Dutch modest-fashion brand Nesci offers more than the bare necessities

Enaam Ahmed Ali nearly always used to return frustrated and disappointed when she went shopping for clothes. It seemed impossible to buy an outfit off the rack that was perfect for her. A Dutch hijabi who liked to be fashionable as well as modestly dressed, she was always on the lookout for outfits that would meet her criteria. One December, she hit the stores with her sister, who was visiting from the UK.

“It was a total disaster,” said Enaam. When they found a shirt that was the right cut, it was transparent. A long dress that would be perfect for day wear—sleeveless! They rarely came across a piece they liked that didn’t need layering or covering up.

So Enaam said to herself, why don’t I just create a line of clothing that fits my criteria for modesty? Clothes for an active woman who does not want plunging necklines, see-through clothing or anything above the knees.

She discussed the idea with her friends, siblings Zineb and Kaouther Youcef, who had similar difficulties while shopping for clothes. And thus Nesci, the Netherlands-based modest-fashion brand, was born.

The three founders of Nesci (an abbreviation of the word “necessity”) didn’t lack for enthusiasm, but they had no background in fashion.

Zineb was the most fashionable hijabi they knew, Kaouther had a way with people, and Enaam, who studied finance and economics at the University of Amsterdam, had a head for business. And so they combined their talents and set to work, researching pretty much everything relating to the fashion industry.

Enaam Ahmed Ali, Co-founder of Nesci

They interviewed about 100 people—designers, stylists, website developers, and people working at other fashion brands—to get an idea of the type of work and knowledge required for their fashion start-up. “I was so surprised by how generous people are, to be honest. By their willingness to help us,” said Enaam.

The year 2014 was a busy one for the girls. They took a class in pattern making, and they went to Paris for a fabrics exhibition, where they recruited a Lithuanian team to produce their line. Enaam found a supporter in her husband Fouad, whose family agreed to finance her venture after she made a hearty sales pitch to them. It was agreed that she would have sole ownership, as Zineb and Kaouther had other commitments.

And finally, in May 2015, Nesci was launched with a fashion show produced with minimal resources. Enaam happily said, “It is a day I will never forget. I never expected that it would have so much traction.” About 250 guests turned up, including a lot of bloggers. There weren’t very many people from the mainstream media, but the story was picked up quickly. Soon, the girls’ inspiring story was featured in a number of newspapers and magazines.

Nesci now has three collections, with a new Fall-Winter line expected soon. On their website they describe their style as clothing “where not all your lovely lady parts have to show to make you look feminine. Simple cuts, qualitative materials and beautiful colours work magic to achieve the same goal.”

The clothes aren’t just for hijabis. During their research, Enaam said that the girls parked themselves on the shopping streets to speak to people about what they were looking for when they went clothes shopping. They discovered that lots of women found it difficult to find clothing that was modest enough for work and for certain occasions that called for modesty. “This changed our strategy. We realized the market isn’t just Muslim women. So on our website and for photo shoots we also use some models without headscarves,” said Enaam.

An important concept for the Nesci brand is empowerment: through the clothes, through the Nesci blog, and through workshops for women on entrepreneurship and business in which Enaam teaches women how to map customer journeys and model canvases. She has an upcoming workshop sponsored by the Dutch Embassy in Algeria (through Zinab and Kaouther, who are of Algerian descent) and another one with a knowledge partner in the country that her family came from, Libya.

Helping women start businesses is just as much an embodiment of the Nesci ethos as producing modest clothing. Nesci stands not only for the necessity for a solution to the lack of modest, fashionable daily clothes, Enaam explained, “but also the necessity for more veiled women who are active to create exposure for themselves. We believe that women should say, ‘hey, we are here!’ and ‘we do things that are amazing!’”

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