An interesting article from the Beeb

As I have been considering to start selling abayas and Islamic fashion items on this blog, I stumbled upon this really interesting article on BBC NEWS earlier...

Jazzing up the abaya

By Stephanie Hancock  BBC News, Dubai The Beljafla sisters have come under fire for some of their designs Few images shout Middle East quite like the abaya - the long, black overgarment worn by millions of women across the Arab world. The design has remained pretty much unchanged for centuries, but a crop of young new designers in the United Arab Emirates are now giving the traditional dress a modern-day makeover. Nothing is off limits - designers are experimenting with bold colours, materials like lace and leather, and even add sequins, embroidery and daring slits to jazz up the often-uniform black robe. Reem and Hind Beljafla began their abaya-design business, DAS Collection, 18 months ago after realising the market for high-end design for Muslim women in Dubai was woefully underserved. Their abayas are very much haute-couture - everything is custom-made and prices start at $1,000 (£606).  It [abaya] is not a tent that covers us all - we can still look pretty and elegant and sexy  Badr al-Budoor, designer The young sisters say that as long as a woman's form is still covered by the abaya, there is no harm in having a bit of fun with the design. "It never loses its identity - the target is to cover the woman's body so there is no harm in playing with the fabrics," says 24-year-old Reem. "We thought why can't we take our abayas and make something to suit the modern girl, but still keep that conservative style." Big ambitions The Beljafla sisters have come under fire for some of their pieces, especially ones which are made from transparent fabric, or show off the shoulders. Badr al-Budoor is now taking her business online. Photo: Abaya Couture But they insist their more racy designs are only supposed to be worn to ladies-only gatherings such as wedding parties. They also say that an evening-wear abaya is not supposed to be worn for a trip to the mall during the daytime - much as one wouldn't wear a cocktail dress to the office. The sisters have big ambitions. They have already met famous US designers like Vera Wang, and believe the day is not far off that Western models will be seen sashaying down a catwalk in Paris or New York wearing one of their creations. 'Spreading the word' Badr al-Budoor is another Emirati designer who is having fun transforming the age-old abaya by adding frills, polka dot print and giant bows to give her pieces a princess-like feel. Interest in her unusual designs is so high that she is taking her business online to target an international audience. Rabia Z now runs a fashion empire She also hopes that, as she opens up to the overseas market, people might view traditional Islamic dress in a different light. "The whole point of doing this online is to spread the word on the abaya and show people that it is a fashionable piece that we wear," says Ms Budoor, who recently launched her website AbayaCouture.com. "It is not a tent that covers us all. We can still look pretty and elegant and sexy - just as covered and as traditional as we need to be." Ms Budoor does not see a contradiction in creating "sexy" abayas. "The definition of sexy here in Emirati society is very different to the West," she says. "Sexy to us means elegant, modest and feminine. It's possible to look attractive without showing any skin at all." 'Modest yet modern' It is not just Islamic dress that is being transformed. Emirati designers have also started to take Western-style clothes like T-shirts, skirts and trousers and adapt them for Muslim customers.  The potential for further growth is massive - it's still untapped, it's a niche market  Rabia Z, designer Rabia Z began designing when she started wearing the hijab, or a headscarf, a few years ago while living in the US. "I realised there was nothing stylish for women like me to wear - something that is conservative but still stylish and fashionable," says Rabia, who is now one of the region's most successful designers. "It was shocking that no-one seemed to care about us - there was absolutely nothing that catered to the needs of Muslim women." Rabia started her business eight years ago and now runs a veritable fashion empire catering for everything from haute-couture to high street. She plays with both fabric and cut to achieve her design mantra of "modern yet modest", and even stitches hijabs into hooded tracksuit tops so that women can exercise in comfort. But Rabia does not only want to dress Arab women, and is targeting Muslims right across the world, including in the West and further afield. She already has plans to tap Asian markets like China and Korea, as well as countries closer to home like Iran and Afghanistan. "The potential for further growth is massive," she says confidently. "It's still untapped, it's a niche market and the potential is just enormous."

Can I be a practising Muslimah and have a career, here in the UK?

Assalam Walaikum sisters!

I've been thinking about the subject of work recently, as a Muslim, as a revert and as a British woman.

I got made redundant last month. After months of feeling financially unsafe and of work becoming more and more uncertain for 2013, my boss did what she had to do, and let go of some of her staff. That meant me.

I didn't feel that upset, to be honest, mashallah. I saw this sudden change as a blessing. For well over a year now, I had been thinking of a career change. I wanted something that allowed me to practice my faith, keep to my values, yet allow my creativity to be expressed.

I am seeing this as a sign of encouragement from Allah, subhannallah, to be brave and push myself to aim higher and gain greater achievements.

Although I am still unsure which direction to take, I have had some ideas.
But actually it isn't an easy and straight forward decision for reverts to Islam. There are many things to consider that we would not have had to think about before.

Will I be able to pray? Will I be working in a Hallal environment? Will I be ok to wear my headscarf there? Will I be regarded as good as any other employee?

To add to the equation, I have only ever worked and wanted to work in the media. How can I combine all of this together?

Inshallah.... That is the only Duah that comes to my mind.

We can sit and fret and worry, or we can leave it to the hands of Allah. It is quite a difficult thing to do, and further more difficult thing to explain to our families, being non- muslims, often non believers. They want us to succeed and cannot comprehend such as 'laid-back' attitude as they would see it.

But it isn't about being laid back, we will have to job search, apply for jobs, go to dozens of interviews. It is the outcome of all of these which we leave upon Allah to guide us with.

What I have noticed about a lot of sisters I have met over the past 2 years is an incredible sense of entrepreneurship. Mashallah.

Well, thinking about it, starting your own business that you can run from home is probably the easiest way to work as a muslimah. You chose your hours, you can pray when you want to, you keep to your principles and you do not have to worry about wearing your hijab or niqab. SubhanAllah.

And the Prophets' own wife (saw), Khadijah, is one of the most inspiring people to look up to in that prospect. She was a business woman of her own right, she ran her own business and was very successful, mashallah.

Inshallah, my next post will be about her and how we can aspire to be more like her Inshallah.

Back to blogging

Assalam Walaikum sisters!

Things have seems to go back to a normal rythm, two months after our wedding and so I am 100% ready to take on the blogging again.

Follow me on Twitter @RevertDiaries for daily quotes, fashion inspiration and crafty ideas!

I am also on Pose, the fashion app that allows you to upload pictures of outfits and of inspiring fashion. Follow me there under therevertdiaries.

I look forward to lots of articles and inspiring times!!

I would be interested in hearing your stories of how this Christmas season went for you as a revert to Islam, especially if this was your first one as a Muslim, inshallah.

May Allah bless you all sisters!!

x

The Fashion Edit: 12-09-12

Salam sisters!!

This fashion edit is a short one, I put together an outfit which I wanted to share as I really loved it and made from all clothing articles I owned prior to reverting!


I like mixing trends and clashing textures, so for this one I mixed lace with leopard print. To keep it quite soft, I stayed in neutral colours.

The top is lace, and though this one is from China, you can buy lace tops in every shop at the moment. Primark have some really nice ones.

The cardigan is from my mum actually, but again, this you can find in a lot of stores. What I like about it is that it covers the arms but reveals what you are wearing underneath, so it works great with T-shirts and tops with details on them.

The leopard print scarves are everywhere at the moment too, I saw some cool scarves today in Rocket and in TK Max.

The pictures do not show this very well but I am wearing beige palazzo trousers with the outfit. The belt is actually from the trousers, but I chose to wear it on the hips to shape the silhouette slightly. This is a question of shape and of taste.
 Sisters who wish not to show any form of shape would do well with this top otherwise, as it tight on the shoulders but wide everywhere else, making it less likely to make you look drowned.



I really liked how I tied the scarf as well... but not sure if I could do it again if I tried. It was really light and perfect for the lingering summer heat we are having this september.

Let me know what you think of it !!

xx

Salams!

Beat the Chill!

Salam sisters! Hello Friends!

The chilly weather is slowly going to creep up on us this month and many of us will be swapping over our summer wardrobes for our winter ones!

Each year, I end up giving a lot of clothes to charity when I do my swap over: clothes that are too big, too small (I wish) or which I never wear anymore. 

This year I want to put together a project that will involve all of you out there in an INTERFAITH project!

Let me give you a bit of background on this project: 3 years ago, in early december, A and I decided to reach out to the homeless by going around central London handing out christmas cards and a small gift. The idea behind that was to bring a sense of home and belonging to the unfortunate ones who do not have an address and therefore will not be receiving cards or gifts for the holidays. 

What we learned was that there just wasn't enough socks, gloves and scarves that we could give them. 

I really want to do something similar this year, the halal way of course, but involving our other communities, not just the Muslims!

So here it is girls : THE PLAN (Inshallah)

- Change your wardrobe over to winter/autumn mode. 

-Put aside anything you think you could do without, even socks, blankets or hats.

 (these must be in good quality- good enough to give as a present to a friend) 

The warmer the better!

- Spread the word to your friends, muslims, christians, jews, atheists any one is welcome to join!

- Come along to the swap shop ( SUNDAY 25th NOVEMBER) and have some girly fun, swap some clothes with other sisters. Address will be provided when you confirm your attendance to therevertdiaries @ yahoo.co.uk

- Anything you haven't swapped will then go to the homeless in London. Stay back and help with the wrapping. 

Teas, biscuits and cakes will be provided. 

- Join the team going out to central to hand out the parcels on SATURDAY 1st DECEMBER. Details on the day will come closer to the date but one team can hand out teas, another can hand out packets, and another can hand out sandwiches. 

-We will be followed/ accompanied by brothers for safety. I will get my then husband to lead a team of brother to collect donations too, so do involve your sons, husbands and brothers into this project. 

Come on girlies! Come on sisters! London has a heart, lets prove it!

Inspiring fashion

Salam Sisters!
I have found these really inspiring videos from a sister in the UK who has her own fashion blog.
I just wanted to share her talent and link you up to her youtube account.
Here is her Eid video

Dealing with abuse

As a revert, I guess it's something I expected at some point. I mean you hear stories of racism, parents denying their children, families being broken up... As a revert you just know that along with the blessings you receive, hardship is on its way!
You will encounter it, in some way or another and it is better to be prepared. For each bit of abuse received, ask Allah to help you and you will find strength.

A few minutes ago, I experienced my first verbal abuse. To be honest, in 1.5 years of being a Muslim it's surprising to have not been receiving this sooner.
A and I were on the bus after a nice evening out. I had a scarf loosely on my head, as I always do in the evenings. As we went to get off the bus, a woman yelled:
What the fu** has she got on her head? What does she think she s Indian or something?
I wasn't quite sure she was talking about me, but then I realised there was only us left on the bus.
Her and her other friends went off their way, not before screaming:
No matter how hard you try you ll never fit in anywhere! Or something along those lines.

By then I had picked up they were insulting me ( my brain chose to tune out the other stuff they were saying) I could really feel my temper rising. A just told me to keep walking and I started laughing.

Partly at their stupidity, partly because I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to talk back to them but that would have out me in danger ( they weren't the smallest or kindest looking people). In the end I felt shaky, A felt it was because they d seen me with him they d said that, but I think they just reacted that way because of fear, the fear of a phenomenon happening more and more in the UK: British girls are converting to Islam.

Allah somehow pushed us both home safe, we never talked back which we usually both would have, and it was best that way. Now I will pray that one of their loved ones converts. That will hopefully help them open up their minds to our beautiful faith and teach them a lesson in acceptance. I am shocked but not really upset. I did know this would come one day.

Subhanallah, God gave me strength to get past it safe, inshallah, I will carry on dealing with these things with wisdom.
Goodnight sisters, may Allah protect you all and make you impermeable to insults and abuse. Inshallah
Xx

Fashion tip: staying cool in the heat

Buying clothes as a new muslimah can be quite daunting, we have so many extra things to think about!
One tip a good friend shared with me was to buy tops a size bigger than your actual size. That way you will find yourself in a looser and less fitting top. And you don't have to compromise on style.
Another difficulty, specifically in summer, is how to keep cool.
We must stay covered and modest but how can we do that when the temperatures rise, like they have this weekend?
Well they are many tricks to solve that. One of them is linen trousers. They are light to wear but cover up nicely without drowning you. You can find them in any high street shop- primark and h&m do very good ones in many colours! Teamed with a pretty tunique, you could put together a cool hippy-ish styled outfit. But the great thing about linens is that they are very versatile, so if you are more the smart looking type, team it with a shirt dress and a belt, et voila! I ll try and post some examples soon.

And then they are maxi skirts! I love maxi skirts. I have bought 3 this summer and do the trick! Plus they are still spot on trend wise! Get them floaty to create more impact and let the air flow better. By tucking if your floaty shirts and tops inside the waistline, you will ensure the look doesn't become too 'frumpy' Tk max, primark and h&m again are your winners on this for highstreet retail, otherwise asos do some really nice ones like this red one here!
Pictures coming up shortly inshallah
Xxx

Salams sisters!!

The Fashion Edits : Weekly inspiration for the fashionista sister who wants to keep her modesty while looking stylish.

A lot of sisters, especially reverts, find it difficult to transit from their previous dress sense to an islamically correct one.

You often feel like you have to adopt a new personality, let alone a new faith and new life style. A lot of Islamic clothing is adapted or inspired from that of Muslim countries but do not seem to reflect our British/European identity.

So, Inshallah, I’m going to use my wardrobe, my fashion sense and industry experience and my fashion expert friends (muslim or not), to upload ideas of outfits and hijabs to fit all tastes and fashions.

I will endeavour to keep the ideas varied to fit all type of styles and all type of sisters Inshallah.

Please feel free to comment, add suggestions and ideas as I go along.

Asalam walaikum sisters, and I hope you enjoy this.