Designer Noor Mendili has launched her range of islamic wear designed especially for young British and American Muslims.
The Designer and Founder of Arabian Boutique was born in Saudi Arabia, studied fashion design in Morocco before moving to London.
Made from lightweight Nidha fabric, satin silk, denim and velvet, Mendili's abaya's feature geometric designs, delicate beading or traditional symbols. The collection includes styles including the Open and Closed Abaya, Cape Abayas, Zipped Abaya's and dramatic Batwing and Butterfly silhouettes.
Traditional Islamic attire has a 4000 year history and has adapted in style and decoration with each new generation of women wearers.
Mendili says her approach to design is 'to respect the heritage but acknowledge the cultural needs of each emerging new generation'.
Mendili says her creations combine 'the bold north African aesthetic with the understated and elegant line of the classic Saudi abaya silhouette'.
She says, "Contemporary modest clothing should meet the aesthetic and cultural needs of the new generation of Muslims living in the West. That women can wear beautiful colourful clothing and elegantly adhere to the rules and modesty requirements of modern Islamic culture"
Designed in the UK, Mendili's Islamic attire is made in Ningxia, in North-West China, an autonomous region populated predominantly by Muslims. She said she chose to make the Abaya's in this historic remote location in the hope that her business could support the local Muslim community in what is widely considered a nation lacking adequate religious freedom.
She added, "Wearing modest fashions from Arabian Boutique shouldn't just empower the wearer, but also the communities that make the garments."
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