THE JOURNAL
The intersection between Islamic attire and style is somewhat uncharted territory in today’s menswear market. But a new generation of men’s designers – of which, MR PORTER FUTURES finalist Mr Saif Ud Deen is a part – has set out to explore the balance between their religious obligations and their desire for self expression.
“Most Islamic dresses are very traditional and hard to wear on a daily basis,” says Deen, who was born in Manchester into a third-generation Pakistani family. “They don’t really fit in other settings that aren’t mosques. There aren’t many people in my religion who are doing what I’m doing, and if they are, they’re very cautious about it.”
While Deen’s debut collection was reflective of his own experiences, his lens for the second season – titled “The Courage To Be Disliked” – has shifted towards his family history. “This collection looks back at the time when my dad came to the UK from Pakistan in the 1980s, and how he married his own culture and beliefs with the Western lifestyle he encountered here,” Deen says. “The general attitude towards Islamic dressing was a lot stricter back then, so this collection is an exploration of the merging between the two cultures in everyday life.”
Reflecting on their shared experiences yet differing outlooks on dressing, Deen began his research by looking at old photos of his father’s university days. “I was interested to see how he dressed and how Muslim people around him dressed at the time,” he says. “How they began experimenting with their personal style to adapt to various settings they weren’t used to. I further developed my research by observing people at the mosque – it’s a place where people from all paths of life come together; you could see an older gentleman wearing an Islamic shirt dress beneath a formal blazer and a teenager wearing it beneath a Stone Island jacket.”
“You could see an older gentleman wearing an Islamic shirt dress beneath a blazer and a teenager wearing it beneath a Stone Island jacket”
The way practicing Muslims incorporate their religious beliefs into their own personal style was a critical starting point for most of the collection’s designs and its wearability. But the 24-year-old designer points out that he makes clothes for everyone – the resulting line-up is filled with versatile, function-first staples with practical details that young British Muslims like him can relate to, but anyone can appreciate.
A short-sleeved, long shirt dress inspired by Moroccan Islamic attire features zips at the waist, allowing its wearer to turn it into a traditional shirt. A “hybrid” chemise, which takes cues from Pakistani Islamic attire, has internal panels that can be unbuttoned to extend to the knee line. A backpack unzips into a mat to allow people to pray from anywhere. The colour palette of beiges, creams, sands and khakis and fabric choices – which this season leaves space for more cottons and knits – are also a nod to Pakistan’s cotton manufacturing industry.
The designer’s third collection, entitled “Kids Playing Games”, will continue to explore his dual culture – look out for it in the coming months, and don’t miss the brand’s latest arrivals on our What’s New page.