Ramadan earns spot on global fashion calendar

DUBAI: From Dolce & Gabbana to Michael Kors, major brands are catering to lucrative Gulf markets during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is earning its own slot on the global fashion calendar.

With Muslim spending on clothing on the rise, mainstream labels are courting the dirham, dinar and riyal in a region home to some of the world’s biggest buyers of fashion.

High-end and fast-fashion brands in the United States, Europe and Asia have made an aggressive push to break into the Gulf, where demand for “modest wear” is skyrocketing, fuelled in part by the rise of social media influencers and Muslim lifestyle and beauty vloggers.

Holidays have long been high seasons for retailers around the world and Ramadan, a month of fasting from dawn to sunset aimed at reflection and modesty, is no longer the exception to the rule.

The market for the abaya, a long, loose robe worn over clothes, in particular peaks during the holy month, according to Dubai-based designer Aiisha Ramadan, as women strive to avoid outfit repeats at all costs.

But while attention to clientele interested in modest wear has been a long time coming, some say the move has brought the good, the bad and the offensive to shelves across the Middle East.

Muslim spending worldwide on clothing and shoes is projected to reach US$500 billion (RM2.14 billion) by 2019, according to Tamara Hostal, the head of fashion marketing at design school ESMOD Dubai.

Ramadan has turned into a de facto micro-season in the Middle East, with fashion brands releasing capsule collections exclusive to the region through both last month and this month.

DKNY launched a Middle Eastexclusive Ramadan line in 2014, and other labels have since jumped on the bandwagon: Dolce & Gabbana, CH Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, Mango, Uniqlo and Nike, among others.

Dolce & Gabbana filmed a widely publicised 2016 campaign for their abaya robe and hijab headscarf lines entirely in Dubai — where the need to be “Ramadan ready” is turning into a commercial, cultural and complex phenomenon. AFP