Page 55 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL10

HIJABIN THEMODERN ERAA writer and an Indonesian fashion designer redefine the conceptof Muslim attireThe hijab, or jilbab, is one of the most basic requirements for Islamic women. This term varies widely from a long, loose-fitting garment in the Arabic community to a headscarf for Muslims in Southeast Asia. According tothe Koran, the attire is meant to cover parts of the body and represent female modesty and privacy, especially in public. The hijab has long been a symbol of strict conservative religious beliefs, yet an emerging phenomenon in Indonesia is giving it new nuances.As the guest of honour, Indonesia hosted a talk on acculturation between Islam and modernity in “Beauty and Belief” at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.“My motivation in fashion was because I felt Muslim clothing in Indonesia was so conservative,” said Dian Pelangi, one of the speakers on the panel. The 24-year-old is a groundbreaking fashion designer and “blogebrity”, popular among Moslem women on many social networks. “I found that most are abayas [a full-length Islamic garment] with [ordinary] colours so I started wearing my own designs so people can get an idea of my breakthrough fashion.“I’m a big part of my family business called Dian Pelangi. It was founded by my parents 23 years ago and the label was established since I was born. From the beginning, my parents planned that I’d continue their business, so they named it after my name. When I was young, I was always curious about fashion. After I graduated in fashion design, I joined the family business in 2008. Back then, most Dian Pelangi products were abayas and batik shirts from silk materials with conservative designs, so I decided to change it. In the earlier part of my career as a designer I started blogging about my fashion because I loved styling as well. At first even my parents didn’t agree with my designs because they were afraid people wouldn’t accept them. But after a couple of months they gained in popularity and became known nationwide.”Elite+ 53