A nurse by profession, this Zamboanga (Philippines) native is taking baby steps into fulfilling her love of fashion since she was 5 years old.

Fatima Zyra Mannan is a modest fashion enthusiast. She owns a clothing shop called Urban Modesty Ph which sells modern but modest dresses online. She vowed that she would fulfil her dreams to become a fashion designer one day and is on the way to start studying fashion design in Indonesia once the pandemic restrictions eases.

She admits that she felt blessed having to witness the change of attitude of the fashion world towards modest fashion. It allows modest women to have more variety of styles to wear and wearing modest outfits in public is becoming common and fashionable thing compared to the decade that past where modesty, especially hijab, was frowned upon.

Fatima shows off her brands’ fashionable dresses on social media to encourage girls to have more courage to wear hijab and modern style while staying modest.

She is inclined to fashion influencers like Neelofa, Vivy Yusof, Sharifahrose as among some of her favorites. The girlish styles, daily casuals look is a style that she is more drawn into.

She hopes that the local brands and designers will slowly adapt to the modest fashion movement elsewhere.

“Local brands have at least made the effort to add up modest clothings in their monthly collection but I still can say not all, but few. And smalls steps like that in a Christian- dominated country helps.. love how open minded this local brands especially the designers. I am yearning for more in the coming years”

The success and growing acceptance of modest fashion would not have been possible if not because of influencers like Fatima. Their courageous efforts and diligence despite being criticized by conservatives from their own had made it easy for majority of modest women everywhere freedom to embrace their true identity.