If you are in London and are interested in modest fashion, there will be a panel discussion at the University of the Arts London entitled, Modest Fashion: Faith-based Fashion and Internet Retail on Tuesday 25th May 2010 from 5:30 to 8: 45. Here is a description of the event:

To what extent has internet shopping become an important tool for those who want to combine fashion with faith? How is modesty defined in different faith communities? And how far are religious identities and appearances being re-shaped through the market?

These are just some of the questions that are arising in relation to increased participation in modest fashion. LCF Professor of Cultural Studies Reina Lewis and Dr Emma Tarlo, Reader in Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, invite you to a special event to mark the launch of a new AHRC/ESRC- funded research project on modest fashion. With increasing numbers of women choosing to dress modestly due to their religious beliefs, a distinguished panel will discuss whether a new market is emerging for consumers from different faith groups. In addition, they will explore the potential impact for inter-faith dialogue of these shared dress practices among Muslim, Jewish, and Christian women.

Joining Reina and Emma in the consideration of these important questions will be LCF Visiting Professor Annelies Moors, Professor of contemporary Muslim societies at the department of anthropology and sociology, University of Amsterdam, and principal investigator of an international NORFACE research programme on ‘The emergence of Islamic fashion in Europe’, and Professor Niloofar Haeri, Professor of Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University, and author of Sacred Language, Ordinary People: Dilemmas of Culture and Politics, currently studying comparative concepts of modesty in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Following the discussion, there will be a reception to celebrate the release of Emma Tarlo’s book, Visibly Muslim: Fashion, Politics, Faith (Berg, 2010). We at SHUKR were honored to be mentioned in her book as part of her investigation of how fashion and faith interact for British Muslims. This exciting new book has already been given some excellent reviews (see below) and we highly recommend it.

“Beautifully written and compelling, Emma Tarlo’s new book finds a way to be fair-minded in the political minefield that surrounds the dress of visibly Muslim women in the UK. Animated by the nuanced detail of sartorial biographies and documenting changes in hijab fashion, Visibly Muslim provides a sophisticated examination of the dramatic increase in covered dressing and the reasons why it continues to matter so much to its practitioners and observers. This makes an essential read.”

–Reina Lewis, Professor of Cultural Studies, London College of Fashion. Author of Rethinking Orientalism: Women, Travel and the Ottoman Harem.

“Tarlo’s finely written analysis of Muslim women’s dress choices in Britain is sensitive, thoughtful and measured– a refreshing counterpoint to the two dimensional media coverage of the subject. She examines such choices from multiple angles: personal, aesthetic, social, religious and political, while making sure that we understand the dynamism inherent in decisions about dress.”

–Niloofar Haeri, Professor of Anthropology, John Hopkins University. Author of Sacred Language: Ordinary People, Dilemmas of Culture and Politics in Egypt

****Update!****

We are indeed repeating the items below, but they will not be in the next shipment as I stated. Rather, it may be a month or two. Sorry for the confusion!

****Update!****

Missed some of our new arrivals? Then we have good news for you! For the next shipment, we will indeed be restocking the Pleiku Tunic (US, UK, Canada) , the Light Jersey Maliki Hoodie (US, UK) and the French Cuffed Tunic (US, UK, Canada). Look for them around the end of March.

For lovers of Tencel (US, UK, Canada), in about two month’s time, we will be getting some new stock in.

If these are items on your wish list, then please take this opportunity to sign up for our mailing list on the appropriate country page of our website, www.shukronline.com. That way you’ll receive our “new arrivals” email, indicating that the new stock is available to purchase. First dibs will be all yours.

The Pleiku Tunic (US, UK, Canada)

This is just a quick note to check out our facebook page! There is a 10% off coupon code posted on the group wall. It’s good for 10% off your order and expires March 31st. While your there, join our group! We are going to start featuring some exciting special offers (i.e. discounts and giveaways),  and at the same time, you can have your say about SHUKR and what you’ld like to see in the future.

We regularly receive emails from customers about a couple of websites that use our images, without our permission, to sell their own products. Here is one we recently received from a wonderful sister:

Salam,

I nearly placed an order on a site because their items were so similar to yours. I then realized that the pictures were from your previous seasons. (I think so anyway). The site is called

barakallah.com.

Are these your resellers? If so I apologize.

However I have read very negative feedback for this site from Muslimah blogs.

Allah hu Alim

Regards,

(A very nice sister whose name we would like to protect)

P.S. I bought my items from Shukr instead, Alhamdulilah

We would like to thank the sisters and brothers who brought to our attention the fact that these websites are using our photos (without our permission). May Allah reward you.

Only certified SHUKR re-sellers and affiliates have the right to use our photos.

Currently, those re-sellers are:

(USA) al Muhajabat

(USA) Hijab Fashions

(Canada) Bahiya Collections

(France) Iqra Shop

(France) Orientica

(Singapore) al Qismah

(UK) The Islamic Establishment

(Germany) Silk Route Design

Any other websites, including Barakallah.com, are not affiliated with us. The photos on other sites have been taken without our permission, and the clothing they are selling is not related to our products. SHUKR quality is only guaranteed when it is sold through our website. You can identify genuine SHUKR clothing simply by looking at the label. All of our clothing features SHUKR’s distinctive label at the neck with our logo on it. If the garment doesn’t have our label, it isn’t genuine SHUKR clothing.

Every collection that SHUKR features on our website has an extraordinary amount of hard work behind it. Each product starts in the sketch pad of our designers before it moves to the pattern cutters and the garment workers. We have a quality control process where every garment is inspected. We package and ship these products overseas for sale. When we photograph our garments, we hire a professional photographer, pay models, rent locations, and provide transportation and food. The photos are then processed for the website by our staff. In all, the work of approximately 100 people, from sewers to graphic designers, goes into the products and photographs you see on our website.

When others take advantage of the hard work the Muslims at SHUKR have done without permission or compensation, those Muslims are harmed. SHUKR works hard to create a product and brand that is unique. We feel sure that companies that aim to serve the Muslim community would not knowingly harm other Muslims. Each company has something unique to offer the Muslim community and should do their own work to highlight and showcase that unique something, rather than relying on the work of others.

Please be careful when ordering from online sites. It is an excellent idea to ‘Google’ them for reviews before you commit yourselves to any transaction.

If there are every any questions about whether or not a product you see online is actually a SHUKR product, always feel free to contact us through our support site or to call us. In the UK we can be reached at +44 208 090 7151, and in the US, you can reach us at (203) 304-2379.

Many customers ask whether SHUKR has any physical stores. The answer is: yes, and no. Yes, we do have stores in Syria and Jordan, but no, we don’t currently have any stores in England or North America, although hopefully that will change in the not-too-distant future. We thought a short post about our stores in Syria might give you a foresight about what we can hopefully see in the West one day. Also, if you ever make a trip to Syria or Jordan, then please pop in and pay us a visit.

Our main store in Syria is in the capital Damascus, in a historically conservative religious area called the Midan, just a few steps away from al-Hasan masjid.

We stock pretty much all the styles that you see on the website. The local taste is very similar to that of customers in the West, although Syrians are a lot more crazy about pants and not so keen on dresses.

One of the benefits of a physical store is that it enables us to display the clothing in color-coordinated sections, giving customers ideas about what outfits might look good matched together.

We also have a section of a new mall that has opened up in a countryside area of Damascus called Harasta.

Finally, our 3rd store is in the student area of Damascus called Rukn al-Din. This store is used mainly to stock slightly imperfect items which are sold for a discount. This was the first store we opened in Damascus and is well known amongst the foreign students here.

~ Anas, Managing Partner