Haute Hijabs: Luxury Brands Launch Couture Islamic Garb on Rodeo Drive
Because nothing says fashion-forward like a burqa.
10.27.2016
23
Couture Islamic garb? Surely, that's an oxymoron, no?
Apparently not to struggling luxury brands looking to turn new markets.
Haute couture sales in the millennial day and age are at an all-time low. Aside from the fact that no one but the top 1% can afford a $16,000 Chanel suit, "dressing up" is a concept of yesteryear in today's increasingly casual society.
Now, Chanel's flagship Beverly Hills boutique is marketing fashion-forward hijabs -- for the discerning, modesty-bound consumer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "on Rodeo Drive, the Chanel boutique recently rolled out new window displays with mannequins donning pink, hijab-inspired head coverings, an obvious play to the wealthy Saudi shoppers flocking to L.A." Luxury Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana did the same, launching their own line of hijabs and abays, reports THR:
"It is about time that these brands are finally paying attention to their customer," says L.A.-based personal shopper Nicole Pollard Bayme, whose clientele includes affluent Middle Eastern wives of businessmen, celebrities and royalty. She added, "Now that these fashion houses are a part of big conglomerates, the money is speaking and they are becoming more savvy; these customers are their bread and butter."According to a report by Reuters, Muslim shoppers spent $266 billion on clothing and footwear in 2013 and are expected to spend $484 billion by 2019. Conde Nast announced plans this week to launch a Vogue Arabia digital edition in the fall, followed by a print magazine next spring.In L.A., brands are closing down stores to focus on revamping flagship retail spaces and doing what they can to entice shoppers to stop in, including styling mannequins in head scarves.
With Rodeo Drive storefronts commanding an average rent of $800 per square foot, the town known for its immodesty is now finding a way to rake in the dollars from whomever it can, and pander to a culture anathema to everything Beverly Hills represents.
Posts
