The still unexplored potential of halal fashion industry

In the history of civilization, the world has witnessed various stages of development and progress. Advancement in Knowledge has lead to development in the fields of Education, Economics, Social Sciences,

Science and Technology, Governance, Art to name only a few. Automatically, these developments have led to amelioration in the practical world, and this trend will continue till the end of time.

However, the particular topic under discussion is Fashion Industry which is a specialised field of Creative Arts. Initially, the word “Fashion” originated from the Latin words I facere I and ‘factio I . In old French, the word was I facon I, which later changed to Fashion. It

Generally refers to make, shape and style. Today, the term I Fashion Industry I refers to apparel and associated accessories such as cosmetics, handbags, shoes, watches and more.

No discussion regarding the fashion industry is complete if we do not mention the views of few icons, who have to nurture and grow it.

Ralph Lauren: “l don’t design clothes, I design dreams”

Christian Dior: “Fashion is about dreaming and making other people dream”

Yves Saint Laurent:

Fashion fades, style is eternal

Coco Chanel: “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different”

Based on the above, those whose opinion matters seem to unanimously agree that, in order to achieve distinct in this field, one should dream and allow the dreams to reflect in one’s creations. This is the ideology that has led to development of Fashion Industry and resulted in the turnover of huge figures in the name of fashion.

As the fashion industry evolved, it also became time / era, place and brand specific, as moods, trends, styles changed from time to time. They were referred to as the ‘1 950 1S look I or 1 1 960 1S style I, and so on. In the history of the fashion, style, trends of the previous eras were reintroduced in later times, with slight modifications. True to the English saying, “Old wine in a new bottle “

While fashion trends of each era were unanimously adopted the world over. But due to geographical locations, varient weather conditions, limitations imposed by religion and culture. Hence, despite the fashion trends are popularly adopted, they also reflect the identity of individuals, their benefits and traditionally acceptable norms.

Accordingly, each area had it’s own identity with reference to dress, food, behaviour and cultural norms.

At the present time, fashion is one of the fastest growing industry the world over. When referring to the

European fashion industry, it becomes necessary to name the big brand names such as Chanel, Dior, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Givenqhy etc. For the longest time Paris was considered the hub of Fashion Vista. However, IFDAQ, the

New York has taken over as Fashion Capital of the world, followed by Paris, Milan and London. Since personal vanity and the desire to look good is an intrinsic element of human psyche, the importance of fashion industry cannot be over emphasized, also with reference to it’s significant contribution to economic growth by generating employment and revenue through local consumption as well as the ability to propel export figures.

This leads to the subject of “Halal Fashion” which refers to the possibility of looking smart and fashionable while still remaining within the confines of Islamic teachings with reference to dress and modesty. The concept of Halal Fashion is basically an amalgamation of the doctrine of Islamic faith with the dictates of modesty, beauty and style. The word I Halal I is commonly understood by Muslims living the world over, irrespective of the language they speak and the country they belong to. It is an all-encompassing word which refer to the complete doctrine of life. Anything which is not according to Islamic guidelines is considered Harame Since 25.6 % of the entire world is Muslim, according to the latest statistics compiled in 2025, it automatically implies that the potential of growth of I Halal Fashion I is the fastest growing industry with

Indonesia and Turkey topping the list. China and Vietnam have emerged as producers of I Jubbas l, I throbs I and topis worn in the Arab world. As well as Ehram used for Islamic pilgrimage.

Tracing the history of Islamic Fashion, realizes it all began with the women covering themselves from head to toe in a black or grey Abaya. In some parts of the Islamic world they cover with the large simple chadar. However, the past three decades have witnessed continuous refinement in Islamic Fashion. Style of dressing have changed while still confirming to the principals of modesty. For instance the black and grey abayas have been replaced with fancier designer’ abayas with style design and colour options. Similarly the large chaders are replaced with vibrant colours and fancy bold designs which fulfil the prerequisites of Islamic modesty. Besides modifications in the styles of Abayas, scarves and chaders a lot has happened overtime which offers more opportunities to muslim females. Such as I berkini l has been introduced, women’s swim suits that covers the entire body. Since globalisation is the call of the day, even western attire has been adapted for Muslim women with long length skirts and dresses which leave no part of the body exposed. These developrnents are a result of the interest and efforts of designers who understand that a majority of Muslim females desire to look smart and stylish, while remaining within the boundaries of modesty. Thus recognising the potential of Halal Fashion, they contributed to the same. Moreover, the concept of Halal Fashion is not limited to clothing and apparel only but extends to the use of leather ( shoes, hand bags jackets), as well as cosmetics and products of daily use such as soaps, shampoos and toothpaste. One may question why the above products? The simple explanation with reference to leather is that the skin of halal animal is halal and visa versa. Similarly, for cosmetics it needs to be verified and ensured that no ingredients are included in manufacturing of these products which either contain alcohol or an haram animalbased ingredient.

Halal fashion trade: Since the world is now a global village, Muslim population is spread all over the globe. Hence, the demand for halal clothing is not restricted to Islamic nations like Indonesia, Malaysia Turkey, Pakistan and Islamic States in the Middle East but extends to America, England, China, Australia and Europe.

In short, the entire world. It is noteworthy that production of Islamic clothing is no longer restricted to Muslim countries. In fact international brands have already reached the potential of catering to the requirements of the Muslim world by launching collection of modest dresses with include matching vibrant coloured hijabs. In 201 9, Nike introduced hijab- compliant sportswear and swim suits. Subsequently, other brands followed suit and begun to offer diversity with similar inclusions in response to popular consumer demand.

O Thomson Reuters, report that the global Muslim population spends over US $ 300 billion annually on clothing. This estimate renders as one of the fastest growing industry. It is also interesting to note, how steadfastly Muslim population is observing their religious values even when living in multi religious and multi cultural societies.

Economists forecast that, this year the sale of halal fashion clothing will exceed US $ 370 billion or even more.

O Amongst the modest brand line the most upcoming fashion world is from Indonesia by the name Dian Pelangi.

O Indonesian designer, Dian Pelangi, has risen to one of the most prominent one in the world of Halal Fashion.

O She is recognised for her preference for vibrant colours and bold patterns. She exhibits at prestigious fashion shows the world over including New York.

O Besides Dian Pelangi, there are several other well known designers in Indonesia and Malaysia whose contribution is noteworthy.

Now it is the call of the day that Pakistan’s fashion industry, which has no dearth of most talented competitive designers, should wake-up to this reality and help Pakistan to step into the arena. As the Editor- In-Chief Hafiz

M. Ahmed of “The Halal Times I’, put it, ” A passion for Islamic Fashion is more then just a trend.,..it ls a movement that celebrates faith, modesty and individuality. The industry is all set to become more influential in the coming years

I conclude this discourse by quoting the famous designer, Robert L. Peters.

Design creates culture.

Culture shapes values. Values determine the future”