The unveiling of modest fashion
When you hear the word modest what do you think of? I think of everything that the fashion industry currently isn’t and the way most Muslim women dress. Modesty to me is about feeling confident, secure and comfortable while expressing yourself through fashion. You don’t need to show your skin to be sexy or fashionable but why isn’t modest fashion a thing in western countries? There are over 44 million Muslims in Europe, of which 3 million call the United Kingdom their home. It’s 2018 and we still live in a world where we celebrate “the first” things, especially with race. Halima Aden was the first hijab-wearing model to be on the cover of Vogue Arabia and Allure magazine. Mariah Idrissi became the first hijab-wearing model to be featured in H&M’s campaign. Barbie released their first hijabi doll which was modelled after the Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. These are things that have only happened in the past few years. All of this gets momentary, positive, attention from the media because it’s about “breaking the stereotype” but what we really should be doing is to try to move on from this and make it normal. The modest fashion market is predicted to reach £367 billion in value globally by 2019. That’s a huge market which is made up of a diverse range of women, especially Muslims. You would probably expect the fashion industry to target these women but have you noticed any Muslim women in fashion magazines? I looked through all the recent big fashion publications in the UK, from Vogue to ELLE, and did not manage to find even one cover, advert or an article that featured a Muslim woman. This really doesn’t make any sense from a business perspective. Why wouldn’t fashion retailers cater towards a particular market which could generate a lot of profit? In 2015, Muslim women spent globally an estimated $44 billion on modest fashion alone. Just like any other woman, Muslim women enjoy expressing themselves through fashion and for them modesty is not only a fashion choice but a lifestyle. But if we look at how the media portrays the Muslim world, it is mostly shown in a negative light with the word Muslim and Islam being highlighted when something terrible happens. Occasionally you hear the same old story of how Muslim women are oppressed without freedom to choose what they wear and do. This “story” couldn’t be any more wrong. An 18-year-old student Reem Siraj agrees by saying: “I chose to wear my hijab, so to tell me that I am being oppressed by choosing to wear something that represents my religion. That is an oppression, by telling me I can’t wear that.” She then goes onto describing Muslim women as “Independent, empowered and strong.”
Based in North East England, Eslam Ghazala is a 21-year-old Libyan modest fashion influencer who has over 58.2 thousand Instagram followers. She started wearing her hijab when she was in high school because of bullying. The bullies had threated her saying they’d cut her hair and she even ended up getting chewing gum stuck in her hair. “I was going home crying almost every day because I was scared of people.” After starting to wear her hijab daily, Eslam quickly noticed how people weren’t talking to her as much. “I don’t ever judge people by their looks … but I feel like I am being judged by my look.” But when it comes to finding inspiration for outfits, Eslam doesn’t have to look that far. “My mum is the main inspiration for me in fashion, she loves fashion.” When asked about her dreams for the future of modest fashion, she replies by saying: “I want people to look at modest women in a different way. Just because I am covering up, doesn’t mean I can’t have a laugh or I can’t go out. We can hang out and have fun. My looks wouldn’t change anything.” The hashtag hijab fashion has over 12 million posts on Instagram which means the modest fashion movement is real. By 2030, a quarter of the world’s population are going to be Muslim and from that population sixty percent will be under 30. Millennials are driving the modest movement forward. They are the ones who want to be and are fashionable while maintaining their religious and cultural beliefs. It’s time for the fashion industry to acknowledge this. Dolce & Gabbana created a modest collection of hijabs and abayas targeted at Muslim women in 2016 which received a lot positive feedback as they are a “western” luxury fashion house. One of the leading UK modest fashion bloggers, Dina Torkia, thought otherwise: “I can’t help but feel incredibly underwhelmed, possibly even a tiny bit insulted by the collection.” She felt like she had been excluded as a Muslim from the mainstream haute couture fashion by a collection that you could easily find from the Middle East. “I dreamed of being able to look at signature gowns on the runway and imagine myself in one, hijab and all.” London Modest Fashion Week is probably one of the biggest things to happen in the modest fashion community in the UK. Organised by a modest UK based e-commerce platform, Haute-Elan, it will take place for the second time on 17th – 18th February. The first show was attended by the biggest modest fashion influencers and fashionistas. It showcased more than 40 designers, from all over the world, with collections that featured beautiful maxi dresses, stylish burkinis and elegant hijabs. Romanna Bint-Abubaker, CEO of Haute-Elan, said in an interview: “After LMFW, international press has become more focused on the industry. They are realising that there are serious players like us in the market.” It will be interesting to see how the fashion industry will change and evolve in the upcoming years with diversity. What kind of difference will the new editor-in-chief of Vogue Edward Enninful make? And what the impact of the second Modest Fashion Week will be in London? Perhaps seeing a hijab-wearing model on the cover of magazine or walking down the runway in fashion week won’t be so “different” anymore and maybe there is a possibility for the fashion industry to finally be truly diverse and represent all of us.
5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MODEST FASHION
1. Modest fashion is one of the biggest trends to come and it’s here to stay
Go to your nearest clothing store and you’ll be able to see long skirts, flowy dresses, loose tops and long wide-length trousers. Even luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana have launched a range of luxury hijabs and abayas (long loose robe-like dresses). Not only are international luxury brands creating modest collections but famous modest fashion designers are making their way from Asia. Diana Kotb, Rico Rinaldi and Anniesa Hasibuan, who only had hijabwearing immigrant models in her fashion show in NYFW, are only a few of the names you should memorise.
2. It’s about empowering, not oppressing Just like the body positivity movement, modest fashion is about empowering women and men to have control over their own bodies. You don’t need to show skin to be sexy or even beautiful. You can dress however you want and have the freedom to be as bold and as daring as you want. Being modest doesn’t mean you have to be boring with your fashion. In the end fashion is about expressing yourself.
3. Modest Fashion Week
You’ve probably heard about fashion weeks in New York City, Paris and Milan but London, Dubai and Istanbul are the places to be for modest fashion weeks. You can get a glimpse of the hottest new trends from Middle East and see the modest fashion influencers on the FROW. Over 40 brands gathered from across the globe to exhibit their collections in the first ever London Modest Fashion Week in February 2017 and it was a huge success.
4. Instagram is the best place for modest fashion inspiration The hashtag Hijab Fashion has over 13 million posts on Instagram and the number just keeps on growing. Social media influencers such as Dina Tokio (@dinatokio), Melanie Eltruk (@hautehijab), Dalal AlDoub (@dalalid), Ruba Zai (@hijabhills) and Annam Ahmad (@annam.ahmad) are some of the most popular modest fashionistas to follow. You only need to take a quick look at these amazing Instagram accounts and you’ll be left with inspiration for days. Time to go shopping!
5. Modest fashion YouTubers are taking over the internet You might want to keep an eye on Muslim fashion and beauty YouTubers as well since they’re becoming more and more popular. From hijab tutorials to lookbooks and get ready with me videos, Muslim YouTubers are sharing their tips and tricks on modest fashion and beauty. They are also opening their world to us with vlogging their daily lives. Watch Huda Beauty, Habiba Da Silva, Sheikh Beauty and Sabina Hannan for amazing makeup tutorials.