Islam has etiquettes in dress codes. Modesty has always been a central principle in Islamic culture and tradition. Recent years have seen a new fashion trend which has emerged. This trend combines traditional values with contemporary modern style. This unique trend is called: Halal Modest Fashion. This trend ensures that the fashion includes coverage, comfort and is appealing to the eye. It caters for a market that prioritizes coverage and comfort, at the same time is trendy to a segment of consumers who want to dress in a modest manner due to their faith or belief system.
So where did the Halal Modest Fashion come from?
The concept of women’s Halal Modest Fashion is nothing new. It originates from the Islamic belief that one should dress modestly in order to respect oneself and others. Therefore, the clothing should be loose fitting and cover the whole body, including the arms, legs and the hair. Islamic clothing traditionally has consisted of long, flowing garments like the abaya or hijab, but today’s Halal modest fashion incorporates a variety of styles and designs that caters to a varied fashion concepts at time combining the traditional with contemporary tastes and preferences.
The Rise of Halal Modest Fashion
Lately the fashion industry has witnessed that the Halal modest fashion wear has become popular. The rise in this sector of the market is because 1). there has been an increase in Islamic devotion amongst Muslims, 2). A desire to express one’s culture and tradition, 3). A fashion trend that expresses the message that “Its OK to be different”. and 4). Technolgy and the internet era has enabled people to access and purchase garments that cater for modest fashion easily and for fashion designers to create unique brands which can be reached out to new customers with unique taste and preferences.
The Benefits of Halal Modest Fashion
Halal modest fashion empowers women who are particularly conscious of their looks and their Islamic faith of modest clothing. It gives them a comfort zone that their way of dressing adheres to the Islamic faith and at the same time gives them the confidence they need to “feel good” as they are up to date with the latest fashion trend.
This is vital for the segment of the population who don’t feel comfortable to reveal parts of their body which needs to be covered due to their religious beliefs. These women also are also stylish particularly in terms of fashion trends.
The Halal Modest Fashion Market
This market has grown rapidly in the recent years and it is estimated that the Halal Modest fashion market is worth more than US$250 billion and is still on a journey upwards. Some of the popular brands such as Aab, Verona Collection, and Haute Hijab. They offer a range of traditional and contemporary styles. They also utilize high quality sustainable materials which are environmentally friendly and provide attention to detail in their designs and finishing touches.
Challenges for Halal Modest Fashion
Halal Modest fashion still has many hurdles to overcome.
Firstly, educating the Muslim ummah (community) is the key challenge. There has to be a mindset shift that Halal modest fashion is not boring but is fashionable and trendy. Therefore, Halal modest fashion designers have to continuously create stylish and trendy items which are up to date with other fashions and styles on the market.
Secondly, accessibility can be an issue as brick-and-mortar retail shops can be limited due to the size of the Muslim population and the cost of keeping the retail outlets open. Therefore, online stores have found a gap in the market to overcome this issue. However, many of the customers prefer the shopping experience of trying out the outfits before purchasing the item.
Despite the challenges, the future of Halal modest fashion is very bright as the Muslim population grows globally and the fashion in this market is continually growing to cater for the taste/preferences of this sector of the market.
Dr. Thamina Anwar