About modest fashion

Modest fashion is rapidly growing by day. Several stores are incorporating modesty in their designs. Now more than ever diversity is catching fire in the fashion industry. When you have a look at the fashion industry, you will see that runways, cool brands and street style stars alike are also noticeably embracing big shapes, covered-up silhouettes and creative layering.

Modest fashion is everywhere It might have not been noticeable then, but now, you see it in all places. As a whole, this movement has picked up the pace for a decade, but there’s still a lack of clarity about what it means to be a modest dresser, what it looks like and how it’s affecting style conscious girls now.

Modest meaning

So now let’s go in to define modesty. Being a word the entire modest fashion is stemmed off, I would say it is important that we define it.

Modest is defined as; not large in size or amount, or not expensive. It can also be defined as; having or showing a moderate opinion of one’s own value, abilities, achievements, etc.; not vain or boastful, some might even term it; shy, or reserved.

Now that we have defined the word; modest, let’s get right in to explain as it pertains to fashion.

Modest fashion meaning

Modest fashion is a fashion style that does not involve showing a lot of skin or body shapes and having that awareness when it comes to covering up parts of your body. Choosing to stay covered is a deliberate choice, it is subjective to anyone making that decision.

There is no one way of modest fashion being right or wrong. Everyone who is into modest fashion is conscious of just how much of their body parts they are comfortable exposing, and that modesty, is based on their personal ideal. As a result, the modest fashion industry has an uncertainty of how to communicate with the women who are the consumers of modest fashion. It is so diverse that producers cannot pinpoint what modest fashion is for everyone, which is why the modest fashion industry has an array varieties.

Modest fashion as a term, came to prevalence in the mid-2000s, It was as a result of style conscious people who were into modest fashion themselves, not having enough representation, which meant there was little to no modest fashion clothing on the radar, in the industry, that led to them going into the industry themselves and spiking up conversations about it, and simply hoping that a lot of people will get on the train ride, in the hopes that eventually it will explode in the fashion industry and that is exactly what happened.

It obviously cannot be ignored that a lot of people who are into modest fashion are doing it for religious or ethnic reasons. But there are also a lot of people into it to attain a certain aesthetic and level of ease because it is not just a trend that’s tied to spirituality.

Social media has provoked diversity to become a stronghold within the industry. It’s also shone a light on the obvious facts that women of different shapes, faiths, colors, sizes and backgrounds are just as stylish and are equally valuable customers.

Studies have shown a number of high-end fashion brands incorporating modest fashion into their designs and campaigns that blew up literally, showing exactly how high t he demand for modest fashion is.

Who can wear modest clothing

Any woman who is interested in covering up to a certain degree. Modest fashion is defined differently by every woman. There is no one way a modest fashion person should dress. Being part of the modest fashion is a choice you make for yourself when you make that conscious decision to dress modestly, however that appeals to you. You don’t have to be doing it for religious reasons or ethnic reasons.

Misconceptions about modest fashion

1. You have to be religious to be able to dress modestly

One of the biggest misconceptions of modest fashion is that, you have to be religious to be able to dress modestly.

The modest fashion market is predominantly growing within the Abrahamic faiths (that’s Judaism, Christianity and Islam), according to census data. With that in mind, it’s quite possible that piety and modest dressing is a spin-off, but that does not mean it is a fashion style exclusive to either of the religions. Anyone can dress modestly to any degree if they want to.

2. Dressing modestly makes you pious

This point is again tied with religion, the thought that you can judge exactly how pious someone is in their faith simply by the degree of how covered they are or how they choose to cover, and that is not factual in most cases. A lot of people cover for several reasons and even those who are of the Abrahamic faiths could be covering for reasons other than faith. According to census data, more and more young people are identifying as “spiritual, not religious.” So you can see how people choosing to dress modestly doesn’t have to necessarily be tied to their faiths. How one chooses to cover does not automatically dictate their religious standpoint.

3. Modest fashion is boring

Anyone that still believes this, has not been on social media lately. With the way modest fashion is growing by day, the industry is very diverse. From fashion brands taking up the responsibility to provide for the women who are into modest fashion, to the women themselves coming up with ways to make the fashion system work for them, whether it be renowned as modest fashion by the brand or not. It’s only a given that style conscious women with any type of fashion style type, be it modest fashion or anything else, is creative enough to come up with the most fashionable outfits within their style type. Just because it’s modest, does not mean it’s boring. Boring does not exist because of modesty, it exists despite of it. Boring fashion style is boring in any type of fashion style.

4. Modest fashion has to be traditional

We do acknowledge that modest fashion was stemmed of the three Abrahamic faiths, but that does not mean we have to all automatically adopt the dress code of those ethnic groups in order to be modest. Yes prominently because these cultures are in these religious groups, their basic cultural garments has to meet the requirements of the faith. It is who they are, their clothing needs to speak on who they are, modesty is a huge part of their beliefs. Which then brings their cultural garments forward as modest but it is not the be all and end all. Modest fashion stretches beyond culture and speaks it’s values in several different style types. Don’t limit yourself to cultural attires such as abayas, salwar kameez, Kaftan, just in the name of being modest. Modest fashion is much more diverse than that, and can look any type of way, as long as it meets your requirements of modesty.

5. Modest fashion is limiting

Modest fashion does have to do with the covering of the body to a certain degree to actually attain modesty in dressing. However, covering doesn’t really say limiting in terms of being expressive of your style. You can express your fashion sense while being fully covered or covered to a degree, or even choosing to show a lot more skin, it all comes down to you at the end of the day. With all the misconceptions of modest fashion though, it is understandable why people might think it is limiting. While this point is also a misconception, the other reasons, why anyone would think it’s limiting is also nothing but false. Modest fashion is not a barrier for style. You can still dress in whatever style type, just modestly to your standards.