@Halal Nov/Dec 2019 | Page 24

24 @glam.Halal | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER. 2019 Personality WHISPERER: Fynn says despite her age, she can still relate and communicate with teenage rebels due to her struggles in the early days. W HEN we talk about modest fashion, our minds will automatically portray Middle Eastern ladies in long robes. Some may even express it as “restrictive” and “oppressing”.  According to researchers, religion isn’t the only reason why women choose to dress modestly. While some aspects remain true in cer- tain parts of the world, the fashion sense has been sown into the western countries as women fi nd it empowering – to feel beautiful without the gaze and the approval of men and their wandering eyes. The term “modest fashion” receives about 8,000 Google searches monthly in th e U.S. The fashion is a growing industry with higher annual demands covering the U.S and the U.K.  While the term “modest fashion” has a very loose definition, the global fashion market industry reportedly worth billions and are predicted to rise even higher in the near future. With this, Muslim designers are taking the opportunity to spread their values and creativity through social media and online stores.  So, what do you get when you combine a spunky attitude with modesty? You’d defi nitely get FynnJamalRTW, which was founded by Fynn Jamal, or her full name Nur Affi na Yanti Jamalludin. A poet, an art enthusiast, a fashion designer and on top of them all, a proud mother of two beautiful children. Aggres- sively expressive, it’s no surprise that Fynn was a well-known singer-songwriter during her rebellious age. Her step into the fashion industry began in 2017, to show that modest fashion doesn’t necessarily mean restriction. Rather, it is a liberating experience for the artist. A REBELLIOUS BEGINNING As everyone has, Fynn struggled to fully embrace the permissible way of living. During the fi rst year of working in Kazakh- stan, Fynn considered wearing the hijab but she procrastinated. “I told myself ‘I’ll wear my hijab once I’ve adopted a child’. However, when the time comes to adopt Juna, I was still not ready,” she says. She had excuses upon excuses to not embrace the hijab, especially when the gov- ernment of Kazakhstan forbids the hijab in Standing out in modesty Singer-songwriter Fynn Jamal shares the story of how her rebellious past inspires her fashion line