I was so thrilled when I received the invitation to attend the fashion shows brought by STYLO together with MATRADE in conjunction with Muslim Fashion Festival (MUFFEST) 2016 in Jakarta last week. Followed by the opening of International Modest Fashion Week in Istanbul, MUFFEST is another global event hosted by Indonesia Fashion Chamber (IFC, one of the biggest designers association in Indonesia) to encourage modest designers all around the world to gather and showcase their collection within the same community. In a move to promote Malaysian Modest fashion designers on the world map, particularly the ASEAN markets, MATRADE together with STYLO International has sent six Malaysian fashion brands including Ainibakker (Nor Aini Bakker), Yan's Creations (Yani Bakhtiar), Illuvwirdah (Virdah Adnan), Azura Couture (Azura Mazaruddin), Durrah Jewellery (Durrah Khalil) and Sara J (Sara Jamaludin). Throughout the 5-day MUFFEST exhibition, these brands were given a chance to promote their brand to international visitors or buyers. 

The beauty of modest fashion is not only that it resembles rich cultural elements, it is also about individuality and uniqueness. Muslim females who want to create their own form of expression through fashion, which signaled their own state of mind and worldwide. I personally think this makes them no different than the Hip-hop, Grunge, Punk and Goth movements that can be found all over the world. 

Modest fashion has taken the global fashion world by storm these past few years. So much so, international designers like Dolce & Gabanna, Oscar de la Renta, Tommy Hilfiger, and even clothing labels or retailers like Mango, Uniqlo and H&M has followed the footstep to embrace Muslimah-oriented fashion designs into their collections.

Thank you Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW) team for giving me a chance to witness the beauty of another. Modest fashion represents a growing market in the world, and the worldwide spending on Muslim clothing is projected to grow to $327bn by 2020, according to the latest Global Islamic Economy report. Therefore I believe it will definitely be an exciting journey for MFW to explore and create an intentional platform for modest fashion to trade and buy. 

While some may ask why me? Even I asked MFW this question and they simply said because they would like to portray modest fashion in a different angel where all races are able to appreciate the beauty of modest fashion.

Here I am wearing Aere by Fashion Valet, images captured by Stefanie, Sweet Escape.

It was a pleasure. Looking forward to more interesting events by MFW.
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