London show reflects global boom in Islamic fashion
Organisers of an Islamic fashion Expo aimed at empowering Muslim women were amazed at the response they had from young aspirational professional Muslim women looking to make a fashion statement.
As soon as the catwalk fashion show finished, Muslim women were all over the designers, flicking through rails of clothing and flashing their credit cards at the fashion label’s exhibition stall.
Among them was Amara Sadeeq, a law graduate from London and full-time mother to three small children, who had chosen a dusty pink abaya. “I usually wear black, but I thought I’d try something a bit different,” she said. “Some members of my family always wear black, and don’t approve of makeup. But I think women need to look beautiful and feel confident.”
The show was held the Intercontinental hotel near London’s O2 Arena, attended by more than 5,000 poeple. The event 90 businesses who showcased Muslim businesses aimed at women: modest fashion, halal cosmetics, jewellery, greetings cards and chocolates for Ramadan. Muslim charities, banks and solicitors were present, and motivational talks were on the schedule.
The global Muslim clothing market is forecast to be worth $327bn by 2020, according to the latest Global Islamic Economy report. Some UK and International retailers like M&S and Uniqlo have launched ranges aimed at Muslim women.
Farheen Rahman, a designer based in Kolkata who trained at the London College of Fashion, had returned to the UK to show her range of modest clothing for the first time. “This is my debut show. Only in the past year have I been thinking about Islamic clothing,” she said. “I see girls and young women wanting to be fashionable but also wanting to be modest. Until recently they had to compromise on one or the other.”
Another factor in the growth of modest fashion was rising disposable incomes among young Muslims, Rahman added. There is a very clear trend set up by fashion conscious Arab women, followed by Malaysian and Muslim women living in the West, where spending power used to be the preserve of the elite, but now the middle class has risen up.”
On the catwalk, elegant models showed off outfits ranging from skinny trousers paired with close-fitting tunics and minimal hijabs to stunning all-encompassing black abayas with elaborate veils.
