What is Gen M and why are brands targeting this market?
By fusing Islamic culture with technology and an edgy modern aesthetic, progressive fashion entrepreneurs like Shazia Ijaz and Ayana Ife are tapping a hungry market
Worldwide, a segment of middle-class millennial Muslim consumers, called Generation M, is growing fast. Expected to triple to 900 million consumers by 2030, according to Reuters, this cohort is driving social change and demanding products and services that reflect their faith and modernity. This new wave of trendsetters is welcoming innovation and coming together to change the narrative around Muslim women globally and, ultimately, the face of modesty.
Savvy brands are connecting with this community by fusing Islamic culture with technology and an edgy modern aesthetic. And it’s paying off, with the modest fashion sector estimated to be worth US$44 billion annually.
A key narrative for this cohort is letting go of age-old beliefs that modest clothing cannot be modern. Twenty-five-year-old Shazia Ijaz is seeking to address this with her streetwear brand Seek Refuge.
The label’s bold, unapologetic style filters into oversized, loose-fitting pieces that allow women the freedom to practise different levels of modesty. The young brand has an activist element too, with every dollar spent on a Seek Refuge item contributing to refugee aid programmes.
Ayana Ife is also no stranger to making modesty cool and preaches that modest and sexy are not mutually exclusive.
The Project Runway finalist is now taking the fashion world by storm. Former judge Nina Garcia put it best, explaining that Ife’s strength is that “she’s able to contour her materials to express something about the woman, instead of relying on flesh to make a statement”, a sentiment that appeals to Generation M.
Other brands are turning to handcrafted and personalised products as a way to authentically tap into Generation M’s nuanced and modest values. Luxury abaya brand, Away, offers handcrafted, one-off pieces ranging from US$260 to US$660, while streetwear designer Sarah Elenany, has designed a customisable downloadable pattern for a sports hijab, tapping into Muslim women’s desire to carve their own style identity sustainably while empowering them to shatter the stereotypes that surround their faith.