Although Middle Eastern designers such as Salma Khan, Walid Attalah and Barjis Chohan have long catered to the fashion needs of the Muslim woman, more
and more Western retailers are beginning to realise the potential of
tapping into the ‘modest’ fashion segment.
Last year saw the likes of Hermes, , and Dorothy Perkins launch special collections featuring maxi
skirts and long-sleeved dresses aimed at Muslim women during Ramadan, the
month of fasting which ends with the celebration of Eid Al Fitr that
undoubtedly helped UK retailers in London enjoyed an influx of 25 percent
in summer spend. According to data from WorldPay, UK payment service,
Middle Eastern visitors spent an average of 152.40 pounds per transaction
in August 2013, with visitors from Qatar spending an average of 288.17 per
transaction.
More fashion labels offer targeted collections for Ramadan and Eid Al
Fitr
Previously mainstream fashion brands appeared hesitated to target Muslim
women, but with Muslim fashion worth estimated to be worth 100 million in
the UK alone and consumer expenditure predicted to hit 208 million pounds
in 2018 according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy 2013 report,
more fashion labels and retailers are turning their focus to Muslim women.
Although other high-street fashion labels have yet to offer traditional
items such as abayas (islamic cloaks), labels
such as
Mango are developing new fashion ranges suited to the characteristics of
specific countries.
The
Spanish label’s
in-house design team developed
a 56 piece collection
, part of its special collection unit,
which offers alternatives for abayas and chadors (full body gowns) for
Muslim women.”Arabic fashion is witnessing a revolution without precedent,”
said Mango in a statement on the launch of its range.
“In a booming market, Mango has been accompanying a generation of women
with a special interest in fashion. The brand’s offerings are essentially
designed for everyday wear, but without overlooking important celebrations
such as Ramadan.” The full collection, which features palazzo trousers, long
detailed dresses and tops with stone details is set to go on sale in all
Arabic countries and online June 8, ahead of Ramadan which begins this year
on June 18 for 30 days.
Tommy Hilfiger is also slated to launch a limited edition capsule
collection for young women during Ramadan and the following Eid
celebrations, which will be available exclusively in the Middle East.
Although many labels use Ramadan and Eid as marketing points for their
collections, there is also an increasing number of retailers
and designers
offering fashionable modest clothing all year round. Earlier this year Aab,
one of the world’s largest online retailers for Muslim fashion opened its
first physical store in London, which offers everything from hijabs to
abayas.
The London-based label tapped ‘hijabi blogger’ Dina Torkia, who currently
has over 423,000 followers on Instagram, to officially open the store
which led to a crowd of 2,000 shoppers visiting the store on its opening
day. The opening of its store in London is part of Aab long-term growth
scheme as the brand aims to open additional stores in the Middle East,
Malaysia and Indonesia within the next three years.
One designer to cater to stylish Muslim women is British-Pakistani Barjis
Chohan, who recognised the gap in the market for good quality abayas and
hijabs that were stylish and practical. Known as Vivienne Westwood’s
protegee and a Central Saint Martins graduate, she aims to not only create
more fashionable clothing for muslim women, but also to change the public’s
opinion on muslim fashion. Her label Barjis London
has quickly gained traction within the industry and is
popular with both muslim and non-muslim women, including models Kate Moss
and Twiggy.
“There is little concern for Muslim fashion, because the Western world
thinks it’s a sign of oppression and that Muslim men dictate what Muslim
women should wear,” she said to FashionUnited a few years ago. “But I think
the opposite is true – Western men are the ones who dictate how women
should dress. We live in a male-dominated society where women feel
pressured to dress sexy but it can be just as liberating to cover yourself.”
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