Paris hosted its first Modest Fashion Week inside Hôtel Le Marois, a mansion just off the Champs-Élysées, as nearly 30 designers showcased collections targeting a global modest fashion market expected to exceed $400 billion by next year, according to research firm DinarStandard. The event signals the growing commercial appeal of an industry that has expanded rapidly over the past decade, now reaching beyond Muslim consumers to other religious communities and secular shoppers.
The collections featured loose, long-cut garments and headscarves with designs ranging from floral prints to Gen Z-influenced streetwear. Hicran Önal, founder and designer of Turkey-based brand Miha, wore a printed floral tulle dress and said romance was key to her collection, blending water-like teals and blue with natural floral pinks. Indonesian designer Nada Puspita followed with cleaner lines, while Australian brand Asiyam's designer Aisa Hassan drew inspiration from nature with deeper greens and autumnal reds, including a bucket hat nodding to her Aussie heritage.
Market-Driven Diversity
French brands Soutoura and Nour Turbans displayed nylon, black, jewel-toned and boxy garments heavily influenced by Gen Z streetwear, a style also championed by sportswear giants Nike and Adidas. Nour Turbans styled a model with a beret over a headscarf. Turkish swimwear brand Mayovera showcased burkinis, described as a mix of the terms "burka" and "bikini," covering everything except the face, hands and feet. The item is banned in most public swimming pools in France but allowed on beaches.
Rukaiya Kamba, creative director of Nigerian brand Flaunt Archive, said the decision to present her collection in Paris came from a "very intentional place." Soutoura's founder and creative director Fatou Doucouré said having the event in Paris filled her with pride and that she had struggled with her hijab in France but today felt it was not holding her back. Doucouré said exhibiting her collection in Paris made her feel that Muslim women who cover their hair or dress modestly could "take on any role in any society."
Cultural Tensions and Legal Frameworks
The event carries particular significance in France, where religious clothing remains subject to legal restrictions rooted in laïcité, the French brand of secularism which decrees the state and public institutions should be free of religion. The headscarf and other religious symbols were banned in state-run schools more than 20 years ago in France, and more recently loose full-length robes known as abayas were prohibited in schools too. One consequence is that people cannot wear religious clothing and work in public-sector professions like teaching or the civil service.
Some young attendees told the BBC they felt the event demonstrated a more inclusive French culture taking shape. One young French attendee of Malian heritage said the event had brought her joy as someone who had previously faced discrimination due to wearing a headscarf, and that seeing a major show full of international designers in the heart of Paris had made her "never want to leave." Another attendee said it felt like something had changed in France, with her hijab no longer feeling like the centre of political discussion, and that on the streets people had begun to see beyond it.
France is home to around 5-7.5 million Muslims according to estimates, and Özlem Şahin, head of the organisation behind Modest Fashion Week, described Paris as "one of the leading modest fashion capitals in Europe."
Why This Matters:
The emergence of a $400 billion global modest fashion market demonstrates how private enterprise responds to consumer demand across cultural and religious boundaries. The commercial success of this sector shows market forces creating opportunities that transcend political debates over religious expression in public spaces. For France, the event highlights an ongoing tension between the nation's secular legal framework—which restricts religious symbols in state institutions and public-sector employment—and the economic reality of a substantial Muslim population seeking representation in consumer markets. The fashion industry's embrace of modest wear, including by major corporations like Nike and Adidas, reflects entrepreneurial recognition of demographic trends and purchasing power. How France balances its commitment to laïcité with the commercial and cultural aspirations of millions of citizens will continue shaping debates over religious freedom, institutional neutrality, and the proper scope of state regulation in personal expression.