Not getting enough Vitamin D? This modest fashion label hopes to change that.
According to the Dubai Health Authority, 85 per cent of us in the UAE are at risk of a Vitamin D deficiency.
Whether it’s from staying inside when the heat rises, not taking supplements, or being covered under traditional dress, there are multiple reasons for why people aren’t getting enough sun.
Read:
Our favourite looks from Dubai’s first Modest Fashion Week
This Lebanese designer redefined the idea of a fairytale wedding gown…
However one designer is looking to tackle the latter with an innovative new range.
Murcyleen Peerzada, who launched one of India’s first abaya labels earlier this year, has developed a modest garment that lets UVB rays penetrate through the fabric, allowing its wearer to absorb the benefits of sunlight.
Named The Healthy Abaya, the concept was first unveiled at Dubai Modest Fashion Week this month, with Peerzada closing the sartorial extravaganza with a catwalk display of her eponymous collection.
The reaction to the concept has “so far been overwhelmingly positive”, Peerzada told EmiratesWoman.com.
“While some expressed intrigue at this experimental concept, many saw it as a respite to a relevant issue – a great solution to combine health, faith and fashion.”
The abaya—which will launch early next year on a made-to-measure basis from the Murcyleen Peerzada website—is crafted using Microsolv, a fabric containing UV-transparent material.
“We did lot of research to narrow down on the right fabric for this collection,” said the 26-year-old designer, who previously worked in the costume department for a Bollywood studio.
“We tested a lot of fabrics, especially to find a black fabric of the right density for an abaya, to ensure UVB rays are easily penetrable through it, [and it’s also] lightweight, breathable and yet not see-through.”
The collection, Peerzada says, stems from her aim to find a long-term solution for Vitamin D deficiency in Muslim women, which can result in bone pain and muscle weakness.
“A lot of Muslim women are deficient because even when they get out of their homes, they wear two layers of clothing, which makes it impossible for the UVB rays to penetrate through the garment,” she said.
“You don’t have to wear covered clothes under an abaya—women mostly wear a sleeveless dress— so wearing an abaya of such a fabric will at least get some Vitamin D into the bodies of deficient women.”
Peerzada, who divides her time between Dubai and India, hopes to extend the range in the near future.
Read:
10 celebrities giving us major turban inspiration
Ellen DeGeneres is sending more than 400 people on a luxury trip to Dubai
“Not everyone wears abayas so it’s important for me to have something for everyone,” she said, adding that there’s not yet a set price range for the Healthy Abaya range.
However “with all the health benefits it offers, we are committed to making this specialised line of modest clothing affordable and accessible to a wide and diverse array of women”, Peerzada said.
Images: Supplied
