Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to understand the predictors of hijab fashion consciousness and consumption. Muslim women in developing countries have evolved from living a traditional to a modern lifestyle, as more women become more educated, work and earn their own money. As modern sophisticated Muslim women, they have transformed themselves in the way they dress and don their hijab while adhering to the Shariah-compliant dress code. As a result, hijab fashion among hijabistas “Muslim women who wear fashionable outfits with matching fashionable headscarves” is flourishing. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using questionnaires distributed to Muslim women who visited the Kuala Lumpur International Hijab Fashion Fair 2014 using the convenience sampling method. A total of 345 final useable data were used for data analysis using SmartPLS. Findings Results show that dressing style, fashion motivation, fashion uniqueness and sources of fashion knowledge positively influence fashion consciousness and indirectly influence hijab fashion consumption. Practical implications Results of this paper will provide insights to the people involved in the fashion industry, such as designers, retailers and marketers, to understand the hijabista market segment. Practitioners can design proper hijab fashion products that are Shariah-compliant to capture the segment of Muslim women with proper marketing strategies. Originality/value The fashion of Muslim women, particularly the hijab fashion, has received little attention in the fashion literature. This paper hopes to provide new insights to relevant researchers and industries.