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Muslim wear increasingly popular
In fascinating colors: Shopkeepers serve customers at a Muslim cloth shop in Jakarta on Thursday
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In fascinating colors:: Shopkeepers serve customers at a Muslim cloth shop in Jakarta on Thursday. Muslim attire is in high demand ahead of the Idul Fitri festival , the yearâs biggest Muslim celebration. (JP/Sita Dewi) (JP/Sita Dewi)
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span class="inline inline-center">In fascinating colors: Shopkeepers serve customers at a Muslim cloth shop in Jakarta on Thursday. Muslim attire is in high demand ahead of the Idul Fitri festival , the year's biggest Muslim celebration. (JP/Sita Dewi)
As the Idul Fitri holiday approaches, Muslims in the capital are getting ready to show their festive spirit, which has resulted in a high demand for Muslim attire across the capital.
Fashionable Muslim clothing is growing ever more popular thanks to celebrities who regularly show off their sharia Muslim wear.
Sophia, a shopkeeper at Blok A market in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, mentioned actress-turned-preacher Oki Setiana Dewi as being among celebrities whose fashion statements inspired young female Muslims.
'Abaya with a long hijab, which we call 'abaya a là Oki Setiana Dewi', is very popular this year. We can sell over 30 sets a day during Ramadhan,' she told The Jakarta Post at her shop recently, adding that each set was sold for Rp 300,000 (US$22).
'Other than Oki, many other celebrities are also often shown wearing abaya, contributing to the style's popularity,' she said.
Rahma, a shopkeeper at another store, has named different styles of abaya with different celebrities' names, such as Peggy Melati Sukma, Shireen Sunkar and Pipik Dian Irawati.
'We did so to make it easier to identify a certain style,' she said.
Rahma acknowledged that the demand for Muslim attire had increased over recent years due to the style's popularity. 'More women are wearing hijab nowadays,' she said.
Online Muslim fashion store hijup.com, which is popular among middle-class consumers, also enjoyed the increasing demand.
'We have added to our collection of abaya ahead of Ramadhan [due to increasing demand],' hijup.com spokeswoman Nenden Alifa said, adding that the increase reached 100 percent compared to regular months.
To lure consumers, hijup.com also worked together with famous Muslim fashion designers like Jenahara, Restu Anggraini and Ria Miranda for a Ramadhan edition.
Separately, Lily Suriani, online Muslim fashion store hijabenka.com's vice president for marketing and business development, pointed out classic Muslim attire as among the most popular items in her store.
'Over the past two years, Indonesian women have preferred fashion items with classic designs in different colors and fabrics that are relevant over time and for any occasion,' she said.
Aside from Muslim attire, hijabenka.com also sells Muslim accessories including headscarves, leggings and female Muslim prayer cloaks, from more than 200 brands.
Two weeks ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday, which will fall on July 17 and 18, hijabenka.com saw a 100 percent increase in demand and 200 percent increase in website traffic.
Lily attributed the increasing demand for Muslim wear to young women, who were the main targeted consumers of the online shop, a sister to berrybenka.com.
'More and more women are inspired to cover themselves as there are many fresh, fun, fashionable yet respectable options of Muslim wear available in the market,' she said.
Aspiring young designer Didiet Maulana, meanwhile, launched his IKAT Indonesia Ramadhan Collection 2015, boasting designs with vibrant colors balanced with toned-down shades and comfortable silhouettes. Dynamic and high spirits were the main focuses of Didiet's latest collection.
Muslim fashion designer Dian Pelangi launched the Pelangi Ramadhan (Ramadhan rainbow) 2015 collection, highlighting ombré and color gradation in her latest designs. She also opted for simple and modest designs which were comfortable for performing religious rituals during Idul Fitri.
Dian set the prices for her Ramadhan collection at between Rp 250,000 and Rp 750,000.
The growing number of Muslim communities which promote Islamic and women's empowerment values, along with government support, were also among factors driving the trend.
'The government has supported efforts to promote Indonesia as the biggest Muslim fashion center in Southeast Asia by, for example, involving young and aspiring Muslim fashion designers at international events,' Lily said, adding she was upbeat that the trend would last.
'We do hope that wearing the hijab is not only about following a trend but personal choice and commitment between each individual and [God]. With a supportive environment, I believe more and more women will be inspired to wear the hijab,' she said.
