Modesty by Hafsa Lodi

Author:Hafsa Lodi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Neem Tree Press

Non-Muslim designers dedicated to modesty

Though Muslim and Arab designers, hand in hand with their loyal and evidently wealthy social circles, may be feeding the international modest wear market now, conservative fashion labels launched by creatives of other religions have long been attempting to sell modesty in the West. It’s important to note, however, that these Western modest wear brands are dramatically different in terms of design aesthetics from Middle Eastern fashion labels, which are typically more embellished, bold and froufrou, with elaborate ruffles and layers, and add-ons like beading and embroidery. Modest wear labels founded in North America, on the other hand, are less avant-garde, perhaps inspired by religious commandments rooted in traditions that urge women to appear inconspicuous, or perhaps to serve a different, more practical Western lifestyle, one in which maids, cooks, nannies and drivers are not typical of middle-class living, and where over-the-top embellishments have little place.

One of the most decadent and deliberately modest labels that you’ll currently find in mainstream American fashion is Batsheva. Available on luxury e-tail sites like MatchesFashion.com, the brand specializes in the production of vintage-inspired prairie dresses. It was founded in 2016 somewhat by accident by Batsheva Hay, a half-Israeli New Yorker, former lawyer and practicing Jew. Looking to mend one of her old Laura Ashley dresses, Batsheva decided to revamp the design with a higher neck and some ruffles on the sleeves and had some similar designs tailor-made in second-hand fabrics that she bought online. After receiving compliments, she decided to start selling the old-fashioned yet clearly in-demand dresses in both women’s and children’s sizes.

The designer’s signature silhouette features elbow-length bell-sleeves, a frilled hem reaching the ankle, and a high, ruffled neckline. Fabrics are typically cotton, with vintage-inspired prints. Batsheva’s aesthetic is quirky and borderline kitsch, and she happily refers to her designs, which she shows at New York Fashion Week, as frumpy. Though her approach to design may be heavily influenced by her own religious dress codes, there’s nothing uniform or plain- Jane about Batsheva dresses. And while they may at first appear to be imported from a past era, they’ve become highly covetable fashion investments, endorsed by celebrities like Natalie Portman, Lena Dunham and Erykah Badu, as well as by numerous fashion editors and influencers. “Batsheva’s skyrocketing success signals the way in which modest fashion – once a niche market – has entered mainstream consciousness,” writes Pip Usher for Vogue. “No longer dismissed as the dowdy domain of religious folk, this multibillion-dollar industry is being driven by a young and cosmopolitan consumer who demands coverage in accordance with her faith but refuses to skimp on style.”24

The Frock NYC is another New York-based fashion label, founded in 2010 by Orthodox Jewish Australian sisters Chaya Chanin and Simi Polonsky. While their designs mostly cover models’ bodies up to the knees and elbows, they are still feminine and fashion-forward. Wrap dresses, slip skirts, pinstripe shirts and accessories like belts and bandanas fit in with mainstream, highstreet style trends, and are priced competitively too.

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