Halima Aden, the first supermodel to wear a hijab and pose in a burkini, has ripped up her lucrative contracts in an industry she feels lacks "basic human respect" and entered the world of modest fashion design instead.

For the Somali-American who was born in a refugee camp in Kenya, it was a matter of preserving her self-worth and well-being in a fast and loose sector that increasingly clashed with her Muslim values.

"Since I was a little girl, this quote -- 'don't change yourself, change the game' -- has gotten me through so much in life," she told AFP in an interview in Istanbul.

"When I took the decision to quit, that is exactly what I did," she said. "So I am very, very proud."

Aden's departure last November delivered a shock to fashionistas and Muslim influencers who have admired her trailblazing career.

Aden, who turns 24 on Sunday, broke ground in Minnesota, where she became the first contestant to wear a hijab and a burkini -- a full-body swimsuit whose appearance has stirred controversy on some European beaches -- in a US state beauty pageant in 2016.

She posed in them again for Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue when her fame was spreading in 2019.

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