It has come to our attention here at FashionCaiptal that a large growing number of Muslim women are flourishingly blending the two. They manage to do this by collecting inspiration from a number of different sources such as, the catwalk, the high street and fashion magazines. They give it a hijab – favorable twist – yet still making sure that everything except the face and hands are covered.

Shehnaz Noor a designer represented by Fashion Capital is the owner and Creative Director of the fashion label Ottoman. The inspiration for the Ottoman brand was developed from the frustration of not finding fashionable modest wear. Although the brand is aimed at the niche market for women who cover for religious reasons, she does want her clothing to be assessable to all clientele and not only for modest wearers.

Many people have a stereotypical image in their heads as to what Muslim women should wear, which is normally seen as is the black Abaya (baggy dress and scarf) but this is not the case, and many Muslim women enjoy to experiment with their looks whilst still being modest. ‘Islamic wear is not categorised to just long dresses’ says Shehnaz ‘Young girls still want to be fashionable.’

Young Muslims do not want to be set apart from the rest of society, or seen as looking foreign or ethnic, after events such as 9/11 and 7/7 these had a major effect on singling out the Muslim community, and has increased the urge among many young hijab-wearing women to fit in. They want to be able to fit in, but also keep the views and beliefs that they uphold within their dress. The Muslim fashion industry seems to be lacking inspiration, and designers such as Shehnaz from Ottoman are reviving the inspiration that women need.

Hana Tajima Simpson is a fashion designer who converted to Islam five years ago. Hana comes from a British and Japanese background.  In the beginning, she found it very hard to find her own style whilst still following hijab rules. It is difficult when you have a high street that doesn’t really do long skirts and loose long sleeved dresses, or cater design’s that match a person’s religion and lifestyle at the same time.  

Hana regularly blogs about her designs at Style Covered, and has recently launched a site called www.maysaa.com to showcase her designs. While all her clothes are suitable for women who wear the hijab and follow the Muslim religion, she doesn’t design with a specific group of people in mind.

Islam does not set rigid rules of colour, it simply states what the areas are that need to be covered. Could this possibly be the beginning of a new movement? And a whole new style of dress not only Muslim women, but also non-Muslim women? Modesty itself may be becoming a fashion it its own right.