Modest Dress Swimsuit

Inland Muslim woman's store caters to the fashionably modest

Jamesa Nikeima thinks dressing modestly doesn't mean you have to wear boring clothes.

The Corona woman creates and sells clothing that adheres to rules and traditions of her Muslim faith but have fashionable designs, bright colors and whimsical flourishes.

"A (Muslim) sister once told me that Allah sets limits, but we can do anything within those limits," Nikiema said.

Her company, Rebirth of Chic, is one of a growing number targeted toward women who want to combine their American and Muslim identities in their clothes. Websites, stores, booths at Muslim events, blogs with names like "hijabulous" and magazines such as Muslimette cater to Muslim fashion.

Some Inland Muslim women's closets are filled with tie-dye skirts, ruffled-sleeve blouses and stylish-looking, body-covering swimwear.

Nikiema's clothes "don't look old-fashioned," said Rebirth of Chic customer Kadijah Dafney, 42, of Fontana. "They look elegant. Every time I wear them, people compliment me."

The Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed teach that women must cover their bodies, except for their faces, hands and feet, said Muzammil Siddiqi, a Garden Grove imam who chairs the Fiqh Council of North America, which advises Muslims on Islamic law.

The clothes must be loose-fitting to conceal the woman's figure.

But, Siddiqi said, "If she's covering properly, there's nothing wrong if she looks nice" and the intent is not to appeal sexually to men.

Not all Muslim women observe those rules, and some do so only partially, combining a hijab, or headscarf, with form-fitting jeans. Some Muslim scholars believe Islam does not require the covering of the body or the head, only general modesty that can vary by country, said Nushin Arbabzadah, a research scholar in women's studies at UCLA.

Nikeima said she doesn't feel constrained by rules on covering her body.

Far from a sign of the oppression of women -- as some critics view the rules -- Nikeima views modesty as liberation from the objectification and sexualizing of women.

Muslim women shop for modest clothing in steamy summer ...

By Alison Lake

On the sweltering August streets of metropolitan Washington, sandals, short skirts and halter tops are seemingly de rigueur. Bare-legged women in the summer’s latest chiffon miniskirts crowd the Metro platform during rush hour. Yet not all women in the area are baring their arms and legs in the heat.

The Washington area’s diverse population includes Muslim women who follow the rules of Islam in their clothing choices, no matter how high temperatures soar. Many cover their arms, legs and neck in all seasons, and many cover their hair with a headscarf, or hijab.

U.S. Muslims number about 2.4 million (estimates vary), with about 250,000 in the Washington area, but no major fashion retail chain markets directly to Muslim women. As a result, many struggle to shop locally.

Bridging the gap for the “modest” or “Islamic” market are online vendors of Muslim-style and modest clothing, offering specialized designs in swimwear, sportswear and professional clothing. Previously, such items were available only from overseas Web sites and specialty stores.

“Finding the right style and material is difficult today,” said Zeena Altalib of Potomac Falls, founder and head designer at  PrimoModa.com , an online store and in-home boutique. Shopping for modest clothes can be challenging and frustrating, said Altalib, who started Primo Moda in 2005 to meet the needs of her friends and family.

Dan Butler, vice president for retail operations at the  National Retail Federation , disagreed, saying that major retail stores offer many options for Muslim customers. “Department stores carry long-sleeved shirts year-round, and a variety of lightweight cotton and poly fabrics,” Butler said. “I have seen that many off-the-rack pieces blend into Islamic wardrobes, which are often accented with traditional pieces from specialty shops and overseas.”

But in major retail stores, modesty is an afterthought, said Altalib, who also designs and sells swimsuits. “When designing modest clothing, ‘modesty’ has to be the main objective during each phase of the design and manufacturing process; it has to be the guiding principle at the beginning, middle and end.

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