Inside the booming Muslim fashion industry

With high-end embellished hijab and abaya collections, H&M, Dolce and Gabbana, Zara and Uniqlo caused a stir in the luxury fashion world when they launched clothing lines targeting the Muslim shopper.

Islam is a lifestyle and that is the market that fashion designers are now rushing to seize.

Burhan Mohamed is one of the Kenyan designers who is seeking to get a slice of the growing market by combining elegance, tradition and personal touch to women clothing.

Ms Mohamed creates unique, modern and modest clothes for Muslim women. She also sells designer perfumes, sneakers, loafers and doll shoes from H&M and Zara brands.

The 24-year-old is the brains behind Burhaney Collections, a design house that deals in abayas, buibuis, long blouses, skirts and scarves.

“Everyone wants to be unique, so I strive to offer my clients outfits that are not in every store,” says Ms Mohamed.

Her abaya designs are custom-made and she uses different fabrics and colours. The preferred colour for Muslimahs—Muslim women— is black. It is a colour of beauty, she said.

Unlike other colours, black does not attract a lot of attention for the Muslim women, making it the most ideal.

In her Eid collection, Ms Mohamed has focused on free flowing dark-coloured abayas with the wrist and hems stitched in bright fabrics.

She also stocks hijabs in different colours from maroon, navy blue, cream to black.

An outfit goes for between Sh4,000 to Sh10,000 depending on material used and the design.

Other stores in Nairobi stock more-sophisticated abayas and buibuis sourced from Lamu. These are handmade using fish bones for crocheting, with one outfit going for Sh18,000.

Wambui Mukenyi, is another Kenyan designer who launched a collection targeting the Muslim woman and that can also be worn by non-Muslims who want free-flowing outfits.

Complex designs

“I was motivated by my Muslim clients and I took the challenge to start creating clothes – specifically for women – this April,” said Ms Mukenyi, adding that her clothes are for the working Muslim woman.

The clothes retail from Sh9,500 and the prices can go up depending on the design complexity and the material used.

Growing spending

Muslim consumers spend an estimated $230 billion (Sh23 trillion) on clothing globally, a number that is projected to grow to $327 billion (Sh327 trillion) by 2019, according to the latest State of the Islamic Economy report. And this is the market that designers are seeking to cash in on.

Burhaney Collection, located in Nairobi, has been in existence for nine months now and Ms Mohamed hopes to start making men’s outfits.

Men wear long outfits and a cap which can be in any colour. Some men wrap turbans around the cap.

“The collection is at its infancy. We hope someday to introduce men’s collection,” she said.

Looking back, Ms Mohamed is proud to have followed her dream in fashion; a job she said that has made her discover her potential.

“Today I am happy, I was able to discover my dream and chase it. No one has hired me to build their dream,” she said.

She had been designing her own unique abayas during special occasions which drew compliments from her friends.

They pushed her to start a clothing line and now she is making money especially during Ramadhan, seen as the month of extravagant spending, rivalled by Christmas.

Spark controversy

Other international brands such as DKNY, Oscar de la Renta, Tommy Hilfiger, Mango and Monique Lhuillier have also produced luxury collections, often sold around Ramadhan in high-end stores.

However, as more tap into this fashion market, the modern designs have sparked controversy as some are said to go against certain standards of modesty in terms of colour, material used and tight fitting.