Maariyaah Shaheen
It’s hit the headlines. From luxury bags to the recently launched abaya line, Dolce and Gabbana joins fashion tycoons H&M as well as DKNY into the modest fashion industry by introducing their first ever abaya haute couture collection. The abayas come in a sheer georgette and satin weave charmeuse, laced with copious details along hems, whilst being generously printed with polka dots and floral designs. These abayas that consist of this luxury lightweight material are reserved for the richest of buyers.
Yet despite the intangible nature of these pieces, their very existence in the Dolce and Gabbana clothing line is what Muslim fashion designers and buddying Muslim bloggers such as Amirah Aulaqi and Saufeeya Goodson are excited about.
What this clothing collection does is that it targets itself into the growing Muslim market that hopes to sell over $499 billion by the end of 2017.
The money seems intriguing but what’s more important is the footprint that brands like Dolce and Gabbana have created for the modest clothing sector.
Modesty is being recognised; not as a method of oppression and inevitable degradation but as a voice of freedom and expression. It’s new. It’s fresh. And it turns heads to what it really means to be a Muslim woman.
It seems that the modest religious-friendly silhouettes has shadowed a place in the runway but more importantly in the heart of the growing modern fashion industry. As more and more fashion labels begin to introduce modesty in their clothing lines, there’s no end for trendsetters who work to mark the overlap between being fashionable and dressing modestly. It’s driving acceptance, individuality and more importantly, expression; exactly what fashion is also about.
