Following London Fashion Week, I wanted to highlight four inspiring British Muslim women who are succeeding in the fashion industry! They serve as important role models for young Muslims who dream to pursue a career fashion. You may or may not already know about them - read below to find out!

Hana Tajima

Hana Tajima is a British-Japanese fashion blogger and designer. She was born and raised in England, converted to Islam at 18, and moved to a studio in New York where she currently resides and lives out her fashion career. It is her cocktail of identities - from her Japanese roots, Islamic faith, and western upbringing and surroundings - which have shaped her designs. Hana’s success in the fashion industry is evident in which she has launched two popular collections with renowned fashion retailer, Uniqlo, even designing the brands first hijab! Her Uniqlo modest-wear collections have also included jeans, blouses, dresses and more. By designing clothes that bridge Muslim and western identity, her fashion aims to align with modern Muslim women. Ultimately, more than just modest fashion, her designs are about making comfortable and cute clothes that celebrate and embrace all whom wear it. Additionally, putting fashion aside, Hana is also clearly passionate about humanitarian issues and has used her platform on social media to not only highlight her career, but to raise attention to crises across the world such as in Palestine and Sudan.

Deborah Latouche

Deborah is a British-Caribbean fashion stylist, journalist and designer. After her gap year in India, where she fell in love with the fabrics and colours, she returned to London with plans to study fashion. Following this, she worked on a range of projects in Italy where she lived for 3 years and is currently the UK Corresponding Editor for Italian Elle. Her expertise in fashion has led her to write for various well known platforms as well as style A-list celebrities. But it was her faith which led her to found her luxury modest-wear brand, Sabirah. After becoming Muslim, she struggled to find high-end, quality and sustainable fashion which aligned with her modest style, leading her to launch Sabirah in February 2020. The brand creates elegant and unique luxury occasion-wear for all women who love modest fashion. Her designs, not only inspired by her faith, also draw on her St Lucian and Dominican heritage via her flare for colour. Additionally, her slow fashion brand prioritises sustainability, creating exclusive collections are made-to-order in the UK as Deborah explains that Muslims are “custodians of the land.”

Saeedah Haque

Saeedah is a British-Bengali self-taught fashion designer from North London. Her designs are known for bridging the gap between Islamic tradition and streetwear, as she herself dresses modestly and wears the niqab, but was unable to find streetwear abayas that were comfortable and practical. Therefore, she created a streetwear brand for Muslim girls, designing the type of trendy abayas that you could pair with your ‘lifelong Nikes’ - contrary to traditional feminine, occasion-wear abayas. Speaking of Nike, she went on to collaborate with the brand on a collection of modest streetwear in August 2023, including the launch of Nike’s first abaya. Her designs have been featured in various fashion platforms such as Vogue and she continues to launch drops for her Muslim streetwear brand. As she pursues this passion, she hopes to achieve a bigger goal of helping women poorer countries find employment in the textile industry.

Kazna Asker

Kazna is a British-Yemeni fashion designer from Sheffield. Her family, community in Sheffield, Yemeni heritage, British street-culture and faith hugely all inspire and drive her work. She particularly designs and creates tracksuits that combine traditional, cultural dress with contemporary streetwear. London Fashion Week has seen Kazna present her collections for three consecutive seasons, highlighting the unique pieces that draw on her various identities. She continues to be recognised by various known platforms such as the BBC and also recently featured in an issue by popular magazine, Dazed. But more important to her than fashion is her social activism and dedication to political causes such campaigning for equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as speaking out against humanitarian issues. She has utilised her London Fashion Week presentations to fundraise for Gaza, and consistently shows solidarity with Palestine, Congo and Sudan - for her, politics comes first then fashion!