Summary of "Modest Fashion at a Crossroads" Episode of The Business of Fashion Podcast

Release Date: May 9, 2025

Introduction and Economic Landscape

In the episode titled "Modest Fashion at a Crossroads," hosted by Imran Ahmed, the founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion, the discussion centers around the burgeoning yet fragmented world of modest fashion. The episode highlights the significant economic impact and the cultural importance of modest fashion in today's global market.

Imran Ahmed opens the conversation by presenting compelling statistics: "Spending by Muslim consumers on fashion is projected to hit $428 billion by 2027, marking significant annual growth" (00:04). Despite this impressive growth, modest fashion faces challenges in achieving global recognition and overcoming commercial fragmentation.

Pioneers of Modest Fashion

The podcast features insightful narratives from three leading figures in the modest fashion industry: Rabia Zaragpur, Karim Tura, and Linda Angrea. Each shares their journey, the motivations behind their ventures, and their visions for the future of modest fashion.

Rabia Zaragpur: Pioneering Post-9/11 Modest Fashion

Rabia Zaragpur, an Emirati fashion designer, is recognized as a trailblazer in the modest fashion sector. Her inspiration stemmed from a personal realization of the lack of modest clothing options in post-9/11 America.

Rabia Zaragpur: "A very huge aha moment for me that wow, we are so neglected. And why are we neglected? Why isn't there a single label, a single brand catering to the needs of our women?" (00:49)

Determined to fill this gap, Rabia launched her brand from her grandfather's garage in Silicon Valley, aiming to bring modest fashion to mainstream runways. Her perseverance led to the establishment of Rabiazi, the first e-commerce site for modest fashion, which laid the foundation for a supportive online community.

Karim Tura: Revolutionizing E-Commerce with Modanisa

Karim Tura, the founder of Istanbul-based Modanisa, shares his journey of transforming modest fashion through e-commerce.

Karim Tura: "The clothes that we put on ourselves is not a piece of fabric. It's a part of our identity. It's a part of our self-confidence." (01:30)

Initially attempting to persuade existing brands to embrace online platforms, Karim faced resistance. Undeterred, he took the initiative to build Modanisa from scratch, growing it into a global e-commerce powerhouse. He highlights the challenges of customer acquisition costs in online fashion and emphasizes the need for authentic collaborations to sustain growth.

Linda Angrea: Building a Modest Fashion Empire in Southeast Asia

Linda Angrea, founder of Indonesian modest fashion brand Bunnet and Scarves, now serves as the CEO of the Modinity Group. Her journey began after observing the absence of modest fashion brands in major Indonesian shopping malls.

Linda Angrea: "We have one shared mission. Modest fashion is not only accepted, but actually expected in all fashion runways, Global Fashion Week and every retail space all around the world." (02:09)

Starting with a single scarf line, Linda expanded her brand into a multi-brand group with over 100 retail locations across Southeast Asia. Her success underscores the potential for regional brands to achieve global recognition through dedication and strategic growth.

Current Challenges in Modest Fashion

The panel delves into the obstacles that modest fashion currently faces, emphasizing the need for sustainability, authenticity, and broader representation.

Commercial Fragmentation and Recognition

Despite the growing market, modest fashion remains commercially fragmented. The lack of cohesive strategies among brands hampers global recognition. The speakers advocate for unified efforts to elevate modest fashion on the world stage.

Customer Acquisition and Brand Collaboration

Karim Tura addresses the high cost of acquiring new customers in online fashion, especially for niche markets like modest fashion where repeat purchases are infrequent.

Karim Tura: "The cost of acquiring a new customer is getting higher and higher every day. And the everything stores can afford it because they can sell next day the dishwasher liquid to the same lady. But you are selling hijab. And the next hijab purchase will be after three months if you're lucky." (19:04)

He suggests forming partnerships with established retailers and fostering collaborations between designers and businessmen to create sustainable growth.

Need for Authentic Collaborations

Rabia Zaragpur emphasizes the importance of authenticity in collaborations with major fashion labels to avoid tokenism.

Rabia Zaragpur: "As long as it's done authentically, as long as it's not tokenism. There needs to be authenticity, and they need to understand our values and work with us." (14:52)

Authentic partnerships ensure that modest fashion is represented accurately and respectfully, maintaining its core values of sustainability, ethical practices, and creativity.

Investment and Mentorship Gaps

The speakers highlight the scarcity of investment and mentorship opportunities for emerging modest fashion brands.

Rabia Zaragpur: "There needs to be funding. We need some sort of an incubation and we need funding." (21:07)

Rabia advocates for the creation of fellowships and mentorship programs to support new designers, emphasizing the role of institutions in nurturing talent.

The Future of Modest Fashion

Looking ahead, the panelists express optimism about the mainstream acceptance of modest fashion while acknowledging the need for continued effort to overcome existing challenges.

Mainstream Acceptance and Global Movement

Linda Angrea envisions a future where modest fashion is seamlessly integrated into mainstream fashion, resonating with diverse audiences worldwide.

Linda Angrea: "When I'm wearing clothes from one of our brand. It's a Malaysian designer. Everybody says, wow, this is so great. And people are commenting from Brazil, they are from Japan. They can relate to it." (16:00)

Karim Tura predicts a global trend towards modest fashion, stating:

Karim Tura: "We make fashion modest again because it was modest before. And it's going to be modest again." (18:14)

Sustainability and Ethical Practices

The discussion underscores the alignment of modest fashion with sustainability and ethical practices, appealing to a broader, environmentally-conscious market.

Building and Scaling the Industry

The panelists stress the importance of strategic partnerships, fostering new talent, and creating supportive ecosystems to scale the modest fashion industry effectively.

Partnerships and Incubation

Karim Tura advocates for collaborations with established fashion entities to leverage their experience and reach, facilitating the growth of modest fashion brands.

Karim Tura: "If we can create partnerships with the people who already been there in a different line of fashion. If we can create that, that will be a great thing for us because we are the colonized self. We need to bring our own brands to the world right now." (20:12)

Mentorship and Funding

Rabia Zaragpur highlights the necessity of mentorship programs and financial support to transition hobbyist designers into serious entrepreneurs.

Rabia Zaragpur: "What we need is funding. We need some sort of an incubation and we need funding." (21:07)

Linda Angrea echoes the sentiment, emphasizing collective effort to achieve long-term success.

Linda Angrea: "Whether we want to go fast by going alone or we want to go far. But in order to go far, we have to go together." (24:20)

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a unified vision for modest fashion's future, emphasizing its inevitability in becoming a mainstream fashion force. The panelists advocate for authentic representation, strategic partnerships, and supportive infrastructures to navigate the crossroads of modest fashion successfully.

Linda Angrea: "Modest fashion is not only accepted, but actually expected in all fashion runways, global Fashion Week and every retail space all around the world." (25:02)

This sentiment encapsulates the collective aspiration of the modest fashion community to achieve global recognition and sustainable growth.

Notable Quotes:

• Imran Ahmed: "Spending by Muslim consumers on fashion is projected to hit $428 billion by 2027, marking significant annual growth." (00:04)

• Rabia Zaragpur: "We are so neglected. And why are we neglected? Why isn't there a single label, a single brand catering to the needs of our women?" (00:49)

• Karim Tura: "The clothes that we put on ourselves is not a piece of fabric. It's a part of our identity. It's a part of our self-confidence." (01:30)

• Linda Angrea: "We have one shared mission. Modest fashion is not only accepted, but actually expected in all fashion runways, Global Fashion Week and every retail space all around the world." (02:09)

• Rabia Zaragpur: "If we can create partnerships with the people who already been there in a different line of fashion. If we can create that, that will be a great thing for us because we are the colonized self. We need to bring our own brands to the world right now." (20:12)

• Linda Angrea: "Whether we want to go fast by going alone or we want to go far. But in order to go far, we have to go together." (24:20)

This episode provides an in-depth exploration of the current state and future prospects of modest fashion, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, collaboration, and strategic growth to achieve global recognition and sustainability in the industry.