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Muslim women have been dressing in abayas for centuries. In Saudi Arabia, it is a must to be worn by women. But the significance of an abaya dress is no less in other parts of the globe.
It would be correct to say that abaya is a proud representation of the Muslim culture. Recently the abaya culture has shown a remarkable growth, both in the Eastern and Western world.
The basic idea of an Islamic dress for women is a long loose dress that drapes around freely and hides a woman from head to toe. It has many different formations in different parts of the world. Shawls and wraps are all part of Muslim code of dressing. But over the past few decades abaya has gained much popularity and different dressing styles have beautifully merged together giving the abaya a whole new level and meaning.
A traditional abaya dress used to be black, so primary color for abayas can still be caught as black. With its popularity spreading into the other parts of the world, the abaya incorporated new colors and design. Also, the main fabric used to be traditionally light weight linen or cotton or chiffon, but with its advent into the colder regions of the world many new warmer fabrics have now been introduced.
Muslim women living in regions other than the Arabian Peninsula find it difficult to shop for an abaya or a modest wardrobe as a whole. Not just the length and cuts of dresses become an issue, but the fabric too presents a challenge. This is true especially for women living in UK where the abaya culture has widely grown recently.
Reverts face the same challenges. If they are working women, it becomes all the more difficult for them to switch to and pick out a new wardrobe that is practical and comfortable, as well as concealing and covering.
Alhumdu lillah, these problems can now be addressed by using abaya online shops. There are many online shops these days working from all parts of the world, but many UK based abaya businesses have in the past few years started offering their services. This is good news for the local British Muslims as this helps them in paying lower shipping costs which comes in real high when ordering an abaya from an international online outlet, e.g. an outlet based in UAE, etc.
In a previous post, we reviewed top 5 abaya online shops with a global perspective. We also extensively reviewed a Turkey-based startup called Modanisa that delivers modest clothing internationally including to the UK. In this post, we focus mainly on UK based abaya shops that offer abaya online delivery services.
These abaya UK outlets are a blessing for the Muslim sisters living in the UK and around. They help them benefit in many ways, not just the low shipping costs but also to keep the attire in accordance with the weather and culture (in the sense of colors worn in UK and the long coat styles that are European but can be transformed into abayas considering the fact that a coat is just as concealing when paired with modestly tailored pants etc).
So, keeping all the above points in mind here is a list of top five online abaya shops in the UK that are ranked as the top with respect to many points. These sites belong to professional abaya designers; they have the most up to date, trendy and fashionable abayas, and they are also affordable.
Inayah is a London based abaya UK brand that excels in modest fashion and hijab line. One of the chief players in the world when it comes to abaya fashion industry, Inayah is a well-established name. Their clothing line is designed locally in London with their best efforts keeping latest trends meet with comfort, decency and practicality.
Their wardrobe must-haves include a really large range from stylish jumpers to cape maxi dresses (that range from regular to skirt style) to bringing midis back into the fashion all giving a twist to the traditional abaya dress.
The proper texture of the fabric in accordance with the weather is one of their outstanding features. Woolen and cashmere blends woven with careful stitching give their dresses an effortless high-end look that goes comfortably even in harsh cold weather. All the abaya styled outfits are then perfectly matched with a variety of scarves that suit and look the best and are available in many fabrics.
Dressing for the workplace is also given the due importance at Inayah’s. Perfectly tailored kimono midis give you a perfect crisp look for the workplace. Paired up with straight trousers and georgette scarves and hijabs, they come up with a perfect set leaving no fuss to match things up yourself to find that perfect feeling.
At Inayah, style is regularly updated with changing seasons where long jumpers in a variety of styles are offered in winters, long sleeveless overcoats are brought in summer styles to keep women look modest yet fresh all year round.
Mainly featured hues at Inayah are soft neutral and nude but there is something for everyone at Inayah’s so go ahead dig deep and bring out the summer and spring hues that match your bright mood.
Another worth noticing feature at Inayah’s is that not only regular hijab styles are available but Tanja Ayesha’s Scandinavian touch mixed with turbans make them stand out a bit more.
Luxurious feminine occasional wear that is either embroidered or features crochet all can be picked at Inayah’s.
Combined with an offline sister company Fareeha’s boutique, Amani’s boutique is London based abaya UK outlet and together they offer a wide range of abayas, jilbabs, kaftans (everyday and occasional) polka dot dresses, peplum dresses and jackets along with kids wear and henna designs. With so much to explore Amani’s online store is sure to keep ladies busy for many hours.
Abayas at Amani’s are not very colorful; they are mostly black yet very elegant. A few other sophisticated soft shades are offered with black contrast beautifully designed and reasonably priced.
Every day kaftans are filled with colors and beautifully printed. The fabric is chosen considering the fact that they are to be used everyday hence the comfort factor is considered properly.
The fancy occasion kaftans are embroidered elegantly with careful stone-work and offered in multiple colors. Fabric too differs from the everyday wear.
Peplum dresses are made with scuba fabric so the sheen factor along with elasticity makes them comfortable and good looking to wear. They go great with jackets and stylish scarves.
Polka dot maxi dresses are available in darker shades to look very elegant and sophisticated. The fabric is chiffon which adds to the style.
Jackets they offer are long length and front open style perfect to wear in cold weather. Adjustable belts at the waist add to the comfort and style.
Based in the UK (Luton, London, Birmingham), Immeh Abayas are wholesalers of abaya hijabs and other Islamic clothing accessories. Along with designer abayas, batwing abayas, hijab and jilbabs they have a wide variety of accessories that include shaylas, jalabiyas, kaftans, bonnets, sleeve extensions, children abayas etc. Kefiyahs and shoulder bags also stand out on this online outlet.
The most abaya variety consists of black color but bright and sharp hues can also be seen. Not many printed styles but embroidery and stone work are featured in some. Along with abayas, chiffon and velvet cover-ups and overcoats can be chosen to add style to your everyday wear.
Keffiyeh’s range is huge at the store. Ranging from dark to bright to softer shades, there is something for everyone to choose from. Another different feature is their handmade stuff variety that includes smaller pencil bag to larger sized pouches in many different colors. The thread work is hand-made and looks outstanding.
The whole wave of increasing abaya popularity has led the abaya to evolve into a whole new fashion industry. Beautifying abayas with embellishments and ornaments, debatable as it may be, have gained popularity as a cultural fashion.
Young women favor the designed abayas more as compared to the older ones, but the fact is that these modern designs help attract the younger generation towards dressing modestly. Thus, a hint of fashion stays there as young Muslimahs express their connection to their Muslim culture.
I hope you enjoyed the article and it helped you get an insight about Abaya UK online shops. If you think this article might help a sister looking to buy abaya online, do share the article with them. They will be glad you helped. Just click the Facebook/Twitter icons below.
If you know of any other Abaya online outlet in the UK that we missed in this article, do share with us in the comments section below.
Irfan Ullah Khan is a Marriage Transformation Coach helping Muslims achieve happiness in their marriage through Islamic advice. He is also author of three books: 1. "The 8 Love Languages". 2. "Better Love with Better Half". 3. "The Halal Sex Guide". He also coaches married Muslim couples about the halal methods of birth control in his course "Halal Birth Control - 19 Methods with Islamic Ahkam".
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This post totally undermines your post about modanisa lol
I don’t think so sister Zaakira. Kindly shed more light on how. Jazak Allah Khair.
Aww,
I also came across another very good website called modestylounge.co.uk.
Very good range and well priced!!