Podcast guest Halima Aden on customizing her headwear and modeling for Kanye West

Halima Aden bounds into the studio, riding high on the excitement of the Tommy Hilfiger show in London the night before, in which she walked the runway in a hijab fashioned from an American flag. “I still have goosebumps thinking about it,” says the 22-year-old, grinning from ear to ear. “It represents so much of my identity!”

Born in Kakuma – one of the largest refugee camps in Kenya – she moved to America when she was seven. In 2016, her brave decision to enter the Miss Minnesota USA competition – wearing a burkini in the swimsuit round – was truly a game-changing moment. Signed by an international modeling agency the very next day, she is proud to be the first hijab-wearing fashion model to have graced the cover of Vogue, CR Fashion Book and, most radically of all, Sports Illustrated’s iconic Swimsuit Issue.

“I think back to when I was a 12-year-old girl, when I was making all these personal choices in terms of style, and I wish there had been someone in fashion to tell me modesty doesn’t have to be like your mom. That it can be cool, young, edgy and fashionable,” she says.

Through her seven Pieces of Me, Aden tells us how she found the confidence to create a career in fashion without compromising her beliefs. “I say it to my girlfriends all the time: ‘Don’t change yourself… change the game.’”

“My hijab story started when I was about seven. I just wanted to mirror my mom, because she was my shining light, my hero. You know how little girls walk around in heels, like they just want to copy their mom? It was just a natural part of my journey. I kind of fell in love with it.”

“I’ve had everything from Gucci pants to sweaters on my head – all these different looks! I love showcasing, to my followers and the little girls who follow me, that you really can make modesty your own. And individualize it.”

“Did I deliberately enter modeling? Did I choose the industry? Absolutely not. I was just a high-school student. I graduated. I went to college and competed in Miss Minnesota USA. And the next day, I got a call from IMG Models.”

“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this really is the best job in the world! I can just roll out of bed and roll into work and they do my makeup and put clothes on me.’ What I wasn’t anticipating was that there would be thousands of paparazzi before you even enter the venue!”

“I almost didn’t get that show. The first look they set out didn’t work with my wardrobe requirements, so I went back to the hotel and was like, ‘Oh, that would have been such a fun show…’ And now, I can’t even tell my friends that I came so close to walking for Kanye West.”

“I get so emotional talking about this, because those six letters symbolize my life. As a kid, I couldn’t spell my name but I knew what each of those letters meant – and I knew what they represented for my family and my community. I hope one day we get to a place where we don’t need organizations like Unicef, because every child will have exactly what they deserve.”

“It was the first time I felt really beautiful in what I was wearing. I felt so elegant, and no different from any of the other girls. And I thought, I’m not here to check a list, you know; I’m not here to tick a box. It felt like I belonged.”

To listen to Pieces of Me: My Life in Seven Garments, subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, and many more