CAIRO — Keeping abreast with the latest fashion designs while maintaining their Islamic identity, a growing numbers of American Muslim women are adapting western trends into Muslim-friendly ones.
“I absolutely love how you can be modest and fashionable at the same time,” Abeer Minhas, a New Yorker, told the South California-based InFocus newspaper on Friday, May 1.
The 20-year old has many solutions to turn the new fashion styles that do not suit Muslim women into becoming a Muslim-friendly.
“For example, if I see a top that I absolutely love but is a little too revealing for me, its fun to see how you can add layers to make your own personal fashion statement even more effective,” said Abeer.
Her sister Narmeen, 22, has other solutions.
“I bought some really cute dresses – knee length, sleeveless – that I’m going to wear under jeans and a white long shirt and boots.
“I think that you can adapt any style to be modest and trendy.”
Both sisters say they were inspired by clothing trends they have seen during a recent visit to the Middle East.
“Anyone from the Middle East has a distinct style in which they take western fashions and adapt them toward their Islamic interests,” said Abeer.
“When we traveled to Turkey, my sister and I were just awestruck at how beautiful the clothes were and how they covered every inch of your body.”
The US has an estimated Muslim population of nearly 7 million.
Booming
Meeting the Muslim women’s needs, many American stores have started introducing Western fashions with a Muslim twist.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find the right Islamic-type blouse in North America to sell in the store, so it has to be ordered overseas,” said Moniza Bhaghani, owner of Hidaaya Books and Clothing in Diamond Bar, California.
In her store, Bhaghani, a Muslim convert who is half Latina, sells the Rebirth of Chic brand of inexpensive Western clothing adapted to be Muslim-friendly.
“I talk to customers about what they would like and keep in mind that things have to be a length in which women can pray.”
Bhaghani is also trying to incorporate local fabrics and designs, though, to keep it Western-themed.
“Sometimes colors used overseas are not in fashion here, so I send them a palette using magazines and tell them to find the closest match,” she said.
The Muslim woman also offers long skirts and tops, scarves of different materials from cotton to shiny metallics, and tunics that younger people like to wear with jeans.
Eying a share of the growing market, Terry Cormier opened a department store for selling Muslim women’s clothes in Anaheim, California, two years ago.
“We had a Web site before then, and people kept showing up at our house thinking it was the store, so we just decided to open a store,” Cormier said.
Cormier says the demand for modest clothes is growing among young Muslim women.
“Modern stuff for younger sisters is in good demand,” she said, pointing out that she receives a lot of business from the 30 and under crowd.
“They want an American style with an Islamic identity.”
American stores like Urban Outfitters have also adopted Middle East traditional wear, from the keffiyahs to dresses and shoes.
For Narmeen, being a Muslim adds another important dimension to how she dresses.
“I also think that hijabis should look nice, i.e., I coordinate matching scarves with my clothes, because we stand out as “Muslim,” and I think it’s important to defeat the rumors that Muslim women are suppressed and unhappy.”
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