It’s no secret that modest-wear is currently one of the big trends in fashion. Or that global retailers and designers are increasingly recognising the spending power of the Middle East market. New York-based designer Carolina Herrera recently designed a capsule collection of abayas just for this region, following in the steps of fashion houses like Dolce and Gabbana.
With Ramadan only a week away, it's natural for brands and retailers to heavily market their modest-wear collections and campaigns. Subscribers to newsletters from UK-based luxury e-tailer Netaporter.com recently received emails about the website's Ramadan Edit, all available to shop now on the website. And yesterday, May 16, Net-a-Porter unveiled its new summer campaign for the Middle East, timely coinciding with the start of the Holy Month.
Model Blanca Padilla stars in the campaign, which Net-a-Porter says is a story about “demure dressing”. Brands like Chloé, Prada, Ganni, Marques Almeida, The Row and Aquazzurra are pictured in the shoot, which highlights dramatic, flared trousers, bold pinstriped tunics, stylish robes, crisp whites and touches of glamorous metallics. In one image, Padilla is styled with a loose headscarf.
The campaign, which hones in on an overall neutral palette with a handful of bold monochromes, isn’t in any way limited to a Middle East client — while it will definitely appeal to the region’s style-savvy online shoppers, it could equally impress customers in other parts of the world, especially since modesty, chic layering and subtle glamour are the global trends of the moment. Hopefully, their relevance won’t be short-lived.
hlodi@thenational.ae
