Making a modest statement: a modest fashion tour

By Aamirah Thayibah

Walk into any highstreet shop and you will be greeted with oversiz ed silhouettes and floor-length day dresses. Modest fashion is the latest buzzword in fashion. From Alexzander Mcqueen’s Spring 2022 collection to the trendy balaclava, the internet is stormed by a fashion that never was in the spotlight but now is having its time in the sun.

Before being appropriated by high-class designers and influencers, modest fashion was considered an oxymoron. With most mainstream fashion catering to mass trends, women who chose to dress modestly, mostly due to religious conviction, were left with little option to dress in a way that was both adherent to their values and yet trendy.

But not so anymore. Sara has a curated wardrobe of dresses, kaftans and abayas that she says makes her feel royal and empowered. “It doesn’t have to be one or the other — I can choose to be elegant and well-dressed while also following my religion,” says she.

Muslim women, may be spearheading the modest fashion movement, but they aren’t the only ones who want the best of both worlds. Many orthodox Jewish, Christian and atheist women too are also huge adhernats of the trend. “Modesty to me boils down to comfort and humility—both of which mainstream fashion failed to offer to me,” says Kyathi, who gravitates towards more free form silhouettes.

Modest fashion is a widespread term: It includes everything from burkhas and long skirts to loose trousers and long tops with modest cuts. “In reality, there’s no cookie-cutter image of what a modest dress is. Modest dressers are not attached to one religion, size, or race. If you’re going to create a conversation around modest fashion, you need to acknowledge that first and foremost,” says Yusra, who, as both a plus-size woman and a modest dresser. She finds it hard to find clothes that cater to her needs in mainstream fashion.

Yusra also highlights the effects of trends on the general consumer: “The bottom line is that clothes are meant to cover you, fashionably or not —that’s the wearer’s prerogative. All that trends dictate is ‘wear this and like this’ which just feeds into the consumerist attitude.”

M o d e s t y g o e s b e yo n d clothes—it’s an attitude. It’s a way of living with dignity that is reflected in your choice of clothing.

What started as a niche trend within a few influencers on Instagram, modest fashion has now evolved into a $277 billion industry. Most importantly, this fashion movement has never been more mainstream and multi-brand.

When it comes to clothing, it isn’t simply for individuals who follow religious traditions. The modern, modest fashion buyer chooses items based on a concept that draws inspiration from a variety of places.

Women seeking modest fashions now have more options, allowing them to mix and match from a variety of designers, brands, styles, colours, and textures. From high-end designers and brands to tiny shops; modest styles include maxi dresses, flowing dresses, Dior-inspired flare skirts, layered clothing, turtlenecks, scarves, tunics, and palazzo trousers.

Major brands such as DKNY and Mango have included Ramadan collections in their debuts. Yet many western brands, despite actually designing pieces that indulge the modest covenant, fail to reach the appropriate audience. The gap is filled by Eastern brands that have a more nuanced approach to the culturally defined concept of modesty.

Ghizlan Guenez, a Dubaibased entrepreneur and designer, comments on the fleeting nature of fashion trends.”I was very excited to see everything that was happening at the end of 2017 and back in 2018 on the runways, and the conversations around hijabs and all that. We know that modesty has become a bit of a macro-trend,”Guenez writes on her blog.

However, trends fall as quickly as they rise. But perhaps that may not be the case with modest fashion. Because modesty is just not a fashion choice, its a way of life. It’s just that now social media platforms allow those who dress modestly to share their preferences, experiences, and perspectives.

The modest apparel shopper can explore her options, read about how other women are styling outfits, and learn about other people’s perspectives through social media. The Modist, an e-commerce site for modest apparel that includes an online magazine for ladies interested in modest fashion, and claims to offer “luxury modest style for extraordinary women.”

Hundreds of pins showing modestly dressed women can be found on Pinterest. A quick YouTube search for “modest fashion” yields thousands of “how-to” and “style tips” videos.

In a year or two, the