ISTANBUL (AP) – Spring colors, breezy fabrics, high necklines and long hemlines: The International Modest Fashion Week opened Friday in Istanbul as Turkey sought to be seen as a creative hotspot for conservative wear around the world.
Seventy designers were taking part in the two-day event hosted by Modanisa, an online retailer of Muslim fashion, at a historic railway station flooded with spotlights for the occasion.
“(We want) to create mainstream fashion out of modest fashion and to energize Islamic communities to produce (clothing) for Muslim women,” Modanisa CEO Kerim Ture said. “They want to have their rules but they also want to look chic.”
In Turkey, an estimated two-thirds of women wear a headscarf, according to industry experts.
Modest fashion represents a growing market in the world and Turkey, with its Muslim traditions and booming textile industry, is uniquely placed to cash in both creatively and commercially. Worldwide spending on Muslim clothing is projected to grow to $327 billion by 2020, according to the latest Global Islamic Economy report.