Islamic Lifestyle

How to put together an Islamic modest fashion collection

BY Shalini Seth

27 Apr 2016

Insight

Salaam Gateway

Design, styling, merchandising, and product development—three fashion experts talk about modest fashion design and the process involved in launching a line that will fly off the shelves.

In 1999, when Cindy van den Bremen first started working on what would become the Netherlands-based sports hijab brand Capsters, the research alone took her half a year. “I visited [hijabi Muslim girls who played sports] in their communities and started working on the design,” she said at the Global Islamic Economy Summit 2015. “I called my users to give feedback to improve.”

The nascent online business, which was launched in 2001, first relied on emails to take orders and get valuable feedback from users. “I am a co-designer,” van den Bremen says. “I have to design with the people, so [the] Internet is the co-design tool. I’d pose questions. We sent out cards for feedback.”

Today, the company is a success and offers a variety of styles including watersports, football, and running hijabs. Capsters delivers worldwide and the company has resellers in 12 countries. Capsters demonstrates that a successful product is a combination of innovation, design, product development, brand image creation, and successful merchandising.

Avis Charles, a UK-based strategic consultant who advises fashion designers and companies on all aspects of bringing a product to market and who has worked with designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham, says, “It starts with the designers ... what they can do to create individuality in their collections. For example, do you want to be a luxury brand or something more commercial?”

“It’s [about] looking at the individuality of the place you are aiming for; even narrow it down to a store. All these nuances have to be taken into consideration in developing a brand from scratch. It has to have innovation, be unique in its offering, and appreciate the customer profile from design through to the supply chain and retailer,” added Charles.

Design, the first step, is often the most visible.

Charles says, “Designers become designers by accident sometimes. You wear something and someone says it’s fabulous. You make one, and another. Sometimes the business can grow like that and all of a sudden you’re walking through Selfridges and an abaya taps you on the shoulder. You now get to produce 50 of these, in different colors, with deliveries at specific times, and decide which price points work.”

CREATING A COLLECTION

Going from being noticed to creating a collection for the catwalk is the first challenge. Alia Khan, Founder and Chairwoman of the Islamic Fashion and Design Council says: “As a designer, you have to have money for a new collection before it makes it to the show. That is a daunting task.”

It’s important to have a plan that goes beyond sketches of your product line. Charles says, “While you were making the dress you didn’t cost it. You did not work out your pricing. You haven’t yet seen it as a business. Then you think, can I get the amount of fabric and get the money from somewhere to buy it? You need to sit down and get a business plan, understand the supply chain so you can fill the order.”

As Khan observes, “Not all designers are ready for commercial work yet.”

MAKING IT IN THE MARKET

The most perfectly designed product may still not make it to the market for many reasons. Sports company Nike, for instance, created a one-off fitted hoodie-style hijab for Bahraini sprinter Ruqaya Al-Ghasra to wear at the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar. Despite the athlete winning the gold in the 200-metre race sporting a hijab with the company’s logo, it hasn’t led to bigger things, such as a line of Nike sports hijabs.

Yet British martial arts champion Ruqsana Begum, who does not herself use the hijab, has recently launched a line keeping in mind what her fellow athletes look for in a hijab—fitted, breathable, easy to slip on without using any safety pins, moisture resistant, and unobtrusive.

Charles observes, “If you’re having a hijab made, it’s important to see the size, how it is cut, and how it’s finished. This isn’t just a scarf with fringed edges. It comes back to the design studio, the production and design teams.”

“I’ve been contacted by designers who are working in modest fashion and also by designers who want to include modest fashion in their lines,” Charles says. “The first thing I would say is that not one size fits all. As with any collection you put together, look at your target customers. When you’re thinking about Islamic modest fashion, you could be talking about a country, not a whole region.”

AVIS CHARLES DESIGN TO RETAIL STEP-BY-STEP

The process of taking a brand from inception to retail has many steps. Charles, who guides designers through the process, outlines key points in the process of delivering a fashion brand: its design, styling, brand image, merchandising, creative direction, editing, product development, narrative, and tone of voice. She shares some insights on how each of these play a role in taking a collection to market:

1. DESIGN: All designers need to know about sourcing of fabric. This can be done by training. The production person may explain that a garment needs to be fully lined. Some fabrics, such as stretch satin, may be see-through. Designers need to make sure it has a half-an-inch seam allowance so it looks neat. A garment may need to weigh in the hem in the front so it cannot blow open. There is a learning curve here. For instance, Chanel jackets have a chain inside the seam. It’s not mere embellishment; it adds weight to the jacket.

You may decide that you will go to design college and learn more. You may decide to do a short course at the London College of Fashion. Or you may say that Parsons School of Design in New York has a different aesthetic that you may like.

2. STYLING: A designer has to think about the profile of the stylist. Styling should ensure that when the customer sees the product, they can see themselves in it. Styling needs to be creatively appropriate for a photo shoot, a film, an editorial, or fashion shows.

3. BRAND IMAGE: Identify your brand—it needs to be wearable and relevant. It should not look like it’s just added on the end without knowing who the customer is.

4. MERCHANDISING: Merchandising needs to turn heads. Details are important, even down to the mannequin that you put it on, the way the hijab is tied, etc. It should be innovative so when you walk past the window you’re struck by it.

5. CREATIVE DIRECTION: This is down to the designer and the lead creative. The brand needs a signature so that one can tell it is the work of a particular designer. When you see Vivienne Westwood, for example, one look at the cut and you know it’s hers.

6. EDITING AND DIRECTION: This is at the sampling stage of the collection. From the time the designer starts sketching or working on mood boards, they’re editing out things. Designers do it with images as one visualises a collection. Words are trigger points on the mood board. As you make the pattern, try it on a mannequin, or a friend or model who comes in for the day. You may not like this neckline. Or you may think that the fabric may need more silk. You’re always editing and changing the collection, even 10 minutes before the model steps out on to the catwalk.

7. PRODUCT DESIGN: Adding new products to your line should be done strategically and organically. You don’t want to seem as if Levi Strauss suddenly started making business suits. Is that really credible?

Done right, you can immediately add to your bottomline. You need to think about profitability. You need to know that the market is there before you start looking into production.

Adding a shoe collection, for instance, is creating another business. You may collaborate with a shoe company. Or if you are thinking of doing shoes or handbags three years from now, there can be elements added around your collection today. Your scarf, for example, can turn into a kaftan, because women go on holiday.

8. NARRATIVE AND TONE OF VOICE: How the message is delivered is crucial. It should be clear that the designer is aiming for a certain group of women with a certain amount of money to spend. That runs through the whole process and the customer understands it. When you look at Zara, for instance, you understand exactly what they’re aiming for.

tags:

Branding

Fashion collection