Founder Ghizlan Guenez launched the fashion site The Modist on International Women’s Day in 2017 and since then there has been a rise in the trend of modest clothing. The site stocks various designers such as Marc Jacobs and Mary Katrontzou and has been described as ‘the Net-A-Porter of modest clothing.’
Guenez says the idea for the website stemmed from a personal perspective, “I grew up in a family surrounded by women who dressed modestly… for various reasons some of us as a style preference and others did it for religious reasons.” Guenez noticed there wasn’t a platform for millions of women whether in the Middle East, Asia or Europe, to go too to shop for modest yet fashionable items.
In the past year Halima Aden emerged as the first hijab-wearing supermodel and also became the first Vogue Covergirl to wear a hijab. Muslim beauty bloggers Huda Kattan and Satina Hannan are among the most influential in the world. Guenez set up The Modist to aim it at a diverse audience not just one religious group. Whilst The Middle East is their largest market, shoppers come from all over the world.
The company also attracts business women who don’t want to wear the standard dark suit, who instead are searching for something fashionable yet work appropriate. The designers at The Modist takes into consideration the lengths of the pieces and the fabric used. They are now launching their own clothing line Layeur, which was created, by a group of women who collected data about their clothing needs. “Our knowledge has evolved and progressed, and we now have an even clearer understanding of what this woman is looking for,” says Guenez, “You could find a blazer anywhere, but we think about the length of it and how it covers the right parts of the woman’s body and ensures that she’s comfortable in it. It could be a simple white shirt, but the opacity of the fabric is taken into consideration”.
The Modist champion fashion for women, by women. Their aim is to change perceptions and raise an empowering influence, offering a new stylish approach for modest fashion.