It is noteworthy that Islam is primarily concerned with protecting women from furtive glances/looks, and lustful eyes. It also aims at helping women preserve their God-given honor, dignity and modesty by preventing them from being reduced to mere objects of male gratifications. In light of this basic principle, we’d like to state that women are not permitted to hold such fashion shows in the presence of non-Mahram (marriageable) males so as to avoid temptation and stimulating desires.
Dr. Husam al-Din Ibn Musa `Afana, a professor of Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence at Al-Quds University, Palestine, states that: “It is impermissible for a Muslim woman to work as a fashion model in the presence of non-Mahram men even if the clothes she wears cope with the Islamic code of dress. The reason for this is that such thing leads to a gross violation of the Islamic teachings and stirs corruption. This is because such thing runs in counter to the principle of lowering gaze, highly stressed in Islam. In addition, this leads to Tabarruj (displaying of women appeal) and inciting desires, etc.
However, if the Islamic fashion show is restricted to women, and away from such frivolous publicity we see nowadays where women are presented as a mere object of lust, then there is nothing wrong in it as long as women abide by the limits of `Awrah in respect to other women.”