Jakarta, IO – Indonesia has a great opportunity to become the global center of Muslim fashion. Not only is it a huge market, with the largest Muslim population in the world, we have many fashion businesses with global competitive purchasing power.
The recently resurfaced term “modest fashion” denotes a demure fashion trend with a loose fit silhouette that does not show the curves of the body, nor expose much of the wearer’s skin. “Muslim fashion” is a subset of modest fashion that includes a hijab or other hair coverings as a mandatory accessory.
The trend started in the early 1990’s and spread widely in the 2000’s. The rise in the modest fashion market started when Europe suffered an economic crisis. Oddly, the sale of conventional fashion dropped, but modest fashion rose in its place. Fashion designers then made use of the momentum to produce and promote Muslim fashion.
One of these modest fashion designers known for her elegant, unique, and extraordinary works is Ria “Uni Ria” Anjelina. The Bukittinggi-born lady has been dealing in fashion for more than two decades: “In fact, I’ve been in the business for 23 years. I started out as a textile merchant,” she declared.
With her newly-established brand of two years, “Aqillah”, Uni Ria presents modest fashion with a strong Minangkabau influence, in the design of each piece and collection, which include scarves, tunic tops, shirts and blouses, trousers, dresses, gamis robes, outerwear, outfit sets, and even mukena praying veils. These products are specially made to generate a sense of comfort and uniqueness for all their wearers.
The brand itself continuously innovates, and it accepts customer input and requests as a form of their commitment and seriousness in achieving the goal of becoming a bigger brand that serves more customers better. Its current customer base is adult women 27-50 years of age. However, Uni Ria wants to expand her market and get into the market for younger women as well.
“The name ‘Aqilla’ is Arabic for ‘wise woman’. We chose this name because each of our products is made with fashion details that represent the power of women,” she declared during the press conference preceding the “Minang Langit Biru” (“The Blue Skies of Minang(kabau)” fashion talk and presentation held at the Jakarta Fashion Hub, Teluk Betung, Central Jakarta, last Thursday (11/05/2023).
“We chose the theme ‘Minang Langit Biru’ to introduce our fashion brand to the public because we want to show the pieces made in the context of the Minang culture of today – or to be brief, ‘contemporary Minang’. We, the people of Minangkabau in West Sumatra, are renowned for being great travelers. Our products showcase the power, determination, and superiority of the Minang. Yes, we are also known as a tribe of warriors. However, we are also great merchants who are strongly aware that collaboration is necessary for our common progress,” Uni Ria declared passionately.