The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is about to begin – a time of fasting, prayer, abstinence and, for fashion brands, profits.
Australian designers are taking inspiration from luxury labels Louis Vuitton, Dior and Alexander McQueen’s demure Ramadan capsule collections by expanding their offering of modest dressing pieces.
Flowing gowns with long sleeves and high necklines, ankle-grazing trousers, roomy tunics and countless handbags with glistening logos are Ramadan’s stylish alternative to the ugly Christmas sweater.
The Knightcote maxi dress ($595) from Acler’s Ramadan capsule collection modelled by Aroha Atkinson in Sydney.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
Australian label Acler has launched a Ramadan capsule collection at department stores in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as well as in Australia, following feedback from customers and buyers in the Middle East.
“Ramadan is a season of giving, celebration and family, and we wanted to design a collection that honours these values,” says Acler chief executive Julia Sumner.
“We have customers everywhere who are interested in more modest pieces. But last year the Middle East overtook Australia as our second-largest wholesale market.” The US remains Acler’s largest market.
“This capsule is part of our broader commitment to inclusivity and creating garments that allow women to feel their best, no matter the occasion.”
With the global modest dressing market projected to reach $US375 billion ($586 billion) this year, other Australian labels are offering more evening-wear options without cut-outs and cleavage.
“Customers are looking for heavily embellished pieces with more coverage,” says designer Rebecca Vallance, who is seeing increased demand in the lead up to Ramadan for extravagant dresses through luxury e-tailer Farfetch, with 38 per cent of purchases coming from its evening gown category. Orders from the UAE through the label’s website have increased by 500 per cent since last year.
Aje has included modest pieces in recent collections and last year provided an Eid Edit for those celebrating the end of Ramadan. Sydney designer Rachel Gilbert has a dedicated Ramadan wardrobe section on her website.
For some Muslim women, being acknowledged by luxury brands and being portrayed in a positive, stylish light in glamorous Ramadan advertising campaigns is an exciting change in the media landscape.
“It does pique our interest because for so long we didn’t feel that it was there,” says Dr Susan Carland, a sociologist of religion at Monash University who has been named on the “500 Most Influential Muslims in the World” list. “For a long time we either weren’t acknowledged at all or if we were, it was negatively.
“What we’re seeing is the commodification of religion, of Islam, in a way that we’ve seen for many years in Australia with Christianity and the way Christmas is very commercialised.
“It’s like we really belong now. Our religion has been commodified. But it’s also really just a sign of market demand.”
With Ramadan now on the luxury fashion calendar, Carland says one challenge ahead could be maintaining the current luxury standards.
“In 10 years’ time, we may be talking about the rise of the ugly Ramadan sweater,” she says.
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