The first ever Islamic Fashion Fair opened its doors at Istanbul Expo Center on Oct. 1. 3,000 foreign professional and 12,000 local visitors from Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, France and Germany have visited the the fashion shows.
One of the most attractive stands at the fair belongs to Haşema Tekstil (Burqini Textile). A burqini is a swimming suit version of the burqa and it is designed to hide the lines of the body. Esra Çelik, who has designed burqinis for nearly 10 years, said: “I don’t wear a burqa or use a scarf to cover my hair, but designing burqinis makes me happy. It is a new field in the textile sector and it enables me to design freely.”
Çelik said there is great interest in burqinis not only from Turkish and Arabic people but also from Muslims living in Europe. The textile company sometimes has a hard time meeting demand.
Çelik said Turkey’s secular society and the western world are biased about the burqa. “I find the arguments really trivial. Let people wear what they want,” she said.
There are also many foreign brands operating stands at the fair. Bob Singal, from Thailand, is one of them. It is his second time in Turkey and he is happy that such a fair could be opened in Istanbul. “Turkey is a modern country that connects East and West. Being a bridge between East and West brings many interesting characters. There are both modern-looking people and there are people who are wearing a burqa. It is a colorful country.”
