Esteemed Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana got in on the action when it debuted its hijab and abaya ready-to-wear collection in 2016, which was major to say the least, though interestingly recived.
RRCOLLECTIONS is an online company that sells affordably-priced traditional abayas and hijabs with a modern twist. Designed in Dubai, British-Somali founder Jamila Love takes modest fashion to new heights by re-imagining classic silhouettes. Think elegantly embroidered abayas that can be left loose and worn oversized, or cinched-in at the waist.
For spring, the company has big plans to launch team uniforms and even more activewear options for Muslim women and any other women who practice modesty by covering up. In the meantime, the makers have high hope that the hijabs will enable female Muslims of all ages to get active without compromising their beliefs.
“It was like, let’s make a big-ass powerful statement,” he says. “Let’s take over this space in this really Catholic space, and make it not only hella Black but hella Black and Muslim, and go against what they might be learning or seeing on the news or from their family, who might think things should be a certain way. And let’s put this here and stand up to that—because how can you see the work we’ve created and not see how beautiful it is? How can you stand under those images and still have hatred?”
From as early as the age of eleven, I was exposed to a constant slew of conversations based on looking thin as a measure of looking good. A "patli qamar" (petite waist) was seemingly the biggest asset a girl could have, but I was heavy. I learned to hide myself, and as I tried to
