‘Everything is a statement darling’: Melbourne fashion week’s modest runway – in pictures

Now in its second year, Melbourne fashion week’s modest runway show offers a rare mainstream platform for a diverse – and growing – group of designers who cater to modest dressers.

Many of the designers showcased at the sold-out event on 20 November launched their labels this year – often with the aim of making clothes they themselves wanted to wear.

Zathia Bazeer

Main image: ‘I just wanted to do something for women that wanted an all-in-one wardrobe. You can put it with pieces you have at home, you can wear it with a T-shirt, you can suit it up and dress it how you want’ – Sarah Kabbara, Youmsara owner and designer. Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

  • Youmsara

    Sarah Kabbara is a Sydney-based designer who had been planning her label for 15 years before launching her first collection, which is entirely locally made, two weeks ago.
    A model wears Youmsara on the modest runway

  • Aisha Ellen

    Sydney-based designer Aisha Ellen launched her label in June this year. ‘When I first put the hijab on, I experimented a lot and I didn’t find what was the best thing for me,’ she says. ‘So then I was like: why don’t I start making clothes?’
    A model wears Aisha Ellen on the modest runway

  • Youmsara

    Sarah Kabbara says her label’s name is a combination of her own name and her daughter’s. ‘Every dress is named after someone,’ the designer says. ‘Everything is a statement darling, as long as a girl can feel confident, and choose to cover the way she wants to cover and dress, and feels good about it, that’s what I’m providing.’
    A model wears Youmsara on the modest runway

  • Youmsara

    ‘When I wanted to put the scarf on, I realised I’ve got all these clothes that I couldn’t wear any more. I wanted something where you can throw something over it and make it work.’
    A model wears Youmsara on the modest runway

  • Murrii Quu Couture

    Cheryl Creed is a Cairns-based designer whose Gunggari, Pitta-Pitta, Bindal and Quandamooka heritage informs her design practice – and her focus on sustainability.
    A model wears Murrii Quu Couture on the modest runway

  • Murrii Quu Couture

    ‘All the pieces that you saw out there tonight I pulled apart and sewed back together again,’ she says. ‘I’ve found myself in love with black velvet these days.’Noting that many Indigenous designers work with prints, Creed says: ‘I love black. It’s also a reflection of my heritage and I think every woman can wear it.’
    A model wears Murrii Quu Couture on the modest runway

  • Murrii Quu Couture

    ‘I want women to feel glamorous, and know that it’s not just for occasions. I think that it’s important now for designers to branch out on different runways. It was important for me to come here today because I wanted to share a little bit of Indigenous fashion on different platforms.’
    A model wears Murrii Quu Couture on the modest runway

  • Bulle Designs

    Naima Bulle is a Melbourne-based designer who debuted her label at Modest Runway. Bulle Designs focuses on custom-made pieces.
    Naima Bulle with a model in a red dress on the modest runway

  • Bulle Designs

    ‘The dresses are ... handmade.’ She says her custom trims, which she created herself with an applicator, ‘took forever ... but was definitely worth it on the runway.’
    A model wears Bulle Designs on the modest runway

  • Yasmin Jay

    Yasmin Jay is a Sydney-based designer whose eponymous label launched this year in March. ‘When I look at the inspiration ... it all comes back to my Lebanese heritage,’ she says.
    A model wears Yasmin Jay on the modest runway

  • Yasmin Jay

    ‘The reason I started to design in the first place was because I’m sick of hearing the narrative of hijabi women being oppressed ... I guess coming out in these face coverings and me designing, in general, is to show that, hey I can still look fashionable, fabulous and I can still do whatever I want. If I want to wear a gold face-covering I’ll wear a gold face-covering.’
    A model wears Yasmin Jay on the modest runway

  • Hijab House

    ‘What makes this event so special is our audience, we know that this type of event is in demand as the modest fashion industry is booming. - Yusuf Liban, director of modest fashion runways.
    Hijab House at Modest Fashion Runway

  • Hijab House

    ’It’s about ... empowering the modest community and catering to them. It’s important we give this a mainstream platform.’ - Yusuf Liban, director of modest fashion runways.
    A model wearing a headscarf and long white gown walks the modest fashion runway

  • Models get final touches to their make-up backstage before walking the runway.
    Models getting final touches to their make-up backstage before walking the runway

  • ‘What stood out is the diversity within the modest industry,’ says model Hawra Khalil. ‘It’s not just hijabi women like myself that dress in modest fashion, it’s also non-covered women and bringing us all together. As a hijabi woman that has lacked representation and really struggles to find designers to cater for me within the industry, it’s just so good to see that so many have come together to not only cater for me but for the larger community.’
    Hawra Khalil walking on the modest runway
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