Miss England finalist to become first to wear a hijab

A 20-year-old law student from West Workshire, England will be the first Miss England finalist to wear a hijab.

Sara Iftekhar currently holds the title of Miss Huddersfield, as well as Miss Popularity Yorkshire, and will be competing against 50 other women vying for the Miss England crown this week.

While other competitors have worn a hijab in the competition before, Iftekhar will be the first finalist to do so.

The University of Huddersfield student, who started a clothing company at age 16, is creating "eco dresses" for the competition. These include dresses tastefully decorated with garbage bags, or clutches made out of KFC snack packs. She explains her method in tutorials on her Instagram page. 

Miss England finalists are also encouraged to use their platform to raise money for Beauty with a Purpose, a registered charity and non-profit that assists disadvantaged children in impoverished regions.

On a GoFundMe Iftekhar set up to raise money for the cause, the 20-year-old wrote, "I participated in Miss 2018 in order to show that beauty doesn't have a definition, everyone is beautiful in their own ways, regardless of their weight, race, colour or shape”.

An active social media user, Iftekhar took to Instagram in July to express her excitement over winning Miss Huddersfield. "I can’t even comprehend how amazing it felt for my name to be announced as a finalist in the Miss England Finals 2018! Alhamdullilah," she wrote with an accompanying image of her holding a trophy.

"It was an incredible experience and something which I will never be able to forget. The opportunities which I have received with being a finalist in Miss england are opportunities which I would never have thought of and will forever be grateful for."

If Iftekhar wins the crown, she will go on to compete in the Miss World competition in Hainan, China.