ntation in high street and online fashion. The collection is also made from more sustainable fabrics, and we wanted to ensure that the styles were more sustainable, summer appropriate and also suitable for modest dressing,” Boohoo’s design manager, Penny Armstrong, told Inside Retail. “We loved Sameera’s approach to the project and felt she really understood the Boohoo customer, we had lots of strong applicants for the competition but felt that Sameera’s project not only hit the brief by using more sustainable fabrics but also by identifying styles she felt we were missing on site,” Armstrong noted. According to Armstrong, customers are looking for inclusive, trend-led fashion, even if they do choose to dress modestly. “It’s all about inclusivity. We have customers who dress modestly but also want to be able to tap into trends whilst maintaining and adhering to their own style, working with Sameera also gave a great perspective on what she as a Boohoo customer wanted to see from our offering,” she said. Armstrong added that Boohoo has plans to expand into the modest fashion space, and they will continue to work with product teams to keep updating this space and ensure that their offerings are relevant and meet the expectations of their customers. “The concept for my collection is to create a diverse, more sustainable and modest collection which caters to women of different races and beliefs,” said Mohmed of her range. Major brands enter the market According to DinarStandard’s ‘State of the Global Islamic Economy Report’ 2020/2021, the pandemic hit the US$2.2 trillion global fashion industry hard, and modest fashion companies like the Modist, a Gulf-based luxury e-commerce platform, and Hijup UK, fell victim to market forces and shut operations. Nonetheless, established brands were keen to expand new product lines, especially sportswear geared at the modest fashion segment. Brands like Uniqlo, Banana Republic, Nike and H&M are already in the space. Malaysia’s hijab brand, Duck, collaborated with Disney to bring out its Frozen 2 collection, and it was an instant hit, selling out within hours. In Indonesia, modest fashion is flourishing online, with a new platform launched, Evermos, which raised US$8.25m in Series A funding. Alternative sales channels are also being utilised in line with changes in consumer behaviour. For example, Style Theory, a designer clothing rental platform in Indonesia and Singapore, raised $15 million in series B funding.  Mod Markit-Thrift edition, a modest fashion thrift heaven, was held during Melbourne Fashion Week, which included a second-hand market for modest clothes. Modest fashion weeks have also become more widespread, with events held over the past year from Miami and Melbourne to Kigali, Nairobi, and Tanzania.  The market snapshot According to the DinarStandard report, Muslim spend on apparel and footwear is expected to grow at a 5-year CAGR of 2.4 per cent to reach $US311 billion in 2024. Mainstream retailers, like UK department store John Lewis, have stated that shoppers are displaying a preference for “longer lengths and looser fitting styles.” Sales of midi dresses increased by 152 per cent, while ankle length trousers increased by 33 percent. Verona Collection, which collaborated with Macy’s and ASOS, also noted that smock tops have been selling out within hours of launch. Australian online shopping platform, The Iconic, recently launched the Modest Fashion Edit, while US fashion brand Banana Republic offers exclusive hijab ranges online. In India, local brand Mushkiya opened its fourth store to cater to modest fashion in Mumbai. The rise of innovation More mainstream and modest fashion businesses are entering the modest swimwear market. Swimwear brand Speedo launched the Delight Full Body Suit as part of its autumn winter collection, while USA’s Coolibar released a sun-protective hijab for swimming. Nike launched its Victory Swim modest wear collection for professional athletes featuring design innovations such as a quick-drying warp-knit fabric and a built-in hairnet. Zusaura, a modest swimwear range for men, was launched in London in May last year. New modest fashion ranges have also been introduced to cater to niche markets and the demand for PPE among medical workers due to Covid-19 related shortages. Dr. Farah Roslan, a UK-based doctor, developed a disposable sterile headscarf to be used by hospital staff in the operating theatre, while US fashion designer, Hilal Ibrahim, launched Henna and Hijab, a range of comfortable, stay-in-place hijabs for hospital workers.  Interestingly, Muslim supermodel Halima Aden designed a comfortable matching mask and hijab sets as part of the #BandingTogether program by Allure magazine and AI tech company Anywear design. A stylist’s perspective Safa Aly is a veiled Muslim woman living in Australia who works as a stylist and designer and believes that the conversation around modest fashion is changing.  “In the past, it’s felt like brands believed that veiled women weren’t fashionable – that we just needed long, dark garments and we’d be set,” she said.  She feels that’s just not the case, and with the rise of social media, in particular Instagram, the broader community has been able to connect and see more icons of hijab fashion, like supermodel Halima Aden and fashion influencer Leena Snoubar, who have portrayed veiled women in a whole new light. “And in recent years, designers like Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Chanel and Dior, have put modest fashion in the spotlight by creating special collections for veiled women.” When it comes to the Muslim market, especially in the Australian modest fashion space, Aly prefers to shop at Nike for sportswear and shoes (“it is comfortable, its prices are appropriate and it is of high quality”) and for ready-to-wear, she turns to H&M, due to its bricks-and-mortar presence and accessibility. She also noted Kmart’s recent attempts at modest clothing at affordable prices and quality materials that are attuned to local weather conditions. To successfully launch into modest fashion, Aly advised brands and designers to take into consideration how, when and where its customers would be wearing their items. “For summer, one must take into account the length of the sleeve, the chest opening and the type of material used. If it’s a long sleeved cotton item, for example, with bright and modern colours, most buyers will avoid wearing layers,” she noted. To increase inclusiveness in this area, Aly hopes more influencers and fashion bloggers can pick up the baton for modest fashion in order to make modest fashion more publicised. “I would like to see the faces of women who are important in fashion, who are veiled in Australia. I hope to one day see advertisements in the modest fashion space, which depict a realistic representation of the buyer at large,” she said.