Style Covered: Blending Modesty with Style

For women who choose to adopt the hijab, shopping on the high street to create a stylish wardrobe that adheres to modesty can prove a bit of a dilemma. Luckily, when it comes to successfully combining Western fashion with an Islamic dress code and tailoring trends to reflect both your personality and beliefs, there are a few women who, when it comes to style, have it covered. Jana Kossaibati, the editor of Hijab Style and designers Sophia Kara, Hana Tajima Simpson and Sarah Ellenay talk to Occasions on how to dress with modestly in mind.

Elenany by Sarah Elenany

The past few years has seen a market for faith based fashion take shape with the emergence of a multitude of blogs, websites and designers that advise and cater for women who wish to be fashionable yet stay true to their beliefs and express themselves through the clothes they wear.

Imaan Collections by Sophia Kara

Jana Kossaibati is the editor of Hijab Style, one of the first style guides for Muslim women launched in the UK in 2007. The blog began as a reaction to the lack of mainstream fashion appropriate to the needs of Muslim women and a lack of inspiration in the Muslim fashion industry. Hijab Style aims to bring up and coming Muslim designers to the public’s attention and promote new brands which specialise in modest fashion.

“We see a great range of styles amongst Muslim women, which reflects everyone’s individuality, yet all have modesty in common,” says style-savvy Jana. “Modest dressing means that you’re relieved of the pressure of your body being on constant public display and your personality is what really shines through. Muslim women are increasingly choosing to make their style more reflective of who they are as a whole, rather than just sticking to traditional garments.”

Maysaa by Hana Tajima Simpson

Demand is finally being met by supply, with contemporary designers offering women of all ages more options by fusing Western and Eastern fashions and reconciling stylish clothes with Islamic traditions in a celebration of culture, faith and individualism. Hana Tajima Simpson is the creator of Maysaa, an online clothing line that offers a fresh and innovative take on modest clothing. The recently launched label that can be found at http://www.maysaa.com/ has been met with an abundance of praise, made popular by Hana's elegant designs which incorporate muted colours with classic cut in a collection which includes maxi dresses, long skirt, hooded tops and scarves.

“Muslim women are the same as non-Muslim women in that they are both just trying to find clothes and a style that belongs to them. That's no easy task for anyone, but when you have almost no one designing for you it becomes so difficult,” says Hana.

“I design in a very personal way, I want that connection to the people who buy my clothes, I think that's why Maysaa has become so popular. The more I can make a design specific and intimate to me, the more it becomes something people can identify with because there is a truth to it. I came to Islam because it made sense to me. There is an incredible amount of truth and beauty there when you look beyond media coverage.”

Those looking to achieve a balance between trendy and tradition should look to Elenany; a contemporary brand of clothing launched in May 2009 at www.elenany.co.uk Ideal for young British Muslims, Elenany is unique in its incorporation of modesty with a distinctly urban style and cutting-edge designs.

Elenany by Sarah Elenany

The young and edgy London-based label screams urban chic and has been praised as a bold new fashion label that gives modesty some serious street cred. 

“Fashion is about classic, timeless design.” Sarah observes. “I think it’s important for Muslim women to make a strong statement in their dress but you don’t have to reveal your body to appear feminine. My clothing skims the surface of the body; creating an elegant silhouette, which is modest, yet chic and stylish.”

Her collections include stylish raincoats and jackets with built-in protection for hijabs, smartly cut yet baggy trousers and hoodie dresses decorated with dramatic graphics based on Islam.

For more traditional clothing that still allows women to convey a sense of individualism and creativity, Sophia Kara created the Imaan Collection after being shocked by the lack of stylish and suitable clothing for Muslim women.

Imaan Collections by Sophia Kara

Coming from a background in fashion, Sophia used her experience to create her own clothes that reflected both her personality and beliefs and after an abundance of compliments from other Muslim women she launched her own clothing line Imaan in 2006 at http://www.imaancollections.com/

“Sisters would stop me in the street and ask me where I got my abaya from.This showed me other people were struggling as well and I thought: if these women are feeling even a fraction of how I first felt then I have to do something!” says Sophia

In her designs Sophia indulges in a rich variety of fabric, texture, colour and embellishments while keeping the outfits loose and modest.

Maysaa by Hana Tajima Simpson

While some may argue that the “showy” nature of fashion clashes with the core values of modesty, both are ultimately about self-expression; how modern Muslimahs can present their beliefs, values and personality through their clothing. Hijab is not only concerned with dressing modestly but also how you carry and conduct yourself, so when it comes to deflecting attention and blending in, surely a woman who looks comfortable within herself through dressing to suit her personality will appear less conspicuous, regardless of the colour or style of her clothing and should rightfully combine both?

Considering the ongoing debate over what constitutes modesty, balancing fashion and hijab will continue to prove difficult, yet the diversity offered by these popular modest clothing lines is a promising foundation for a developing faith-based fashion market, which will allow Muslimahs to rock their own individual style in a modest manner.

Written by Laura Smith