Modeling and modesty are two words that seem mutually exclusive, but a Muslim fashion designer in New York City is trying to alter that. A new agency for Muslim models, known as Underwraps, is launching subsequent week throughout New York Fashion Week. Its goal? To prove that models can be gorgeous, stylish, and yet still preserve their religious beliefs.

Nailah Lymus is an American-born Muslim whose parents converted to Islam prior to she was born. She adheres to the modesty tenets of the religion, which demand that clothes be loose enough so as not to reveal your shape, and that generally the only body parts that can be visible are your face, hands and feet. Sound difficult? It doesn’t have to be. I chatted with Lymus this week about her background, Muslims in fashion, and her plans to launch a modeling agency.

Lymus is a self-taught designer who initially studied child improvement. Whilst interning at a boutique, she ended up designing and promoting some pieces there, and what was once a hobby suddenly got lucrative. She’s given that made it a complete time profession, and has turned her eye towards models. Especially, Muslim models.

There historically haven’t been many nicely-recognized Muslim models in western fashion, but that might be changing. Lancôme just signed its initial ever Muslim model, Hanaa Ben Abdesslem, who’s Tunisian. Abdesslem broke into the mainstream right after debuting on Vivienne Westwood’s runway, and is signed with IMG. Abdesslem doesn’t have her head covered in photographs, and does not seem to be adhering—at least in her specialist life—to modesty standards, and Lymus acknowledged that it has to be that way to get recognition right now.

Underwraps’ founder Nailah Lymus

“[Muslim models] come from a background where they dress Islamically suitable, but to be in this market and to be a model you sort of have to forfeit that,” Lymus said. “That’s why I wanted to start off this agency, so you do not have to do that. You don’t have to shed who you are to be in this organization.”

To that finish, she’s beginning Underwraps as an agency for girls who are committed to preserving modesty standards in their dress, but hope to work with mainstream designers. That’s Lymus’ lengthy-term goal. “We take things seriously and are professional just like other models. During fashion week I’ll be sending them out to castings just like anybody else,” she told me.

Appropriate now Underwraps has four girls in improvement, who aren’t officially signed however. She’ll bring them to sector events during fashion week and let them get a taste of the attention. Besides getting a “look”, Lymus believes that the girls have to have powerful personalites and be able to deal with the pressures of the market, and also the misconceptions. Especially because 9/11, there’s a lot of misunderstanding about Islam and its expectations of females. Lymus hopes to shatter the far more widespread ones—like that women can’t perform or that they have to wear full abayas.

Could an agency like this be successful? It would take a specific girl, and an open-minded designer to make it take place. While runways featuring lots of bare skin tend to get attention, there are a lot of designers who could theoretically use Muslim models. Haider Ackermann’s spring show, which featured layered looks and even veils, is 1 that comes to thoughts. Regardless of whether or not or not Underwraps is profitable, we enjoy that agencies featuring non-traditional models are attempting to make a go of it.

Photos: AK Photography

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When we initial heard that Fern Mallis, who ran New York Fashion Week at IMG for practically a decade, was launching a jewelry line on QVC, our initial reaction, we need to admit, was: genuinely? Mallis is a fixture in the New York fashion scene, having gone on to host a series of talks with fashion icons at the 92nd St. Y as nicely as a SiriusXM radio show known as “Fashion Insiders With Fern Mallis” immediately after she left IMG. Whilst Mallis naturally knows the fashion biz in New York inside and out, we never ever suspected she was into making fashion. But she is.

Mallis has just announced that she’ll be launching a jewelry collection for QVC named Fern Finds: by Fern Mallis, which she’ll hawk reside throughout New York Fashion Week (obvi), starting on Friday, February ten at 10pm (EST). We chatted with the former Fashion Week head honcho to locate out just what inspired this move to style, whose style she looks up to, and which of her fashion buddies she consulted with ahead of starting her line.

Fashionista: You’ve worked with designers for years–what produced you determine to get in the game?
Fern Mallis: I’ve usually been a creative individual and have developed large events, my apartment, my parties, and some of the items I wear. I do not call myself a “designer” but I’ve often had a sense of my style. This collection is appropriately named “Fern Finds” due to the fact it is inspired by accessories that I have purchased throughout my life. I’ve adapted the pieces so that they can be manufactured and made obtainable for a bigger audience at a reasonable cost.

I’ve read the collection will be inspired by pieces from your travels–what are your preferred finds?
I truly enjoy shopping when I travel…it’s a key component of any trip. I really like discovering new factors and discovering locally-produced, crafted items, as I really feel these never go out of style. I have a fantastic necklace of beads I bought from a woman sitting on the curb in Mumbai on a side street in the Colaba Market. She had a mountain of colorful necklaces in a large basket and I picked through them till I found the excellent a single that I love…In South Africa, I met a really fashionable woman who had a wonderful little shop with jewelry and crafts from several of the ladies operating all over the country. I really like numerous of the multi-beaded, multi-strand necklaces and collars that I purchased from her.

What do you look for in jewelry when you travel?
I look for factors that are fascinating and that you do not see in every shop or know will be readily accessible in NY when you come house. I also look for things that make me happy and make me feel very good and that “talk to me.”

Have you shopped QVC? What about QVC appeals to you?
Yes and I really like the immediacy of it all. It tends to make you have to decide quickly…not like a shop where you browse and then know it will be there subsequent week if you determine to get it. I also like that the “designer/creator/organization rep” can tell you about it and clarify why they really like it or why you ought to acquire it and what makes it specific. It is tough to get somebody in retail to tell you something about what they are selling in a retailer.

How do you like becoming on camera? You seem to be on stage a lot lately! Is there more acting/on camera work in the future?
I’m comfy on camera when I’m talking about factors I know and care about. I did so numerous interviews when I was at the CFDA, operating Fashion Week, and I loved talking about all the fantastic things that were going on. That is what I continue to do now. I may possibly be on the other side of the microphone with 92Y or SiriusXM, but I’m asking concerns and finding designers and folks I like, admire and respect to share their stories. “Love, Loss and What I Wore” was a entirely diverse expertise, a new challenge and adventure, but generally in an location that I am comfortable – talking about how clothes or the knowledge of wearing certain things impacts your life and your memories. Who knows what’s next?

What designers to you appear up to or have you consulted with for this first style endeavor?
I am a fan of too several designers to even begin to list them. But I did share a lot of my journey with FERN FINDS: with Stan Herman, who is a dear buddy, designer and QVC Icon.

Whose style do you enjoy?
This is harder to answer than I thought….the late LuLu de la Falaise, Audrey Hepburn, Donna Karan’s Urban Zen, and Li Edelkoort.

Take a look via some of Fern’s pieces for QVC. Thoughts?

Fashionista