Islamic Fashion Festival is a fusion of creativity and conservatism. Puts modern Islamic fashion for women and men on the catwalk
After years of turning heads with her riotously colourful frocks in
Malaysia, fashion designer Tom Abang Saufi can't decide whether to shed
a few shades on her batik dresses for the Middle East.
"If you wear red and fuchsia in the desert, you'll stick out like a
sore thumb," she says. "(But) it's slowly getting to be accepted
because the Saudi Arabians are well-travelled people. They're global,
they wear Roberto Cavalli and they're all very colourful."
For many, Islamic fashion might seem synonymous with strait-laced
garments that leave everything to the imagination, but some Asian
designers are trying to equip modern Muslim women with a wardrobe that
obeys both sartorial trends and spiritual dictates.
This fusion of creativity and conservatism is showcased in the
Islamic Fashion Festival, which has entered its sixth year and runs
through Thursday in a Kuala Lumpur hotel. Malaysia, Indonesia and the
United Arab Emirates take turns hosting the event.
Islamic Fashion Festival opened with glitz and glamour
The festival opened last week to a catwalk show audience of
Malaysian royal princesses and corporate women who cheered an
avant-garde celebration of chiffon and crystals that cast off black
burqas, austere abayas and homely headscarves. Shows featured 1,000
outfits by top couturiers from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and
the Philippines.
Diverse influences lent a twist to typically loose tunics and serpentine skirts.
Models strutted the festival runway in silver-shot scarves sparkling
with Viennese-made Swarovski crystals. Some designers drew inspiration
for their evening gowns, prayer clothes, bridal outfits and full-body
Lycra swimsuits from Indian Mughal carpet motifs, Spain's Moorish
palace patterns and even Moroccan scenes from the classic film
"Casablanca."
Indonesian designer Ronald Gaghana's ensemble, considered the
centerpiece of the launch, was adorned with Japanese kimono-like
sleeves and intricate African embroidery.
Islamic Fashion Festival is a showcase for a global Islamic fashion market
"It's a global market for us. For me, it's very important as a
designer to (go) abroad to see everything" in the latest trends, said
Gaghana, whose custom-made Islamic dresses cost at least $2,000 each
but are snapped up by women who want something fancy for special
occasions.
Fashion gurus say Islamic apparel is a fast-growing segment of their
worldwide industry, fueled by growing numbers of affluent, liberal
Muslims who want to balance propriety with style and globally renowned
designers such as Elie Saab whose creations can fulfill religious rules.
"When I went to do my fashion exposition in Paris in September, the
clothes that people were interested in were Islamic fashion," said
Malaysia's Tom Abang Saufi. "There's going to be money made from this
because it's huge."
Tom says she has begun exporting Islamic attire to the United
States, where Muslim women "want to be a little bit more trendy than
what is being given to them from Yemen." She hopes to expand her
collections to other countries with sizable Muslim populations, such as
China and France.
Designers are also targeting Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia,
where stores in Jiddah have begun openly stocking a new generation of
cloaks, or abayas, that swap all-black, drab traditions for vibrant
colour and flamboyant glitter.
Islamic Fashion Festival brings together Muslim and non Muslim fashion designers
Some non Muslim fashion designers are getting in on the action, including
Malaysian ethnic Chinese fashion maverick Lee Khoon Hooi, whose
idiosyncratic zipper necklaces and tulip-shaped gowns have been sold in
boutiques from Beverly Hills to Taipei.
Even though modesty is Islamic fashion's overriding theme, Lee
insists experienced designers will face little trouble adapting to the
restrictions and coming up with chic creations that would appeal even
to non-Muslim women who want to experiment with a different garb.
For this week's festival, Lee pushed the boundaries with slinky,
silk satin dresses that came in nude-coloured hues and dropped
waistlines.
"I just twist (my usual creations) to make it longer, less sexy
(but) keep it elegant, feminine," Lee said. "You can still see a little
bit of the (female) shape, so it's not like a tight corset. Sometimes
covering up, (you) still can be sexy."
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