EDITOR’S LETTER

Aquick google search tells me that searches for ‘modest fashion’ are up 500% since this time last year. The global modest fashion market is already reportedly worth hundreds of billions and is set to scale up by gargantuan proportions over the next five years. There are specialist stores popping up - full of suitably modest pieces from an incredible roll call of brand names, and every kind of girl is shopping from them, whether they identify as “modest” or not.

When you step outside of this specific realm, it’s plain to see that runways, cool brands and street style stars alike are also noticeably embracing big shapes, covered-up silhouettes and creative layering. Modest fashion is everywhere. But what exactly is it? As a whole, this movement has been picking up the pace for nigh on a decade, but there’s still a fogginess about what it means to be a modest dresser, what it looks like and how it’s affecting style-conscious girls right now. Outside of facts and figures, take a second to think about where fashion is headed right now: Social media has prompted diversity to become a mainstay, not a gimmick, within the industry. It’s also shone a light on the (obvious) facts that women of different shapes, faiths, colours, sizes and backgrounds can be just as stylish and can be equally valuable customers.

Once you put aside the misconception that modest fashion is only tied to religious and religious-ethnic desires then you can be confident in the knowledge that covering up doesn’t have to equate to looking boring or avoiding trends as this month’s issue clearly showcases.

Ramadan Kareem!

Regional Editor Jayne Green