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Gulf News
  • 10 months ago
Designers from around the world say modest fashion has evolved into a global movement.
Transcript
00:00So, to me, modest fashion is about expressing individuality. It's not limited to the Muslim
00:11consumer.
00:12You know, modesty is never allowed. She never crowds. Hi guys, I'm here, but you can't help
00:22noticing.
00:23Today's world, generally, the word modest before was always meant to say that you would
00:29have to cover your entire self, but the understanding has changed a little. So, modest fashion may
00:36be a full-length skirt, but not something that probably covers all the way to your feet.
00:42It could be three quarters, but that is a polite way of wearing a skirt. It's not a
00:46mini skirt, for example.
00:49Modesty to me is a conscious sense of elegance and refinement, and just overall being conscious
00:57with what you're wearing.
01:03Because many people, many Muslim ladies, they have to work, they have to study, they have
01:09to live an active life. And you can't do it in a long, beautiful dress, especially when
01:15we have rain, snow, and the weather changing. So, we, and we should create our own style
01:25suitable for our lifestyle.
01:27There's definitely a big need for modest fashion. You can't really find, you're searching so
01:32many stores to find just a simple top that covers your body, and it's so hard to find
01:38that actually looks stylish. So, there's definitely a big need for modest fashion.
01:45I think there will come a time where dressing up modestly is no longer limited to because
01:51of religion, but because just like a woman feels like she doesn't want to show that much
01:57of skin.
01:58We're known for our colours and our prints. So, obviously the very obvious target market
02:03for us was the Muslim women in Malaysia, but we've since evolved from there, and it's also
02:11attracted a lot of non-Muslim wearers as well, who wear it as shawls. And then at our store,
02:17we have people from China who are interested in our shawls as well, just because of the
02:22colour and the print, it really excites them.
02:24For example, I have customers from all over the world of all different ethnicities and
02:29faiths. They don't necessarily want to work out in a small crop top and leggings. They
02:34don't feel comfortable.
02:37And also Mrs. Caponi says that not always women are perfect. So, sometimes it's even
02:42better that eventually they can have the help of a dress to feel more comfortable.
02:49When it comes to modest fashion, the silhouettes tend to be more loose. Hands may be more comfortable
02:59for women who want to hide their curves and don't want things to be a bit revealing or
03:04tight. So, yeah, it is a good option.
03:07I think because of retail globalisation and because of social media, fashion is a lot
03:13more integrated. People are influenced, so no longer are people just associating the
03:19black abaya with Arabs, you know, or the headscarf only with Muslims or the turban with Indians.
03:27You see Rihanna wearing a turban or J-Lo wearing a head wrap, and it's quite cool, you know.
03:33It's about not having any limitations anymore. Fashion is just an expression now. If you
03:40want to dress modestly, you don't necessarily have to be religious.
03:45There's billions of dollars spent every year on modest fashion, so it's definitely an industry
03:52that is a lot of opportunity, but still it's very untapped.
03:57I believe modest fashion is a growing market. It's been acknowledged. Now we have London
04:06Modest Fashion Week running alongside London Fashion Week. New York are launching their
04:12Modest Fashion Week this year with New York Fashion Week. These big cities like New York
04:20and London are acknowledging, and even in Dubai you have the modernese of Dubai Fashion
04:26Week, and all of these international brands coming together. Of course there's demand
04:31for modest fashion, otherwise...
04:33It's becoming like a lifestyle, because now women get to, like, say I'm sexy not because
04:38I'm, like, revealing, but because I'm smart or because I'm strong or because I'm a lady
04:45boss, you know. So modest is, you know, it's cool.
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