06
@Glam.Halal
april-may. 2019
fashion
The beauty that
is modest fashion
W
By Yasirah alfian
hen we talk about
fashion as a Muslim,
we must think about
sharia. ‘Modest’ in
the present context
can be defined as a
pattern of coverage for various parts of the
body, or to cover parts of the body in the
context of humility, diffidence and shyness.
Although on the other hand, modest have
also often associated with beliefs relating
to the fidelity, purity, chastity, seclusion,
adultery and inferiority of women, which
is unfortunate and juxtaposes the belief of
Islam.
The rise of hijab fashion and beauty over the
past few years has completely changed our
perceptions of what it means to be a Muslim
woman. Our fashion-forward ‘Outfit of the
Day’ posts oand brightly colored makeup tuto-
rials on social media are proof that we don’t
have to sacrifice modesty for style. Modest
fashion has become a very trendy fashion
topic and has been growing tremendously.
Not only does it resembles rich cultural
elements, the beauty of modest fashion also
mirrors one’s individuality and uniqueness.
High-end acceptance
Creativity knows no bounds
Creativity in Muslim women’s fashion and
style goes beyond just making modesty more
fashionable. In Malaysia, Datin Vivy Yusof is
one of the most successful businesswoman,
helming the force behind fashion e-com-
merce site Fashion Valet. From a modest
fashion startup established eight years ago,
Fashion Valet has grown into an empire with
physical stores in various countries around
the world.
Vivy Yusof is also the beauty with the
brain behind the famous hijab brand, dUCk
Scarves, and she has impacted the Muslim
As Malaysia continues to strive in becom-
ing a global halal hub, the halal market in
its entirety also became a steadily growing
market in the country.
When it comes to the concept of halal, we
will usually associate it with food and drink.
Yet, the demand for halal-certified products
in other sectors has also been on an increase.
One of those growing market is personal care
and cosmetics.
The World Halal Week last year had seen
great indication that Malaysia can very well
be a global halal hub. Malaysia once again
leads the Global Islamic Economy Indicator
for the fifth year in a row, the announcement
made during the start of the convention.
Halal in personal care
The rise of modest fashion
Japanese basics magnate Uniqlo released a
line of modest fashion which includes hijabs,
in American stores since 2016. Uniqlo is a
brand that has been targeting Muslim women
as its user base, following the footsteps of
DKNY and Mango’s ‘Ramadan collections’ and
Dolce & Gabbana’s line of abayas.
The Uniqlo line of clothing is a col-
laboration project with Hana Tajima, a
Japanese-British-Muslim designer that have
successfully launched a similar line of modest
Uniqlo garments in Southeast Asia last year.
Not only did she came up with different
style hijabs, she also shows us how to blend
traditional styles with a more modern look.
Modest fashion has been cultivating new
styles for Muslim women to express their
chic fashion sense while still being modest.
The collaboration capitalizes on the signature
strengths of both Uniqlo and Tajima. Uniqlo
is known for its high performance technical
fabrics, headbands and hijabs which are made
from their trademarked fabric technology
called Airism. It is a breathable and moisture
wicking fabric designed specifically for the
collection.
Malaysia’s
growing halal
beauty market
Fashion
captures the
essence of being
a Muslim while
also being in
the forefront of
fashion.
fashion industry in Malaysia in unimaginable
ways. With a strong social media presence of
about 1.6 million followers on Instagram, she
has inspired many women to look and feel
more confident with their hijabs. She posts
tastefully curated looks on her social media,
winning over more followers.
Islam does not limit us
Islam provides guidance for each various
aspects of our daily life. Although Islam has
no fixed standard to the type of clothing
Muslims must wear, there are certain require-
ments that has to be met.
In general, standards of modesty call for
women to cover her body, particularly her
chest. The Quran calls for women to “draw
their head-coverings over their chests” (24:30-
31), and the Prophet Muhammad instructed
that women should cover their bodies except
for their face and hands.
It is truly an amazing thing to be able to
dress modestly while still be able to be fash-
ionable. Ustaz Don Daniyal, one of the most
popular faces of Islamic teachings in Malaysia
said that “Muslim women nowadays are not
scared to be more fashionable. They have been
styling their scarves and outfits while also
covering their aurat. They would try to adjust
their style to adhere to Islamic teachings,
while becoming fashion icons.”
According to him, it is important for
Muslim women to be more included and rec-
ognized in the fashion world, especially as the
fashion industry is becoming more diversed.
The fashion industry hadn’t always been
this accepting towards modest fashion.
Therefore it is great for Muslim women
to be able to dress in a way where they are
comfortable without appearing outlandish or
being questioned about their attire and more
importantly, belief. It is also given them the
confidence to try new styles and to be more
fashion-forward.
Halal cosmetics, in its essence, must be free
from alcohol, blood, and parts or substances
from animals that have not been slaughtered
according to Islamic practices. This is the
notion of what makes personal care products,
halal.
And with that indication, product manu-
facturers followed suit.
SimplySIti, founded by singer Siti
Nurhaliza was one of the earliest to offer
halal-certified cosmetics, fragrances, and
skincare products. Then mainstream com-
panies jumped in as well. Firms such as Clara
International, Johnson & Johnson, Silky Girl,
and Wipro Unza have all added halal-certified
products onto their arsenal.
Two-thirds of the global Muslim popula-
tion is in the Asia-Pacific region. According
to Pew Research, the Muslim population is
young and has good socio-economic pros-
pects. Thomson Reuters estimates that
Muslim consumers will account for $73 billion
worth of spending on cosmetics by 2019, or 8.2
percent of the global expenditure.
In Malaysia, the total trade volume for
personal care and cosmetics products was
about $2.24 billion in 2015. Half of the demand
was met by imports.