Helping Local Brands Tap Into The International Modest Fashion Industry

By Nurul Halawati Mohamad Azhari JAKARTA, June 13 (Bernama) -- The recently concluded Muslim Fashion Festival (Muffest) at Plaza Selatan & Tenggara Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia witnessed six Malaysian brands pitching for a share in the modest fashion niche market. The six brands were Ainibakker by Nor Aini Bakker, Yans Creations by Yani Bakhtiar, I Love Wirda by Wirda Adnan, Azura Couture by Azura Mazaruddin, Durrah Jewellery by Durrah Khalil and Sara J by Sara Jamaludin. Throughout the 5-day Muffest exhibition from May 25-29 themed #ScreenshootTheLook, these brands attracted thousands of local and international visitors including trade buyers, representatives of fashion houses, international media, and as well as members of the public. Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and STYLO International facilitated the participation of the six brands at Muffest that is seen as the prelude for the Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW) & Intrade 2016 in November in Kuala Lumpur. MUFFEST SETS THE STAGE According to the Chief Executive Officer of Matrade & Co-Chairman of MFW & Intrade 2016 Dzulkifli Mahmud, Muffest has set the stage for local designers highlight modest fashion at MFW. "Modestyle is a key component of MFW 2016 and we are proud to bring it here to Muffest, Jakarta," he said Through the event, Matrade aims to enhance the awareness on Malaysian fashion, particularly in modest wear. Dzulkifli believes Muffest is where the MFW will be able to help push for stronger acceptance for Malaysian fashion flavour among the ASEAN people and beyond. "Fashion collaborations between us through events like Muffest are ideal to strengthen trade relations between Malaysia and Indonesia. "Having one of the MFW fashions pavilions dedicated in featuring exhibitors of modest wear for men and women, it will bring together a large collection of modest style designs by designers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Middle east and others. "This is a key areas of opportunities for Malaysia including OIC-based exporters to cross-sell to others based and modest-conscious consumers with global brand positioning," he told Bernama. Based on 2013 data, top countries with Muslim consumers for modest clothing consumption are Turkey with US$24.84 billion (RM100 billion), United Arab Emirates with US$18.24 billion (RM74 billion), Nigeria with US$14.99 billion (61 billion), Saudi Arabia with US$14.73 billion (60 billion) and Indonesia with US$ 12.69 billion (RM52 billion). HIGHLIGHTING MODEST FASHION Modest fashion is slowly emerging from niche market to a global sensation. Today modest fashion is more than just Muslimah fashion and with the internet fashionable solutions for modest fashion is just a click away. Not forgetting that Malaysian designers are well poised and experienced in designing clothes that appeal to the international markets. Based on the 2015-2016 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report it is estimated that Muslim consumers spent US$230 billion (RM935 billion) on clothing and this figure is projected to grow to an estimated US$327 billion (RM1.3 trillion) by 2020. "Malaysia is a cultural melting pot of diverse race and culture, thus we are able to meet the requirements in terms of design that will fit not only a specific genre," said Dzulkifli. Malaysian designers are able to merge and assimilate designs that are rich in colour as well as incorporate the elements of and flora and fauna which cater to different race and culture. It is very much like ‘inclusivity’, another key highlight for MFW that showcases not only modest fashion but also the rarity that can be found in vibrant colours and motifs used. Foreign buyers are always on the look-out for the next unique thing for them to capitalise on and this is what gives Malaysian designers the edge as they have the experience in designing clothes that appeal across cultural boundaries for decades. MFW Modest Fashion design have long been embraced across the different races, faiths and cultures. Just like any form of clothing, modest wear represents a progressive choice for the men and women today to what they choose to wear for any occasion. MFW is a key component of Matrade’s signature annual event called Intrade. The event in 2015 attracted 280 exhibitors and over 9,000 visitors from more than 50 countries. The four-day event saw 218 buyers and 1,541 business meetings coordinated through Matrade's International Sourcing Programme (INSP). "Having the INSP again this year during the event will help facilitate sourcing for global buyers interested in our designers’ work and will promote the export of Malaysian fashion to ASEAN member states as well as to other high-potential markets such as the Europe, Americas, Middle-East and Oceania'" he said. According to Dzulkifli, last year, the event had garnered US$30.97 million (RM126.52 million) worth of export sales, a 40.1 percent increase surpassing the 2014 mark, despite a challenging global economic environment. "This, to us, is an indication that there is a growing demand for Malaysia’s lifestyle export. This year, we hope for the participation in the event to increase by 10 percent and to host international designers from at least 15 countries including those relevant to the modest fashion section," he added. -- BERNAMA