Go bright or go Gucci? British Muslim men discuss what they wear to Friday prayers

For Muslims, Jummah has always been a time to dress your best, and a new exhibition documents just what that means for the older and younger generations

Every Friday, for eight months, people attending Jummah at one of four mosques in Tower Hamlets became familiar with the same sight: a man with a camera and a woman with a clipboard, chatting to men as they entered and left the mosque, as part of a special project.

Jummah, or Friday prayer, is a spiritual highlight of the week that brings the spectrum of Muslim communities together. And ever since it was established by the prophet Muhammad – who described Friday prayers as an “Eid” or celebration – there has been an idea of wearing your “Friday best”. What comprises this uniform is wide-ranging, from monochrome ankle-length Arab thobes to colourful south Asian kurtas, easy tracksuits to stylish blazers. The project set out to document the whole range, and forms the basis of a new exhibition in London’s Bethnal Green called Jummah Aesthetics: British Muslim Men and Their Sartorial Choices.

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