Following the last Dubai Modest Fashion week 2021, we unveil you a designers’ feedback of the event. For this second recap, Surturbans, Al Haya Paris, Salayfa, Neawear, Di’ Gerari, Lemata & Nour and Nordays, give you their visions of modest fashion.
Discover their answers to our questions below !
#1 SURTURBANS
KODD : How would you define modest fashion and what is the message behind this commitment ?
SURTURBANS : There’s not a single definition to describe Modest Fashion because everyone has their own interpretation of what modesty fashion means to them. Shortly, modest fashion is the act of covering up on purpose. The decision to do so can be religious or ethnic fulfillment. To me, it’s a choice that I’ve made to commit to my faith, and everything about it gives me a sense of freedom & empowerment in how I choose to display myself.
One of the most important facets of the Modest fashion industry is that it is not centered around a specific type of woman that fits the media’s look. There’s no cookie-cutter image for how a modest woman looks. Modest dressers are not attached to one religion, size, or race.
Surturban is the symbol of absolute elegance, modern style, and regal grace. Our mission is to create a world where everyone feels comfortable and confident. Surturban looks to represent the most refined qualities of culture around the world and to be synonymous with both elegance and creativity. We strive to blend tradition, innovation, and style.
I am 100% dedicated to ensuring customers are happy with our products and will work to make sure that you are. Being a small minority owned female business, I know the importance of every customer and I truly appreciate and thank them for choosing me.
K : What are the reasons that led you to create your clothing brand ?
S : Wearing a head covering and dressing modestly makes me feel liberated. When I was on the search for a unique headcover and was unable to find exactly what I was looking for, I decided to make my own. My need for practicality and convenience as a working mom helped me deconstruct my veil designing my turbans. Surturban creation is fueled with passion and speaks to a niche market with its own voice and creative edge.
Inspired by my own cosmopolitan culture and spirituality, I set out to build a brand that has substance, not dependent on trends. SURTURBANS are long-lasting, timeless pieces of impeccable quality and produced in the most sustainable way possible.
K : Can modest fashion become the future of fashion ?
S : Growing up, I knew what it was like not having representation. When I say representation, I just mean people who resemble me or someone I could relate to, or someone who even dresses like me. Not having somebody that you can look up to, it did affect me in a way. There’s a lack of communication and people don’t really understand about Modest culture. Modest Fashion being out in the public and displaying religion, faith, which is different to what the stereotype is — I think that has opened a lot of people’s eyes.
I believe Modest Fashion representation is one of the most important aspects in progressing towards a more liberal-thinking, diverse and understanding society. Modest Fashion isn’t just a trend; it’s here to stay, and I love representing a brand that is designed for it!
#2 AL HAYA PARIS
KODD : Do you think that this way of dressing reveals a certain identity ?
AL HAYA PARIS : The way of dressing reveals a part of our identity, the part we want to show. This is a very special part. We can create custom and transform easily. For me the way we choose to dress is a statement. What do I want to tell the world ? How do I feel ? What do I want to feel in my clothes : protected, feminine, bossy, cozy ? And I love to encourage women empowerment through my design : I want them to feel confident enough to be their better self. Because in this end, clothes are a lot about confidence.
K : What do you expect from Dubai Modest Fashion Week 2021 ?
AHP : I went in without any expectations and was only open to the experience. I can say I learn a lot from it and it was an amazing experience.
K : What is your favorite colour to use in your designs ?
AHP : My palette is very neutral, I use a lot of white, black and beiges. If I had to choose only one, it would be white definitely. It’s the color I wear the most myself.
#3 SALAYFA
KODD : Do you think that this way of dressing reveals a certain identity ?
SALAYFA : We feel that women who dress modestly are very sophisticated and have strong beliefs and confidence in themselves. To cover oneself in this day and age has become harder, especially in the West, so the women who are able to do so, whether for religious or personal beliefs, are very strong and courageous.
K : What do you expect from Dubai Modest Fashion Week 2021 ?
S : Dubai Modest Fashion Week 2021 was amazing and we thank all the organisers for such an amazing event. It was a huge success for us, what with our UAE & GCC website launch. We expect to grow in this geographical area and worldwide following Dubai Modest Fashion Week.
K : What is your favorite colour to use in your designs ?
S : The colours we use in our designs depend on our collections and the stories behind our collections. For this particular collection, as the theme is Dusk & Night, we have incorporated a lot of black into our designs.
#4 NEA WEAR
KODD : How would you define modest fashion and what is the message behind this commitment ?
NEAWEAR : Modest fashion is the meaningful side of fashion. It is about values and beliefs that represent a way of living. The modest community has the intention of being good human beings and that is reflected in their fashion choices. I believe that Modest Fashion should be sustainable and ethical to properly represent the community it is made for.
K : What are the reasons that led you to create your clothing brand ?
N W : I would say there is no one reason that led me to start NEA WEAR, but more a whole journey that brought me towards our mission. My journey is a very particular one as I was on the other side of fashion for many years.
It was 2017 and my journey brought me to start thinking about wearing more modest clothing and headscarf. At that time I was very committed towards sustainability and minimalism, but I couldn’t find any brand that I could shop from. I realised there wasn’t any sustainable modest brand with a minimalist and contemporary edge. I started researching and learning more about modest fashion and I fell in love with the community and the values. Almost 3 years later at the end of 2020 I launched NEA WEAR with the intention to bring sustainability and modesty together, as they have always belonged together. My mission is to do that with my minimalist and modern aesthetic, to empower the contemporary modest community, one outfit at a time.
K : Can modest fashion become the future of fashion ?
N W : Yes, it definitely can. We have learned from history that history repeats itself. Most of the civilizations of the past dressed quite modestly. And today we see high profile people like royal families etc still wear modest clothing. I believe that modesty is timeless and elegant and will always be a classic way of dressing. Therefore in the future I think more and more people will dress modestly.
#5 DI’ GERARI
KODD : How would you define modest fashion and what is the message behind this commitment ?
DI’ GERARI : It means wearing less skin revealing clothes that can satisfy the woman’s need in being more covered up for spiritual, cultural, and personal reasons. Modesty has different meanings in different countries, cultures, families, settings, etc. That is why we have introduced different modesty levels in our collection. We realize women all look at it in a different way. So offering more different levels gives women more choice.
What is the message behind this commitment? That is that you can feel good, beautiful, confident and fashionable even while being covered. And that you can express yourself in the modest clothes you are wearing. You don’t need to show skin of your body shape to feel good in what you wear.
K : What are the reasons that led you to create your clothing brand ?
DG : Women love making a statement through clothing and thanks to modest fashion a big group of women who are modest in their clothing style, can now be part of fashion thanks to the fast development in the modest industry. They are not excluded any more.
K : Can modest fashion become the future of fashion ?
DG : Absolutely!! We have seen a growing line in the popularity of modest fashion. You see that more and more women are embracing their cultural background and willing to stand up for their values and their own identity. In the past it was difficult to be fashionable and modest at the same time. You would find women being creative in being fashionable and modest at the same time by wearing many layers of clothes. This is so time consuming and you don’t even feel comfortable in so many layers and sometimes it is just simply too hot. Or you just had to wear traditional modest clothes. But women wanted to have more choice than that, they wanted to be fashionable, confident and comfortable in modest clothing. That is why you increasingly see big fashion brands having modest designs in their collections. When you take Zara for example, over the past 10-15 years their collection has had more and more modest items, because they realized that there is a big market for it.
Modest fashion has also gained popularity thanks to social media and influencers. A lot of influencers have their own modest fashion brands because they know that there is a need for it, because girls and women like expressing themselves through fashion and that is why fashion designers still have a lot to gain in the modest fashion industry. And I see a big and bright future for it and I am proud of all of my sisters who have contributed to the development of modest fashion, and still are.
#6 LEMATA & NOUR
KODD : How would you define modest fashion and what is the message behind this commitment ?
LEMATA & NOUR : For me modest means cover and respect and the message behind this commitment is respect for the self and others.
K : What are the reasons that led you to create your clothing brand ?
LN : Because I like fashion and elegance and renewal, and because I want a woman to be elegant and convincing.
K : Can modest fashion become the future of fashion ?
LN : Why not, before modest clothes were related to the dark colors and not modern, but now it is modern and comfortable and with different nice colors and trendy.
#7 NORDAYS
KODD : How would you define modest fashion and what is the message behind this commitment ?
NORDAYS : Modest fashion is in essence expressing yourself without making compromises on who you are, how you show yourself to the world in all elegance and style. A modest fashion style in my opinion redefines how clothes enhance beauty and elegance and goes back to its roots and purpose. In the words of Coco Chanel : Modesty is the highest form of elegance.
K : What are the reasons that led you to create your clothing brand ?
N : My brand Nordays is created from a need of vitamin D and sunlight while still dressing modestly. That is why I created the world’s first modest swim and sportswear you can tan-through while covered and protected against harmful UVB rays. So you can tan now, get your essential vitamin D without showing any skin.
K : Can modest fashion become the future of fashion ?
N : I think it is already becoming the future of fashion. Main street brands slowly but surely are offering modest fashion in their collection and we as modest fashion designers are only starting. The future looks bright.
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