05 December,2016 09:43 AM IST | | Shraddha Uchil
A young Mumbai-based fashion blogger offers chic, trendy options for the essential headgear
The products on Little Black Hijab come in a variety of styles and fabrics, and are all handpicked by Naqi
WHEN Farheen Naqi moved to Mumbai from The Seychelles for her further studies two years ago, she took to fashion blogging. The 24-year-old fashionista would regularly post photographs of the outfits she would put together, but a constant problem she faced was finding hijabs that were both functional and stylish.
"I realised that most Muslim girls living here would end up using normal scarves as
hijabs. They are meant to feel light and airy on your head, and scarves don't do the trick. Moreover, the length and width of the material also makes a difference," says Naqi. She resorted to ordering hijabs on international e-commerce sites, which came with hefty shipping and handling charges.
Farheen Naqi is a follower of the modesty movement, which promotes modern yet conservative, classy dressing
Since November 2014, her blog, Filter Fashion, had gained her quite a large following (which currently stands at over 25,000 followers), among whom many were young women like her. "I realised that if I was facing so much trouble finding high-quality hijabs in modern styles, so were the others. The step forward was to start selling hijabs myself," says the Versova resident. Thus, the website Little Black Hijab was born in August this year.
"I wasn't expecting a great response right away, which is why I stocked a limited collection to begin with," she shares. Much to her surprise, all the hijabs were sold out in a week. Since then, the number of items available on the site has gone up, but several are still sold out within weeks.
The label sells hijabs in a range of colours and materials, including jersey, lace, georgette, and both plain and crinkled viscose. Naqi's personal favourites are the ones that come in jersey, which she says are stretchy and fit well, making slippage impossible. "Lace, too, seems to be a really popular option among my customers," she shares, adding that she sources her hijabs from trusted sellers in China.
"All the hijabs are handpicked by me. We all know that the Little Black Dress is a classic, but our closet essential is the Little Black Hijab," she concludes.