It has been little over a week since the spectacle that was Istanbul Modest Fashion Week. Held by Modanisa, an online Muslim fashion retailer, and the Islamic Fashion and Design Council, the two-day event was a first of its kind. It showcased 70 designers, through both booths and fashion shows.
There have been Muslim-fashion events before, but none as international as this one. Brands and influencers from around the world, over 25 different countries, attended Istanbul Modest Fashion Week. Istanbul was a well-chosen location for this event. 2/3 of Turkish women wear the hijab, leading to a distinct fashion and an extremely lucrative market. The fashion in Turkey is distinct. This event could have included only Turkish brands and still have done as well as it did. But inviting influencers and brands from around the world ushered in a significant turning point in the Muslim fashion industry. Like the aim of modest fashion platform Amaliah, it siginifed a move to unite the global Muslim fashion industry.
The event was held at the historical Haydarpasa railway station. It’s a crossroad, right in-between Asia and Europe.
The defunct blue, red and white train found inside served double duty this weekend- serving as both a venue for collections and a photo op for bloggers. Designers ranged from active wear (Mumine Activewear) to bridal (Zehra Kocbay) and everything in between (Sadoq, Anna Hariri, Festoun) Designers were both home-based and from abroad. The sleeves were covering, the hemlines were long, and the garments were breezy, modest and beautiful-serious attainable eye candy for any Muslim girl. IMFW brought together the leading names of the Muslim fashion world for an amazing event.
Besides the shows, there were panels, exhibits, and even henna applications. The international hijabi bloggers invited, think major Western ones like Leena Asad and Dina Tokio, gave everyone major cases of FOMO with their Instagram posts and Snapchat updates.
It was everything a typical fashion week consists of, well, give or take a few hijabs.
