Verona is a boutique in Orlando’s Fashion Square mall specifically catering to the Muslim woman. “It’s nice to have something like Verona establish a store in a mall because it’s kinda like ‘Hey, I’m out here.’ You’re being represented as American,” says Feena Quazi Abbati, an Orlando native of Pakistani descent, who is a patron of the store. “People have this idea that a Muslim is someone who wears black and has a scarf on. You cannot define what a Muslim looks like… Some girls choose to cover their hair and some girls cover their face. It’s going to open the door for more opportunity just to show people, ‘Hey, this is what Muslims are like.’ ”
Co-founder Lisa Vogl and her partners first launched Verona as an online boutique to fill a void in the fashion industry for fashionable modest apparel. The store receives orders from all parts of the world — their inventory includes stylish longs skirts, cardigans and fashionable hijabs. “It’s just exciting to see the idea in your head come into real life,” comments Ms. Vogl. “We’re excited to show Islam in a different light and we’re excited to show that we’re just as integrated and stylish and fashionable as everybody else.”
