Modesty taking fashion
The multi-billion dollar market of Muslim fashion is expected to soar in the years ahead, writes Anuja Nadkarni.
In a climate of hot debate following the ban of the garment in France, Kiwi swimwear designer Carena West featured a burkini at last year’s New Zealand Fashion Week.
The move, she said, wasn’t politically motivated, but meant to be an all-inclusive way to cater to the needs of New Zealand’s diverse women.
‘‘I was proud of how the public reacted,’’ she said.
Since being featured on the runway, the $399, made-to-order burkini has garnered demand in New Zealand, as well as from the UK and Middle East.
Clothing giants around the world are investing creatively and financially into the market of modest fashion.
The fashion aesthetic, growing in popularity, appeals to a large market of shoppers, particularly Muslim.
West said despite the political atmosphere, her design was well received.
‘‘It is in the company’s best interests to adapt to the changing market and include these products in their collections.’’
Globally, Muslim consumers spent around $266 billion on clothing and shoes in 2013, a report by Thomson Reuters revealed last year. That’s more than the UK ($107 billion), German ($99 billion) and Indian ($96 billion) clothing markets combined. This number is expected to balloon to $484 billion by 2019.
The latest to join this phenomenon is Nike, as the sportswear giant recently announced it would be launching its sports hijab (headscarf) for female athletes.
Last year, luxury fashion house
Dolce & Gabbana released a highend collection of designer hijabs and abayas solely for its Middle Eastern clientele.
International high street brands like Mango, Uniqlo and H&M have also launched modest collections for mainstream shoppers to coincide with Ramadan, the religious month of fasting.
New Zealand has a population of over 46,149 people affiliating with the Muslim religion according to the 2013 Census, a number that grew 28 per cent from 2006.
Despite West’s move to feature a traditionally Muslim item of clothing in a predominantly Western society, this trend hasn’t been picking up as quickly in New Zealand.
Senior marketing lecturer Mike Lee explained this could be because it is a contentious topic.
‘‘I think people have been avoiding it, because it’s such a touchy topic.
‘‘No one wants to be the first to dip their toe in the market in case it gets bitten off, because there can be any number of opinions for or against.’’
Many launches of modest fashion campaigns, including West’s burkini, have received some backlash on social media accusing designers such as those of Nike of supporting the suppression of women.
But Lee argues if governments of Western countries can trade with the Middle East, then why can’t they make fashion for those countries?
Aside from clothing, brands are also subtly incorporating multicultural elements into their traditionally Western background, such as selling oudh, a strong musky Arabic perfume.
Kiwi designer West believes that as New Zealand continues to evolve and accept multiculturalism, retailers here will also follow suit.
‘‘I’m sure we will see more and more development around these ideas in the next few years.’’
Besides, by any standard, a trend worth $500 billion is anything but modest.
"It is in the company's best interests to adapt to the changing market and include these products in their collections." Carena West