur comes from animals kept in captivity on fur factory farms. Thousands of animals can be held on these farms at any given time. The practices used in fur factory farms, like those in other intensive-confinement animal farms, are always intended to increase profits at the expense of the animals.

Animals on fur farms are slaughtered inhumanely using techniques like head-to-tail electrocution and gassing in order to preserve the pelts. Also, since fur often comes from non-edible animals, it raises ethical concerns about the killing of such creatures. All these practices are against Islamic teachings.

»»» Inside the Fur Industry: Factory Farms
»»» Fur Farm Horrors

Bones and Horns: Bones and horns used in products like buttons and belts are viewed in a similar way to leather—even if they are from halal slaughtered animals.

Ivory: Different Islamic schools of thought disagree on the question of ivory. Some say it's impure and so not permitted to use, while others claim it's a legitimate part of Islamic culture to utilize things like ivory combs. But it would be difficult to classify ivory as Halal because it frequently comes from immoral and illegal sources, as environmental degradation and the needless death of animals are fundamentally at contrast with Islamic values.

What Is Synthetic Fiber?

All textile fibers that are not found naturally are referred to as synthetic fibers. Synthetic fiber is a man-made textile fiber made entirely of chemical substances. These are made from polymers found in natural gas and the by-products of petroleum.

The most common synthetic fibers include spandex, polyester, nylon, acrylic, and polyolefin. Man-made fibers were first created only around a century ago.

Conclusion

Beyond the issue of halal compliance, these products also call into question the ethical treatment of animals and environmental responsibility. 

People in general, have no excuse to remain complaisant to the ongoing mass killing of animals for their furs, tusks, oil, and other resources. The excuse that these things are necessary for human needs is no longer valid. All of these products can be made using synthetic materials through modern technology, and they are readily available everywhere in the world, in some cases at a lower cost.

For example, many people who are allergic to wool already use alternatives like cotton, polyester fleece, synthetic shearling, and other cruelty-free fibers. Nylon, rayon, silk-cotton tree, and seed pod fibers from milkweed are all humane alternatives to silk. While nylon and polyester are made from petroleum, rayon is made from plants. Alternatives to leather are widely available and are just as stylish and functional.

As the Muslim world population increases rapidly, up to nearly 1.9 billion, and Muslim spending reached 2.2 trillion U.S. dollars in 2018, the halal issue is of great concern for customers, fashion manufacturers, and retailers.

Global customers will unavoidably pay more attention to the fashion and clothing they wear. While consumers are encouraged to educate themselves on the products they purchase, halal fashion producers need to pay more attention to the whole halal fashion supply chain.

As customers become more knowledgeable about halal fashion, they will select products that not only fulfill the Islamic clothing principles but also try to do less harm to the environment by using safe synthetic materials provided by current modern technology, which also go along with Islamic teachings on a deeper level.
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Knowledge Has A Significant Impact On A Customer's Buying Intent
Share And Spread The Word
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Related Links:

• Rakuten Halal Products
• Where To Buy Hijab In Japan
• Create Your Halal Online Store

Sources

• ​Islam Animal Rights Clothing
• Halal World Institute
• Animals Used for Clothing
• Fabric Guide
• Halal and Non-Edible Animals Goods
• Halal Style
• The Impact of Customer Halal Supply Chain Knowledge on Customer Halal Fashion Purchase Intention
• Islamic Clothing
• Organisation Of Islamic Cooperation