Summayah, 39, posted on Facebook asking for recommendations for prayer Khimar shops. "I'd want to get a prayer Khimar that is made of 100 per cent cotton and has excellent chest coverage and sleeves. Please recommend the best place(s) to buy it in Delhi-NCR. I'm not interested in purchasing it over the internet," she wrote. Prayer Khimar is a dress some Muslim women wear while praying.
Summayah, a resident of Gurgaon, is a recent convert to Islam. Her motivation for conversion, she claims, was her interest in understanding the religion and Muslim societies in the backdrop of her participation in anti-CAA protests in Delhi and elsewhere.
"I was always associated with the community, having grown up with Muslim friends. However, my participation in the anti-CAA protests brought me closer to the community once again. I started reading about their religion and felt attracted to it, leading to my conversion from being an atheist to a believer of Islam," she tells Outlook.
Summayah also claims that her conversion encouraged her to dress 'modestly' based on her understanding of the faith. However, the final trigger was the recent controversy around the Hijab row unfolding in Karnataka.
"As of now, I have not been wearing a Hijab or anything based on my religious beliefs. This is to avoid social conflicts in the present political scenario. So I thought it was better to not create any dispute. However, after seeing all that is happening in Karnataka over Hijab, I resolved to wear one whenever I could and shift to 'modest dressing'," she adds.
For people like Summayah, 'modest dressing' refers to clothes that cover the complete human body and are worn by those who believe that covering their body is essential for appearing 'modest'. Its history goes back to different times and civilisations. In the fourteenth century, in the Ottoman empires, there were the robes, shawls, and exquisite kaftans used to cover the human body.
Amber, (name changed) is a 23-year-old political science student at Delhi University. Unlike Summayah, for Amber wearing a Hijab is more of a political statement than religious beliefs.
"I have decided to wear Hijab and go to my college now. I am not practising Muslim and have never been very outspoken about my religion. I have engaged in practices that contradict religious morality, like going to a disco, consuming alcohol and engaging in flings with boys. However, all this while, I have also been conscious of politics concerning my community. As a result of what is happening in Karnataka, I will start doing Hijab as a political statement in solidarity with my younger sisters in Karnataka," exclaims Amber.
In a post-9/11 environment, where the globe is grappling with Islamophobia, many Muslim women are opting to wear Hijab and dress in a way that differentiates them as Muslims as a religious requirement and a political statement, experts believe.
"In a polarised environment, people frequently resort to asserting their religious and cultural identities. Following the 9/11 attacks in America, Muslims' otherisation in the West and India based on their faith and traditions have become very common. The entire 'modest attire' concept stems from there; the Muslim communities, to normalise their faith and culture, are now asserting them," explains Areeb Rizvi, a sociology scholar at Delhi School of Economics.
As the 'modest clothes' trend grew in popularity worldwide, businesses began to see it as a potential market. In 2020, the British clothing designer Pretty Little Thing made headlines by casting the first hijabi model for their 'modest apparel' collection, highlighting how prominent brands are becoming more open and welcoming of people who dress based on their influences.
For people in this business of 'modest' industry, modest fashion refers to an emerging trend among women, who wear less skin-revealing apparel, especially in a way that matches their spiritual and style standards, for reasons of faith, religion, or personal inclination.
The trend associated mainly with Muslims is not just confined to them; claim those in this business.
"Although models such as Halima Aden, Mariah Idrissi, and Hawda Mohamed have become synonymous with modest fashion, the concept of modest dress can be found in different religious traditions and civilisations paradoxically, classic European style. For example, in the Orthodox Jewish community, tzniut (Hebrew) or tznius (Yiddish) governs 'modesty,' Rasta women are also required to cover their hair and dress in loose garments" tells Nighat Ahmad.
Nighat Ahmad, 39, is the founder of Hijab Lee, a Kanpur-based fashion label.
"Modest Fashion is a quest to create a balance between traditional humility and twenty-first-century fashion trends. Small-scale web firms, according to Ahmad, opened the path for this industry," Ahmad explains.
This fashion trend dates back to the last decade when Muslim women were more conscious of fashion trends. At the same time, women who were afraid of exposing their skin began experimenting with designs on gowns and garments that completely covered their bodies.
More recently, major international fashion companies and retailers have endorsed 'modest fashion,' with several emerging designers adding these trends into their collections. Modest fashion has also been included as a category in international fashion festivals such as London and New York fashion weeks.
Embracing diversity. (Credit: Instagram/Hijablee)
According to Salaam Gateway, a global Islamic financial information platform, India's Muslim community - the world's third-biggest – spent an estimated $11 billion on clothes in 2015. This sum was predicted to reach $20 billion by 2020, with an annual growth rate of 13 per cent.
The growth of e-commerce is one of the most significant trends observed by the platform. Almost every brand has an internet presence. Some, including Little Black Hijab, Zak Attire, and Hazel Hijabs, sell only on Instagram, which, according to Statista, has more than 90 million Indian users. An ABC News article claims that with modest fashion searches on Pinterest in the UK increasing by 500 per cent and more designers choosing for longer, more flowy designs, the market is expected to increase by 51 per cent to $450 billion in future.
Ahmad, the owner and CEO of Hijab Lee, an Indian brand that sells modest fashion attire, says she was unaware of the global presence of this garment sector until attending her first foreign exhibition in Dubai in 2018.
"I started Hijab Lee as a small business; this was because of my interest in modest clothing and yet being interested in fashion trends. However, I could not find a mix of both in the existing market. Therefore, I started designing my dresses. Till then, I had no idea of this fashion industry," she says, adding, "However, as people began appreciating the self-designed dresses I wore, I started researching fashion and modesty only to realise it was an existing trend in Western countries and the middle east."
"In 2018, there was an event in Dubai; it was a big event with more than 30 participants, and we represented India. The Islamic Fashion Design Council organised it. It was here I connected with other designers from all over the world, and my real journey as an entrepreneur began," says Ahmad.
When Ahmad started this business, it was difficult for her to convince people that this segment of the garment industry was not just about traditional black veils.
Later in 2020, she rebranded Hijab Lee as THL, but the brand's selling point remains traditional hand embroidery on maxis, pantsuits, and abayas.
Shanaz Rukshana was at school in Chennai when she first started wearing a hijab, but she couldn't understand why it was necessary or what role it played. So she decided to pursue a degree in international Islamic studies.
"I didn't want to be blind about my beliefs, so I wanted to know what it's like to be a Muslim," says Rukshana.
Shahnaz Rukshana, a Chennai-based entrepreneur, is 28 years old. In 2017, she launched The Hijab Company, a modest fashion brand with a physical store in Chennai and an online store that ships internationally.
"The course assisted me in better understanding faith and piqued my interest in 'modest clothing'. I realised that there are misconceptions about dressing among Muslim women in India. One is that black, grey, and cream should be the chosen colours for ensembles. On the contrary, I discovered that there are no colour or style restrictions in Islam," Rukhsana says.
They claim that they got into the business not only for profit but also to debunk misconceptions about modest clothes. Homegrown modest apparel manufacturers had just recently begun to appear in the country when The Hijab Lee started. As a result, a flurry of fashion labels, bloggers, and influencers are prospering today, not only in major cities but also in smaller towns posting about modest fashion.
By showcasing a collection concentrating on hijabs for working women, Lakme Fashion Week became India's first major fashion event to embrace 'modest fashion' in 2019.
Winter sale of Hijablee. (Credit: Instagram/thehijablee)
In the wake of ongoing controversy on Hijab, Both Ahmad and Rukhsana believe that the idea of not showing up their body skin has been empowering for them, and they did not look at it as oppression in any form. However, they agree that enforcing Hijab on others is oppression, just as forcing someone not to wear it.
"For me, the idea of not revealing my body was always empowering. It made me confident about myself. I wore Hijab at my own choice, but I also believe that imposition on someone can also be looked at as oppression. I think women should be left to decide what they want for themselves", argues Ahmad.
Rukhsana agrees with Sumayyah and Amber that the recent issue will inspire Muslim women to wear the Hijab and move toward modest clothing.
"Many women who did not reason out the logic behind Hijab may start reading about it. Also, there might be people who will start doing it as a political statement," Rukhsana argues.
However, Nighat claims that all her customers are not only Muslims since their businesses are not confined to Hijab alone.
"We have a lot of non-Muslim customers who also prefer to dress up modestly. And they often buy long skirts, pantsuits, and similar stuff from us," tells Ahmad.
Meanwhile, it's worth noting that the rising modest fashion trend does not imply consistency in terms of style and pattern. "In comparison to North India, South Indian people have a diverse choice based on their skin colour and body forms. People in the west may have a completely different sense of attire," Rukhsar explains.
Former actress Sana Khan, who recently had a change of heart and decided to stop acting due to religious reasons, has also introduced a modest fashion label called HAYA and plans to launch another brand in the same sector.
Responding to Outlook, she confirmed the launch of her new brand. "I'm about to introduce a new brand; after the launch, I'll be able to talk about it," Sana tells.
However, not every Muslim woman is on the same page regarding the Hijab controversy. In addition, many community voices do not associate with Hijab or modest clothing and term the ongoing tussle as politically motivated.
An ex-Muslim, a term representing people who have given up on the Islamic faith, claims that being reactionary will not help the Muslim community and will only hamper their long-term interests.
"This controversy will only lead to Muslim girls opting out of education. Covering the head as an idea does not fit into the modern world; Muslims understand this. Therefore, the sooner it is, the better it will be," she states on conditions of anonymity.
"Unfortunately, their leaders will not let this happen because they around religious emotions to garner support from the community while keeping them in the dark ages of the past," she adds.
