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Indonesia's modest fashion pioneers pass the baton to keep industry thriving
Since the 1980s, trailblazing modest fashion designers in Indonesia have set the standard for the industry. Over the decades, while many of these pioneers continue to create, their children have started following in their footsteps.
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Bold colors: Models showcased the women’s modest wear collection Kamilaa by Itang Yunasz at the Zaloraya Fashion Show at Mall Kota Kasablanka, South Jakarta, on Feb. 22, 2025. The brand, named after Itang's daughter Najla Kamila, is a mid-range label. (JP/Nur Janti) (JP/Nur Janti)
J
ust a week before the holy month of Ramadan, models strutted down the runway at a modest fashion show to showcase this year’s Idul Fitri collections.
Brands such as Intresse, Kamilaa and Ria Miranda participated in an event organized by e-commerce platform Zalora at Mall Kota Kasablanka in South Jakarta. This event was part of the festivities celebrating the arrival of the fasting month and Idul Fitri, the country’s most widely celebrated holiday.
These brands represent just a small fraction of the booming modest fashion industry, which has been growing since the 1980s.
In its early days, there were only a handful of modest fashion designers in Indonesia. One of the pioneers was Ida Royani, a singer best known for her duets with Betawi legend Benyamin Sueb. After embracing the hijab in 1979, she launched her modest fashion brand a few years later.
"After performing the haj, I didn’t want to sing anymore. But then I thought, what should I do if I’m not singing? Since I’ve always loved designing clothes, I decided to become a modest fashion designer," she said.
Ida recalled how rare it was to see women wearing the hijab in the 1980s. She vividly remembers attending a wedding at the Jakarta’s oldest five-star hotel, Hotel Borobudur, where she was the only woman wearing a hijab among approximately 3,000 guests.
During the New Order era, the government banned headscarves in government offices and state schools, fearing that such attire could become a political symbol threatening national stability. As a result, only a small number of women wore the hijab.
