Arab chic and modest fashion are more intimate than ever
The last generation witnessed a conscious shift in Arab clothing design in a way that has intertwined religious adherence more closely with high fashion, though what is worn beneath the abaya still often remains racy.
According to Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli, a scholar of couture from the Arab world, the schools of Arab design and modest fashion are now increasingly intertwined, especially in the Gulf, whereas once they had been distinct.
“It’s easy to forget that the Arab world is comprised of many different religions. You have Christians, Jews, Druze, Kurds, Maronites, Sunnis and Shias in this vast area of countries where Arabic is the language of the masses,” Dr. El Mutwalli, a native of Iraq whose family moved to Abu Dhabi when she was a girl, told Salaam Gateway.
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