Rabia zargarpur biography for kids today

Rabia Zargarpur is a pioneer in every sense of the word. A multi-award-winning fashion designer and business woman, who not only embraces world standards, but is helping to set them. Today, she is at the forefront of championing ethical and sustainable fashion, placing this system and philosophy at the heart of her fashion creations and business practices, whilst inspiring many others to do the same.

In addition to running her own Rabia Z label, last year the mother-of-three launched the Rabia Z Modest Fashion Academy to run alongside her mentoring programme to nurture the next generation of designers. The collection is being unveiled at the second edition of Istanbul Modest Fashion Week over the Easter weekend, and will go on sale in May.

British Muslim Magazine caught up with the Dubai-based Afghani-American entrepreneur ahead of her Istanbul show, to ask about her career and the new Rabia Z x Modanisa collection. When and why did you decide to get into modest f ashion?

DUBAI: Rabia Z. Zargarpur is a superwoman.

I have been designing womenswear since my early teens and designed bespoke couture gowns for brides when I was in my first year of fashion school in New York, whilst working part-time at Valentino. My first experience with the sector was therefore very much in the mainstream fashion industry. Not a single one! For a professional fashion designer and fashionista, it was a shock to arrive at that realisation.

This is when I started to create high quality ready-to-wear work wear, tunics and hijabs that were made with breathable fabrics. The first hijab I designed was a ready-made turban, mainly because of the difficulties hijab-wearing women went through, as hate crime was rampant in those days.

Rabia Zargarpur is a pioneer in every sense of the word.

Rabia Z was primarily a way to empower myself. Friends and women in local communities reached out to me for similar reasons. By early , I officially started my own online shop. It was one of the first e-commerce stores in the world which specialised in modern modest fashion, ready-to-wear for women.