Dolce and Gabbana makes its boldest move in years while it debuts a hijab and abayas (ankle-length robes) collection specifically for Muslims, targeting a new and usually underserved market.
Designer Stefano Gabbana, co-founder of the luxury brand, proudly announced the collection on his Instagram. The Abaya Collection: The Allure of the Middle East debuted exclusively on Style.com/Arabia earlier this week. As stated in a press release, the notorious fashion line make it its intent to have:
“An enchanting visual story about the grace and beauty of the marvelous women of Arabia.”
Dolce and Gabanna’s collection is very modern, featuring eye catching patterns like daisies, polka dots, and rose prints. The Italian fashion house respected the Muslim culture by allowing them to stay true to their religion and spirit. The luxury market has enjoyed satisfying growth in the Middle East, as personal goods in the Middle East have spiked to over 8.7 billion.
Plenty of women of the Muslim culture have been wearing Dolce & Gabbana for years, just under their religious attire. This new development is exciting for women of the Muslim community who can afford to flaunt such attire. According to a report by Thomson Reuters, Muslims had spent $266 billion on clothing and footwear in 2013, and are expected to spend $484 billion by 2019.
This, however, is not the first time the brand has released collections targeting specific regions. In October, Dolce & Gabbana released a collection inspired by Moscow in connection with a new boutique opening. The brand has also released one-off collections for Japanese and Chinese shoppers in early 2015.
“Brands are finally taking note of what I’ve been advocating since I founded the fashion brand Haute Hijab in 2010-that Muslims (in this case Muslim women) are a thriving, fully-functioning and active segment of society who deserve to be acknowledged and heard, “ said Melanie Elturk, CEO of Haute Hijab, in an article for ELLE.com last year.
D&G is not the first of all fashion houses to produce a collection targeting a specific audience. DKNY produced a Ramadan collection, H&M featured a model in a campaign wearing a hijab, and many more designers have done something similar.
Unfortunately, the new collection is only available in the Middle East and certain European locations.
