Modest fashion makes its mark on Paris: World’s style capital hosts a historic first

PARIS (MNTV) — In a city long synonymous with haute couture and high fashion, a different kind of runway made its debut this month. From April 16 to 18, the French capital played host to the 11th edition of Modest Fashion Week, organised by Think Fashion — a landmark occasion marking the event’s first appearance in one of the world’s most influential style cities. 

Held at the grand Hôtel Le Marois, a Second Empire mansion nestled in Paris’s prestigious 8th arrondissement, the three-day showcase brought together designers, buyers, and industry professionals from across the globe in what organisers described as a defining moment for the modest fashion movement.

Movement gone mainstream

The Paris edition follows previous iterations of the event held in Istanbul, London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, drawing together designers from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The choice of Paris — home to fashion houses that have shaped global style for centuries — was deliberate and symbolic.

Think Fashion chief executive Özlem Sahin made clear the ambition behind the move. “France is one of the leading modest fashion capitals in Europe. As a global fashion pioneer, Paris has the power to set trends, and we see it as a fast-growing and increasingly open-minded market,” she told reporters. 

For Sahin, the question of legitimacy for modest fashion has already been settled. 

“We all know what modest fashion is today, that question is behind us,” she said, framing the Paris edition as an opportunity to deepen the movement’s footprint within the mainstream global fashion calendar.

The growth of modest fashion as a commercial force lends weight to that confidence. The global modest apparel market was valued at roughly $96 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $139 billion by 2033, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 5.5%. Modest fashion spending is expected to grow at a faster pace than the mainstream apparel market through the remainder of this decade, and the broader modest wear market — including non-Muslim consumers — represents a total addressable market exceeding $500 billion.

What took place

The three-day programme included around 30 curated runway shows, eight industry panel discussions centred on sustainability and inclusivity, and a dedicated business-to-business showroom enabling designers to forge direct connections with international retail experts.

Panel topics ranged from forward-looking questions such as “Vision of the future: is ‘modesty’ the new luxury norm?” to consumer-focused conversations titled “The loyalty of Gen Z: brands and beliefs.” 

A roundtable aimed at buyers, exploring what makes a brand commercially compelling, was also on the agenda. The final day was entirely given over to professional engagements — showrooms, presentations, networking sessions and content creation.

While the event drew participants from every corner of the world, the 2026 Paris edition placed particular emphasis on Arab and Gulf design traditions. 

The UAE’s Fashion by Shehna brought a contemporary take on Arab design codes to the runway, while Qatar’s Hindami offered a fusion of modest tailoring and streetwear sensibility. Kuwait’s Roqaia Fashion House presented heritage-inspired abayas alongside elegant eveningwear. 

These regional names shared the stage with international labels including LA MODESA from the United States, Dahlia Bridal from the United Kingdom, and Russia’s Aynaeva.

African design also had a strong showing. The Nigerian label Afrik Abaya presented colourful abayas adorned with geometric patterns drawn from traditional African textiles, while Afifa positioned itself at the intersection of Western minimalism and Uzbek cultural heritage. 

Indonesian designer Nada Puspita and Senegalese label Soutoura were also among those who took a bow on the runway.

Luxury industry takes note

The timing of the Paris event was not coincidental. 

In 2026, luxury houses stepped up their engagement with modest fashion through dedicated Ramadan capsule collections from Gucci and Louis Vuitton, campaigns featuring local ambassadors such as Taleedah Tamer for Miu Miu, and pop-up activations by Dior and The Ordinary in Dubai. 

Major retailers including Harrods, Farfetch and Harvey Nichols also deepened their modest fashion offerings. 

The broader fashion industry is increasingly treating this segment not as a niche, but as a strategic growth market.

A charged political climate

The choice of France as a host country was not without complexity. In France, the hijab remains a deeply political flashpoint, inflamed by recurring debates over headscarf restrictions in schools, sport, and other areas of public life. 

Yet organisers pressed ahead, and some French designers participating in the event spoke with directness about what the platform represents for Muslim women in the country.

The founder of Soutoura, a Paris-based modest fashion label with streetwear roots, said she wanted to demonstrate that Muslim women have every right to dress stylishly. “People reduce us to the burqa, they put us in a box. But you can wear the headscarf, feel good about yourself, dress well — and not owe anyone an explanation,” she said.

Sahin was equally firm that the event is not a religious or political statement. Think Fashion’s Paris Modest Fashion Week was designed to promote inclusion and collaboration, with designers from Türkiye, the United States and Russia among those participating — a deliberate effort to present the event as a global industry platform rather than a culturally exclusive one. 

Modest Fashion Week in Paris served as a reminder that fashion is not defined solely by the directions set by established luxury houses — it reflects a wider global movement that is rethinking femininity, championing inclusivity, and opening new creative space for designers who have long been underrepresented on the world’s most prestigious runways.

For many of those who walked through the doors of the Hôtel Le Marois over those three days, the message was clear: modest fashion is no longer asking for a place at the table. 

It has pulled up a chair in Paris — and it intends to stay.