Cover Gurls by Bijal Chauhan

COVER GURLS

orgetting about Sex and the City 2, because in the seven years since it hit the big screen the cast now look like a group of silly rich bitches, our cultural focus around women has become much more serious. And part of that conversation is about Muslim women. “ I didn’t see any representation of Muslim women, other than really negative ones,” Says stylish modest icon blogger Dina Tokio (who has a staggering social following of 2.1 million people), started her blog because she felt her voice was needed to represent thousands of women like herself.

There’s a new season in the luxury retail calendar: Winter, Spring, Summer, Arab, Autumn.Bijal Chauhan charts the rise of the modest fashion movement.

From top to bottom: Pro Hijab model.Figure-skater Zahra Lari ,Weight-lifter Amna Al Hadad

The most recent brand on fire is Nike.Many people have been enraged by Nike’s hijab as explained to be “cashing in on the subjugation, domination and oppression of women.” Says one Twitter user. However, weight lifter- Amna Al Haddad who has trialled and tested the hijab as well as featuring in Nike’s campaign has expressed views to why Nike has decided to create the product; “recent phenomenon where more women have expressed a need for it and more professional athletes have fought for rights to compete with a headscarf.” So, Nike is an innovative company that serves it’s consumer needs’ which can be further emphasised by their brand mission “If you have a body, you’re an athlete.”

emember that scene in Sex and the City 2 where the mysterious women reveal themselves in head-to-toe designer gear in the backstreets of the souq? Well, this happens everyday during the Islamic holy month aptly named the ‘Ramadan Rush’; the super shopping spree that sees women flock from the scorching Gulf heat to Knightsbridge in London before they have to observe a strict fast for Ramadan. But now what was once just a Muslim tradition has now become the hottest topic in fashion. Why? “Islam is the only religion growing faster than the world’s population, and it will be the largest in the world by 2070,” so wrote Olivia Rudgard in The Telegraph.

o, clearly an increasing number of Muslim women are looking for clothing the connects with their religion. That begs the question, what is the LBD on it’s 90th anniversary to this new main consumer? The traditional Islamic garment- the abaya is a flowing full length, long sleeved gown typically worn by Muslim women, conventionally black for married women and is mandatory for women in Saudi Arabia. But now, the abaya can be found in multiple colour choices and is interpreted in different styles.

“Islam also has a much younger follower-base than other religions, meaning believers still have childbearing years ahead.” In short, fashion can no longer ignore what is their biggest growing consumer group. But there is still a sense of taboo that surrounds Muslim modest fashion like the burqa.

This brings to the attention that we are wrong about muslim women being oppressed by their religion, what if the woman wants to dress in a particularly modest way? With the rising attention on the Middle Eastern Muslim consumer- one of the biggest buyers of fashion in the 21st century, and the religion is set to be the biggest alongside Christianity in 2020, this 1

means the fashion industry is trying to appeal to their needs more than ever. Therefore, could it be that the LBD, no longer means ‘little’ but ‘long’ and rather than ‘black’, how about ‘bold’ to represent the updated various colour choices.

supported by their recent Instagram campaign which carried the hashtag “D&G Loves Dubai”. Therefore, not giving attention to the other millions of Muslims in other parts like Asia, Africa and the West.

t all started in 2016, when Dolce and Gabbana became the first high end western brand to have launched two collections dedicated to modest fashion, seen as their “smartest move in years” noted by Forbes. The ensemble consists of statement making scarves that have been promoted into hijabs, as well as creating abayas that are produced of sumptuous silk and have flowing long sleeves. Also, they encompass lavish lace trims and intricate embroidery, along with bold blooming floral prints for a feminine feel. However, although ground-breaking in it’s consumer inclusiveness and designs- for some Muslim women there are faults. For example, the models who sport the collection in the ad campaigns are “all white, non-Middle Eastern, non- Muslim women”, so “monopolizing something that does not belong to them”. Says Huffington Post writer Aaleen Zulqarnain.

Below: images from Dolce and Gabbana’s # DGLOVESDUBAI Instagram campaign

oreover, other designers can also be seen to have launched limited edition glamorous caftans. For example, opulent Oscar de la Renta, has an exclusive silk crepe collection which encompasses eye catching gem like tones with hand embroidered sparkly swarovski crystals. Also, they have a billowy, floor skimming silhouette. Therefore, this could show that there is a need for luxury elegant gowns for women who want more of a less skin showing look, whether they’re religious or not. Below: images from Oscar De La Renta’s caftan collection

“The sale of personal luxury goods in the Middle East reached $8.7 billion in 2015”.

ext, for a designer that promotes her range as modest is British-Pakistani Barjis Chohan, who trained at the prestigious Central St Martins and was a protege for Dame Vivienne Westwood. Plus, fashion followers include style icons Kate Moss and Twiggy. Her most recent resort 2017 ‘Tropics Collection’, inspired by the exotic flowers found in the Indonesian Islands offer a unique stylish look. One key insight is even though Barjis is targeting affluent Middle Eastern women, her main consumers are “white-middle class females that describe her clothes as elegant”. Therefore, this highlights that dressing modestly isn’t just a religious issue, it is a social change in the ways women want to dress. Below: Images from Barjis’ “Tropic Collection”

Also, it could be seen that eastern culture is only celebrated when linked to western society. To put simply Dolce and Gabbana’s collection at it’s core is primarily a strategic business move. For instance, Aaleen found D&G operates 12 stores solely in the UAE and the sale of personal luxury goods in the Middle East reached “$8.7 billion in 2015”. So, D&G are further targeting their main consumer. Another problem, is that D&G can be seen to view “culture and faith as the same thing”. It is clearly obvious that the fashion is line is being marketed to the affluent cohort of Middle Easterns in the UAE for example this can be 3

oving on, what about the other staples of the modern-day woman’s wardrobe? One specific garment is the ‘burkini’, which was produced by Australian designer Aheda Zanetti in 2004, and has been worn by A-listers like superstar Madonna. The burkini is a modest swimsuit, that covers the whole body excluding the face, hands and feet, but is light and breathable for swimming. However, there tends to be confusion on that this attire symbolises Islam when “it’s just a garment to suit a modest person, or someone who has skin cancer, or a new mother who doesn’t wear a bikini” Says Aheda. Moreover, when you first heard of the ‘burkini’ you probably assumed it took reference to Islam because of the garment ‘burqa’, but it has nothing to do with being represented as a burqa for the beach, it was named on making a quick decision. Also, there is another presumption that Islam asks females to cover their faces when this is not stated in the Qu’ran (Islamic holy book) nor is the burqa, it’s all based on the wearer’s preferences. In fact “customers are inclusive of Jews, Hindus, Chrisitians, Mormons” which shows the diverse range of wearers that the burkini appeals to. Also, Aheda brings to attention that the burkini symbolises “leisure and happiness and fitness and health”, so this shows that the garment can be seen as integral for the 21st century woman’s lifestyle.

“It’s just a garment to suit a modest person, or someone who has skin cancer”

t’s important to emphasise the woman behind the new LBD and what she expects from her clothing, because it can be seen that the western world think Muslim men dictate what Muslim women should wear. But, could it be that the opposite is true; Western men are the ones who decide how women should dress due to a male dominated society, where women can feel influenced to dress provocatively, however it can be just as emancipating to cover yourself. So, modest isn’t only about the way you look but your behaviour, being respectful to yourself and others.