First-ever London Modest Fashion week makes its mark

London hosted its first London Modest Fashion Week, which saw fashion designers and bloggers from around the world come together this weekend at the Saatchi gallery in Chelsea. 

From catwalks to designers showcasing their collections to talks such as "Where Passion Can Take You" by Her Excellency Sara al-Madani, the weekend transcended fashion and aimed to demonstrate that modesty goes beyond just clothes.

The modest clothing sector has become mainstream in the last few years as major retailers including Uniqlo and H&M have begun using women who wear the hijab as part of their advertising campaigns.

Mariah Idrissi, a hijab-wearing Muslim model, told Middle East Eye that this event showed modesty was about "more than just fashion, it's a lifestyle".

Forty designers came to London to display their clothes at an event that marked a turning point in the fashion industry. Designers came from around the globe, from Turkey to Malaysia and Somalia as well as several British-based companies.

Turnout by the general public was also good. Dina Tokio, a hijab-wearing blogger with more than 1.1 million Instagram followers and a vocal supporter of London Modest Fashion Week, attended both days.

She told Middle East Eye: "The thing we've been the most impressed about is the turnout and how genuinely happy everybody is to see this come to life."

Tokio added that the event was "a way for us to reclaim what we started, rather than mainstream brands telling us how to do it".

Organisers told Middle East Eye that modest fashion is one of the fastest-growing markets to hit the industry.

Designers who created the fashion lines for the show say that modest fashion has garnered interest from women of all faiths and cultures who want to cover up a bit more.