SundayMagazine SUNDAY TRIBUNE 4 APRIL 17 2016 Fashion

The style world is fascinated with Islamic fashion, reports Liam Joyce

Roshan Isaacs Is Muslim fashion catching on?

Mipsterz – a portmanteau of hipsters and Muslims – is the term coined for young, stylish Muslim women. LIAM JOYCE SM spoke to Roshan Isaacs, head of the South African chapter of the global Islamic Fashion and Design Council. Modesty’s staying Do you think that Muslim women or men might feel as if their culture is being commodified or misappropriated? and buying power This question requires more of a conversation. There will be those who disagree and feel HE fashion industry is According to the religion, women items in order to cover that mainstream is always looking for are required to be modest at all appropriately. Following extensive commercialising Islamic wear something new. Whether it’s times. It is a rule in majority research made available about the as they realise how big this Ta new designer, trend or the Muslim countries, where, modest wear market, designers market is, and still growing, hottest brand, there’s a constant according to Al Jazeera, 88 realised that the Muslim market is especially when there is a huge search for something that will get percent of the population define very lucrative,” she said. market in the East. people to sit up and take note. religion as important. But the So why the sudden fascination? And then there are those Then there are times when youth felt it necessary for them to Isaacs said that modest fashion, who find it welcoming as we fashion decides to focus on either be able to express their style, which is how she refers to Islamic shop at retail and designer a country, region or culture. Now while still keeping their modesty. wear without putting it in a box, is stores and wish for more that China’s luxury fashion And as Forbes wrote in a 2013 not something that started last modest attire to be made market has all but failed, thanks article entitled “The next big year. “It’s not a trend. It has and accessible. to the market crash last year, untapped fashion market: Muslim always will exist, not only among The dos and don’ts? fashion’s next big thing is Islam. women”, it started a chain Muslims but a number of faiths How people wear a garment Islam fashion that is. reaction where fashion started and cultures that dress is totally up to them. Muslims Islamic clothing, especially the setting its sights on Muslim conservatively. Everyone has their would wear it in accordance hijab, is as stylish as it is political. women. own personal identity and beliefs, with their beliefs, while non- The headscarf, adorned by many Since 2014, there have been a but many are looking to be global Muslims would wear it as it women who are followers of the number of high profile fashion citizens, where labels don’t matter. appeals to their style or the Islamic faith, has had a bad rap, shows hosted in the UAE. Chanel Modest wear consumers want to way they wish to communicate with many in the west seeing it as presented its Cruise collection in look stylish and so they formulate themselves that day. In South a symbol of oppression, so much Dubai in 2014, while in November, their outfit as a way of At SA Fashion Week, some Africa we have many so that France has banned it in Stella McCartney showed her communicating their personal and designers featured influences of similarities in dress. the country. But is it really? Spring 2016 ready-to-wear unique style that befits their Islamic fashion, including Mille The Kaftan and Abaya is In 2014, a group of young, collection, a month after releasing religious code, and designers have Collines, top, and Somerset Jane, similar in that it does not stylish Muslim women were it in Paris. caught on to this,” she said. accentuate the shape of the featured in a video, which went But the real focus on courting Locally there are also a number above. woman. The Kaftan is worn viral. Called Mipsterz – a Muslim women as customers of designers who have put across cultures like Islamic, portmanteau of Muslim and began with several fashion houses together or featured modest-wear Indian, Jewish and African Hipster – they represented the and fast fashion brands creating inspired looks in their collections. cultures and religions. Then young Muslim youth and they collections that specifically cater “In South Africa we have non- there’s the turban and scarf were essentially taking back the to Muslim women. In recent years, Muslim designers who have styled in many different ways negative connotations that comes we have seen DKNY, Tommy featured one or two modest-attire from faith to faith. with wearing the hijab. Hilfiger, Monique Lhuillier and pieces at the latest South African From a style aspect: And less than two years later, a Oscar de la Renta, produce capsule Fashion Week,” said Isaacs. “The layering creates beautiful rush of fashion brands have collections to be sold in the Middle Somerset Janes Winter collection, drapes and shapes the garment decided to focus on what, for them, East during the holy month of Mille Collines and GrapeVine itself, playing with colours to is the next big thing: Islamic wear. Ramadaan. Retailers like Mango, Fashion are some. And among compliment or contrast and of You would assume that it’s a Zara and H&M have also curated Islamic designers, Mod-ish by course the hijab itself can be genuine interest, but, like China collections that would appeal to Nazeefa and Wardah Safi, Seruna styled in a number of ways for showed, it’s all about the bottom- the market. by Unaizah Toffar, M-Couture by a chic covered look. line. In 2013, Muslims globally But since then it’s gone beyond Mohamed Rawoot and Human What are your overall spent $266 billion on clothing and just Ramadaan. Italian brand, Image by Ayesha Allie are all thoughts on this fascination footwear. That’s more than the Dolce & Gabbana recently designers who realise that the and the incorporation of total fashion spending of Japan launched a hijab and abaya modest-wear market has potential Islamic wear in the west? and Italy combined, according to a collection for the spring 2016, as and their collections range from It’s about time. The west has recent report from Thomson did Japanese brand, Uniqlo, which ready-to-wear to couture.” always seen Islamic dress as Reuters. Today, according to the launched a hijab range that was Isaacs added that over restrictive or oppressive. We’ve 2015-2016 State of the Global first sold in Asia. 62 percent of the global Muslim been highly influenced by the Islamic Economy Report, Muslim Roshan Isaacs, head of the population was under 30 years old. celeb, western and European consumers spend an estimated South African chapter of the “Their modest lifestyle is not a way of dressing. Growth in the $230bn on clothing, a number that global Islamic Fashion and Design passing trend, it’s something they modest-wear sector is driven is projected to grow to $327bn by Council, said that initially are committed to for life. by the youth. We are a 2019 – larger than the current mainstream markets did not “Once you win them over, they colourful nation, we need to combined clothing markets of the worry about the Muslim market, are likely to remain with you for embrace culture, and this may UK ($107bn), Germany ($99bn) and but they are now seeing their life. be the first step toward India ($96bn). buying power. “It was difficult to “Their loyalty and spending tolerance. In South Africa we The modesty fashion industry pinpoint due to their shopping power makes them the most Dolce and Gabbana launched its have been heavily influenced is heavily reliant on the religion of activity not confined to one shop attractive consumer population in first abaya and hijab line in by European dress, when in Islam. It’s really not just fashion. or item but to many shops or the world,” she said. January. fact we are rich in culture.