ISLAMIC FASHION FAST BECOMING LUCRATIVE BUSINESS, SAYS M'SIAN PM'S WIFE

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Islamic fashion is fast becoming a lucrative business with the current market estimated to be worth more than US$96 billion (RM302 billion) a year, said Rosmah Mansor.

Rosmah, wife of Prime Minister Najib Razak, said it was an enormous market
that had yet to be fully tapped.

"The global Muslim population comprises one of the fastest-growing consumer
markets in the world, hence representing a major growth opportunity for
businesses around the globe, including in the fashion sector," she said at the
opening of the Malaysian-inspired festival, the Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF)
Gala Dinner and Fashion Show, at the Monaco Sporting Club in Monte Carlo Monday
night. The text of her speech was released here.

The event was attended also by, among others, Prince Albert II of Monaco,
Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Najib and
Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Rosmah said that according to the prestigious Dubai French Fashion
University Esmod, over half of the world's 1.6 billion Muslim population is
spending a substantial part of their annual income on fashion and accessories.

"This recent interest in Muslim fashion signals the changing dynamics of the
ever-increasing interaction among Eastern and Western cultures. Nowadays, Muslim
women can choose from a broad selection of designs to create a look that matches
their values, traditions and tastes, without compromising any of the three,"
said Rosmah.

She said that thus "the fashion players would do well to plan ahead so as
not to miss the proverbial boat in capturing this lucrative segment of fashion".

Rosmah said major clothing retailers had been busy highlighting how top
brands like Anne Klein and Ralph Lauren were already producing fashion lines
that met the Islamic requirement of full coverage.

"In the same vein, it is interesting to note that even as the great 'veil'
debate raged in France, the country, being the fashion capital of the world,
remains as one of the world's major exporters for Muslim couture 'abayas' and
'niqabs'.

"Clearly, politics notwithstanding, those in the fashion business are
increasingly aware of the burgeoning demand for Muslim apparel worldwide," she
said.


Rosmah said she hoped that Monaco could emerge as one of the gateways to the
European market for Islamic-inspired fashion from Malaysia and the rest of Asia.

On IFF, she said its main mission was to capitalise on fashion as a platform
to bring together designers and fashion enthusiasts of different cultures,
religious backgrounds and race to bring Islamic Couture into the mainstream of
style and fashion.

Since it was started in 2006, IFF has spread its wings to Jakarta, Dubai,
Abu Dhabi and New York, featuring the works of more than 200 designers, and had
showcased a varied choice of styles and looks for Muslim-dressing, decidedly
different from the stereotypical impressions of Islamic apparel held by many.

"The Islamic Fashion Festival is precisely intended to end the myth that a
Muslim woman cannot posses a sense of style. On the contrary, Islamic dressing
is a style of its own, and today it is beginning to attract more and more
attention, as mainstream trends become increasingly bold, sensual and
provocative which is unappealing to the more conservative consumers," she said.

In fact, in affirming the coming-of-age of Muslim fashion through the
impressive collections, Islamic fashion is now considered as the breath of fresh
air in a global culture, she said.
-- BERNAMA