A photo posted by Salon Marrakesh London (@mariahidrissi) on Sep 24, 2015 at 3:15pm PDT on
The London native was discovered on Instagram, the fashion site adds.
She appears as a part of H&M's new "Close The Loop" campaign, which zeros in on recycling fibers for sustainable clothing — and features many often marginalized demographics, including Sikh men and plus-size models.
She still isn't sure why H&M chose to feature her.
A photo posted by Salon Marrakesh London (@mariahidrissi) on Sep 6, 2015 at 12:10am PDT on
"I honestly have no idea why," the half-Pakistani, half-Moroccan model told Fusion. "It might be because hijab fashion has boomed in the last few years and to finally see a hijabi [a woman who wears a hijab] in mainstream fashion is a big achievement."
"Some people think it's great that women can be beautiful and wear a hijab, and others think they're forced to wear it. I'm quite thick-skinned though, so if people did say anything to me, I wouldn't notice it anyway," she told Fusion.
Idrissi told Fusion she attended Islamic school for 10 years and started wearing a hijab when she was 17.
A photo posted by Salon Marrakesh London (@mariahidrissi) on Aug 27, 2015 at 11:59am PDT on
Other designers have used Muslim women in their campaigns — including DKNY and Tommy Hilfiger — but these women often still feel ignored, Idrissi told Fusion.
"It always feels like women who wear hijab are ignored when it comes to fashion," she told the website. "Our style, in a way, hasn't really mattered, so it's amazing that a brand that is big has recognized the way we wear hijab."