Last February, more than 3,000 people – many of them young, Muslim women — flowed into London’s Saatchi Gallery for the first ever London Modest Fashion Week (LMFW). Launched by online fashion marketplace, Haute Elan, more than 40 designers were featured, representing such countries as the UK to Saudi Arabia.
According to the Guardian, “Designs weren’t limited to abayas (a long tunic traditionally worn by Muslim women in the Middle East). There were lush velvet palazzos from Maslea; pastel-coloured flared jumpsuits by Syomirizwa Gupta; satin emerald-green dresses with puffed shoulders from Foulard; trendy burkini-wear by Lyra; and beaded evening gowns by Sahee London that could have floated off the pages of an F Scott Fitzgerald novel.”
Mariah Idrissi, who is known as the first hijabi model featured in a major fashion campaign (H&M), took note of the significance of the week: “This event is about diversity and showing that as much as modesty is a part of the Islamic faith, everyone is welcome to be a part of it.”
