Frankees Samad Designs

Frankees Samad is a young fashion designer from California, USA. At university, she majored in Fashion Design, and during her time as an undergraduate, Frankees received a competitive scholarly grant to carry out her first fashion collection, which was based on Islamic Art and Architecture. She recently created another collection called Haute Hijabi, and this is what she says about it:

"Inspired by powerful Muslim-American women, I’ve created a collection that gives her the freedom to be modest and fashionable. The fabric prints are my interpretation of ikat fabric designs from the silk roads of Bukhara in Central Asia, where my family originates. Combining both inspirations, I have created innovative modest silhouettes with original fabric designs I have hand dyed using techniques such as hand painting, silk screening, stamping, and laser cut fabric to mimic the one-of-a-kind shapes of ikat designs. I was inspired by pleating to hide the body shape yet also give the garments shape at the same time. Pleats draped along the side of the garment hid the tight body shape, but gave it a graceful shape on its own."

Frankees plans to expand on her collections and experience in the fashion world and create a clothing line in the near future! Check out these photos from her fashion show earlier this year, and you can find more information on the Frankees Samad Designs Facebook page.

Images: Frankees Samad (top); Clinton Andor (all others)

Friday Styleflash

New Kids on the Block

If you loved the jalabiyas and kaftans shown at Dubai Fashion Week, you can now get your hands on something similar at Nisaa Boutique, a UK-based company.

Bb-Hijabs have just launched their new website.


New Collections

Haute Hijab have introduced a new Detachable Collar Top and a new range of scarves.

Amirah Fashions have introduced six new jilbab designs for Eid.

Offers and Sale Alerts

IslamicGems are having an Eid Al Adha sale with huge discounts on all their pins and brooches.

Modern Mary and Wahat Aljalabiya have special offers on which are both valid until November 1st 2011, click here for more details.

DFW S/S '12 Part 2

Lots of gorgeous gowns were on the runway at Dubai Fashion Week. It's no surprise that many of the designers taking part featured more modest evening dresses; longer lengths, high necklines and full sleeves. Here's hoping they become more readily available to all of us!

Homa Qamar presented chic abayas with generous cuts from her collection.

Mehwish Afzal of Maisha Creations featured some stunning jewel-toned jalabiyas in luxurious fabrics.

Mohammed Al Marri of Dan Couture showcased mainly abayas, but I loved the Asian-inspired kaftan and trouser ensemble.

Wafa Al Kathiri of Malikat Allail showed some glamorous and sumptuous designs, taking inspiration from traditional Arab and Asian clothing.

DFW S/S '12 Part 1

The Spring/Summer 2012 edition of Dubai Fashion Week took place October 20th-24th, and as always featured a wide variety of international designers, including abaya brands. These are just a few of my favourite picks from the shows, follow the links to the DFW website to see more:

Abeer Al Suwaidi for Ush Design added striking elements to her black abayas. The heavy metallics really stand out and give a modern twist to the designs.

British designer Barjis Chohan for her label Barjis, showcased dresses and tunics based around the traditional abaya silhouette. The focus appeared to be in the cut and flow of the fabric, with low-key embellishments.

Hend Al Mutawa who designs for the popular label Nabrman, added colour and stylish cuts to her unique abayas. I'm loving the pleats in the two pictured above.

Part 2 coming soon!

October Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Stephanie R. from Ontario, Canada for winning the October Giveaway and Enas H. from Manchester, UK for winning the Bonus October Giveaway‏!

Your prizes will be making their way to you shortly. Keep an eye out for the next giveaway coming up soon!

Wahat Aljalabiya Relaunch

Back in 2009, I posted here about a company called Wahat Aljalabiya, a company that specialises in casual, evening and occasion dresses, with branches throughout the Middle East. Since then, they have relaunched their new website, enabled easier and more transparent online shopping and brought in lots of new designs. For those of you not familiar, jalabiyas are worn often as house dresses in front of guests or for special occasions, depending on the style. Below are just a few of my favourite picks from their website; many of the new designs are still luxurious and opulent, with a strong Arab influence, yet not too over the top or costume-y.

Right now they have a special Eid promotion on too. Get $20 off your order plus free shipping, when you spend $250 or more. Just enter the code jilbabeid at the checkout. Valid until November 1st 2011.

Friday Styleflash

Apologies for the absence last week, but the Friday Styleflash is back again!

Offers and Sale Alerts

Bellissima Scarves are offering a Roma Paisley scarf for half price, when you buy any scarf of your choice. Enter the code ROMA at the checkout.

Haute Hijab have a sale on with upto 40% off their clothing!

New Collections

Aab have lots of new arrivals including abayas and printed hijabs.

And in case you missed the previous post, Zeena have recently launched their Eid clothing collection.

Q&A with Zeena

Today Hijab Style brings you a Q&A with Bayan Jondy, the founder of Zeena, an American clothing brand catering for the modest dresser. Zeena have just launched their latest Eid Collection today; and I must say I'm loving the new designs! The pieces are elegant, stylish and versatile; real wardrobe staples. Here are a few of the new arrivals:

Silky Ruffle Zip-Up Shirt; Pleated Dream Skirt; Smocked Chiffon Shirt

Jana: When, who and how was Zeena established?

Bayan: Zeena was founded in 2008 when I started designing clothes for myself . My family and friends responded enthusiastically to my designs which gave me confirmation that there was a gap in the fashion industry that needed to be filled. My sister Amany and I are partners in Zeena and together we are able to design, innovate, and create the best products and service for our customers.

Jana: What makes you different to other modest clothing brands?

Bayan: We spent years carefully laying out our vision and did not rush into starting a company until we were able to ensure that all aspects of our business were covered. What makes us different from other modest clothing brands is that we provide contemporary, demure clothing at affordable prices!

Jana: What have been your most popular items?

Bayan: Our most popular items from last seasons have been the Ribbed Hoodie and the Tie Shrug, which are tops you tend to grab right before you run out of the front door. This season, the button down essential shirts have been very popular, due to their sophisticated style.

Jana: Tell us one thing that surprised you about the experience of setting up and running your online business?

Bayan: What surprised us the most was the overwhelming, immediate response we received outside of our North American customer base. Within the first few weeks of our launch, we were receiving orders and inquiries from the UK, Australia, France, Malaysia, South Africa, Lebanon, the UAE and many more countries across the globe! Such response showed us the universal appeal of our designs.

Jana: What's your ultimate vision for Zeena?

Bayan: Zeena's ultimate vision is to continue to provide contemporary, modest clothing for our customers every season. We aspire to have the most reliable clothing store, offer the finest quality clothing, and provide the best customer service.

Visit www.simplyzeena.com to see their designs!

Bonus October Giveaway

For the second giveaway this month, Hijab Style is giving you the chance to win a Kaasni Ruffle Wrap from iLoveModesty!

To be in with a chance of winning, you must do two things:

1. Visit the iLoveModesty website, and subscribe to the newsletter (left hand side bar).

2. 'Like' the iLoveModesty.com Facebook page. Send an email in with your full name and city with 'Bonus October Giveaway' in the subject line to hijabstyle@hotmail.co.uk. Please note that if any of this information is missing, you will not be entered into the competition.

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT on Friday 21st October 2011. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via e-mail.

Don't forget to tell all your friends and family too - the giveaway is open to entrants from all countries!

Modern Mary

Modern Mary is an American brand which launched in 2008, providing modest and stylish clothing for all women. Not only do they have an online store, they also have a boutique located in Virginia. Modern Mary have also made headway in mainstream fashion, exhibiting their designs at DC Fashion Week.

I'm particularly loving the tunics and blouses; these aren't just your run-of-the-mill cotton tops; clearly a lot of thought has gone into the design, and the pieces are unique and beautiful. My top picks have to be the Pleated Ruffle Belted Dress and the Asian Inspired Tunic Dress.

And here's a special offer exclusively for Hijab Style readers! Free domestic and international shipping on orders $65 or more with the code hijabstylefs. Valid until November 1st 2011.

Photographer: Naiffer Romero

Models: Ana Maria Lawson & Oksana Anel

Hairstylist: Simon Bechara

MUA: Arika Riedell Burton

Smoky not Smudgy 2011

It's big. It's back. It's Smoky not Smudgy 2011! This charity event has grown from strength to strength each year, and it's a unique opportunity to enjoy some pampering treats, and also see some of your favourite brands and companies that usually only have an online presence.

SnS 2011 is the 4th time this event is taking place! If you were wondering just how it all started, I asked a lovely friend of mine, Huda Thakur, to spill the beans on how ideas become reality:

Huda: One of my friends was heading Charity Week at Imperial College and we were sitting around discussing what possible events we should hold, when I suggested a pampering event for girls. Another friend said she had a friend who was a Bobbi Brown make-up artist and we took it from there. I always aim high, so this event had to have it all: hairdressers, make-up artists, henna artists, photo shoots, master-classes and so on. The only problem was we didn’t know anyone who would be ready to take on that responsibility and organize an event, ready for Charity Week in 2 weeks time. My friend tried to persuade me to do it, and although I’m the sort of person who can’t tell the difference between blusher and eye shadow (I still don’t know how to use them), I agreed. This was a chance for Imperial to try something new that could potentially be quite instrumental in raising a lot of money for charity.

The following two weeks were probably the most intense times of my life. I managed to get a few people on board with the project and for an event that was the first of its kind, run by someone whose entire make-up bag consisted of a stick of home-made eye-liner from back home, Alhamdulillah we did pretty well! What’s more is that every single penny made went straight to charity. We had managed to incur zero costs and we even managed to give all attendees Guess gift bags filled with donated goodies!

Believe it or not, all of this took place in just one room. Back then, my involvement was packing the gift bags! The event was incredibly hectic, but the great turnout proved just how much potential it had.

The next year, SnS moved to a much bigger space, and took over a whole two floors, and has been held there ever since. Huda asked me if I wanted to get involved in organising it half-way through, and with help we managed to pull off a much larger event. In 2010, SnS got even bigger. This time, I knew I wanted to really get stuck in, and there were 4 of us now on the organising team. We had a much larger 'souk' area, inviting various fashion, jewellery, and arts businesses to have stalls at our event. And biggest of all, was the SnS fashion show. Several designers took part showcasing a range of looks.

This year, SnS will be following a similar format to 2010, with all the elements of pampering, fashion, food and fun. Although I'm not involved in organising it this year, I have no doubt the girls will do a great job. Honestly, so much hard work goes into organising this event, I hope you will come down and help us raise lots of money for a good cause! Visit the SnS 2011 Facebook event for more info.

Friday Styleflash

New Collections

Masoomah has lots of new arrivals for Autumn/Winter.

The Inayah Collection has launched a limited edition range of hijabs, pins, bangles and necklaces that will be available to customers directly in South Africa through their distribution team there. Check out the products available on their Facebook page.

New Kids on the Block

Hijab Jewels are a new company specialising in brooches that have just launched on Facebook. They've also got a competition to win three brooches going on too!

Offers and Sale Alerts

Hijab Fashion Shop are giving free UK delivery until October 12th 2011.

Amirah Fashions are offering 15% off orders when you purchase an Aswad jilbab and any other jilbab from their website (including sale jilbabs), and use the discount code Aswad22011 at the checkout.

October Giveaway

For the first giveaway this month, Hijab Style is giving you the chance to win a Silk Mix Scarf, in turquoise or cream, from Demure Look!

To be in with a chance of winning, you must do two things:

1. Visit the Demure Look website, and subscribe to the newsletter.

2. Visit the Demure Look Facebook page, and tag yourself in any photo of your favorite item. Send an email in with the link to the photo you've tagged youself in, along with your full name and city with 'October Giveaway' in the subject line to hijabstyle@hotmail.co.uk. Please note that if any of this information is missing, you will not be entered into the competition.

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT on Tuesday 11th October 2011. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via e-mail.

Don't forget to tell all your friends and family too - the giveaway is open to entrants from all countries!

Product Review: Al Kawthar

Al Kawthar is a UK-based online store selling abayas, hijabs and accessories, which launched in 2010. They recently sent me the Leopard Print hijab in brown to review.

First Impressions

The package arrived swiftly, within 2 days, and I was assured this was the usual shipping time for customers. The hijab itself measures 160cm x 55cm, and is made from a very lightweight polyester chiffon. The print is beautiful, the colours well-defined and I personally love the contrast between the main print and the smaller border. The colours in the photo on the website (above) are also true to real life.

Wearability

This scarf is very thin and so quite see-through at one layer thick, although once wrapped around and worn with an undercap, isn't too much of a problem. Also considering that the scarf is not very wide either, this doesn't provide much flexibility in terms of styling. However, if you prefer smaller, neater scarves for practical reasons, then this might be right up your street. The fabric is also slightly textured, meaning it won't slip around. It is quite delicate and care needs to be taken if using pins. I found that this scarf looks best worn with darker colours like brown and black.

Overall

I love the print of this scarf and the lightweight fabric, although a little larger size would make it ideal. At a bargain sale price of £4.80, it's great value and looks a lot more expensive than it really is.