LONDON – A highly successful London-based fashion house has entered into a new global partnership with a modest fashion brand, catering to a huge Muslim community in the UK.

“We are delighted to introduce the Aab range to our international and select UK stores,” Jeanette Whithear, Trading Director International at Debenhams, told Asian Image on Thursday, February 9.

“Adding the high quality fashion range to our product mix enables us to offer collections that are highly relevant in both international markets and to our domestic customers and is a step closer to creating a product offer that caters for broader customer needs.”

The collaboration will see the department store chain range a full collection from the London-based fashion house.

The full collection of modest clothing will initially be rolled out across 14 international stores along with pop-up shops in select UK stores.

“We started Aab almost a decade ago as a label that redefined modest fashion and one that caters for everyday modern wardrobe staples that are thoughtfully designed with the highest quality,” Nazmin Alim, founder and creative director at Aab, said.

“The partnership with Debenhams opens up some very exciting opportunities for us.

“Debenhams is a quintessentially British department store and among the few department store brands with a truly global reach.

“With its international stores in prime retail locations, this partnership places Aab in front of our target markets in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, which aligns perfectly with our vision and future growth.

“Debenhams understand the thinking and creativity behind our collections including the quality in fabrics and construction and we feel there is no better place to begin our global retail journey.

“We look forward to Aab’s next phase of growth alongside Debenhams in offering contemporary modest fashion globally.”

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

Modesty and religion are the cornerstones behind the fast-growing Islamic fashion industry, which is making a mark on runways from Indonesia and Dubai to Monte Carlo.

Islamic fashion is part of a growing appetite for Shari`ah-related industries and assets, ranging from finance to halal food.

High-end brands such as Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan New York, as well as high street stores like Zara and Uniqlo, are known for releasing Ramadan or `Eid collections in countries with large Muslim population.