KUALA Lumpur, Malaysia—One of the highlights of Malaysia Fashion Week, which was held from November 2 to 5 at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre, is the launch of “MODESTyle Malaysia,” which focuses primarily on modest fashions.
Run by the MODESTyle Group, the web site MODESTyle.com “is the first-ever hybrid B2B [business to business] and B2C [business to consumer] global Web and online trade platform. MODESTyle.com facilitates modest fashion brands, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers from across the world to participate in online trade for the $230-billion Muslimah fashion industry.”
Said Dato’ Sri Hj Ahmad Sukimi Ibrahim, chairman of MODESTyle Malaysia, “With the launch of MODESTyle.com, we are leveraging the Malaysian Muslimah fashion industry and making it a global hub of fashion trends, research and trade buying. This initiative will help position Malaysian Muslimah fashion as an innovative forerunner among its counterparts.”
The site also offers the latest modest fashion and beauty industry news, along with trends and reports from all over the globe. Incidentally, a welcome development for Muslims the world over, CoverGirl enlisted its first Muslim ambassador, hijabi vlogger Nura Afia (babylailalov) from Morocco, to be the face of So Lashy Mascara, with a billboard in New York City’s Times Square to be unveiled soon.
Before the MODESTyle fashion show, MODESTyle Malaysia (www.modestyle.com.my) signed a memorandum of understanding with Koperasi Pembiayaan Syariah Angkasa Berhad to become its exclusive fashion distributor for the brand’s 8 million members. MODESTyle also inked a partnership with Matrade (Malaysia External Trade Development Corp.) to promote Malaysian fashion merchants locally and internationally.
The fashion show was participated by leading Muslimah fashion brands and designers, such as Papillon, OWL by Malaysian celebrity Nora Danish, MFA, Yan’s Creation, Double L by Lenny Agustin and Lisa Fitria, Najua Yanti, Kivitz, Reborn29 by Syukriah and Fazura x Adriana Yariqa.
“While across continents, there are continuous debates pertaining to modest fashion per se, MODESTyle Group proudly brings together faith and fashion that can be accessed by everyone. MODESTyle.com strongly believes in the rise of modest fashion across the world and supports this emerging industry, standing tall with its peers and counterparts,” said Timothy Chen, MODESTyle CEO. “With this web site, the MODESTyle Group aims to unite varied modest cultures, traditions and fashion. Its vision is to focus on providing a unique platform for all people who want to access modest fashion.”
MODESTyle fuses stylish trends with the Muslim faith, making covering up look more comfortable and chic. But with what’s shown on the Malaysian Fashion Week runway, the “Modest Movement” is appealing even to non-Muslims.
“Modest wear is not new to Malaysia or the region; it is one of the fastest-growing fashion segments in the world, and has even made its way into the runways of last year’s London Fashion Week and the recent New York Fashion Week. With approximately 2 billion Muslims in the world, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the global population, it is not surprising to see the growing demand for modest wear,” said YB Dato’ Noraini Ahmad, chairman of Matrade.
As seen on the runways, modest or Muslimah fashion isn’t about severe, boring clothing that’s all about coverage. The pieces presented are for all occasions, from elegant evenings to athleisure pursuits.
“Even non-Muslim women are drawn to well-designed modest wear, as they portray professionalism and humility, while sending a clear message about their values and personality. Fashion commentators refer to this as an upcoming ‘Modest Movement,’ a form of universal dressing culture that is empowering and inclusive,” Dato’ Noraini said.