We are Five!
Before writing this post, I read my “We are Three” and “We are Four” blog posts and smiled as I could see a growth in my business. Regardless of all obstacles and setbacks, I was still on track. For example, I suffered an injury during Eid Festivals which made it tough to go on, but Alhumdulillah it was important to persevere and work towards meeting business goals.
As the economy slowly recovers from the COVID crisis, small businesses still struggle to maintain the same pace as they did pre-COVID times. Everything has changed, and we can never go back. People struggle with rising costs of living, rent, and mortgages. And yet, what happened and is happening in Palestine is helping us to put things into perspective. Despite us facing economic challenges in Australia, none of it can compare with the challenges our people go through in Palestine, especially Gaza.
As for my business journey in 2023, I worked tirelessly for Modesty Hut in the past 12 months.
True to my vision and purpose, I have launched the third sustainable hijab line – Felicity Collection. Crafted from biodegradable wood pulp, OEKO-TEX® Certified, and adorned with plant-derived colours, Felicity shawls redefine modest fashion with a commitment to sustainability and ethics. Modesty Hut now offers three ethical collections:
Choose The Providence and Felicity for hot summer days and Grace for colder months.
The ethical factor of these collections makes me proud. To make them ethical, it is not enough for shawls to be made of bamboo. The whole lifecycle must be ethical. From where the raw materials are sourced, through manufacturing and delivery to customers. There is no deforestation occurring to produce the fabrics as the manufacturer plants the trees as well. Workers get paid fair wages. The dye used to colour the fabric is plant-derived, meaning no toxic waste goes in the waterways. I meticulously research and choose my suppliers to ensure minimum environmental impact and fair-trade principles are respected.
My second project was a complete website makeover. The website was redesigned and built on a new platform. It offers a fresh new look, improved navigation, a Wishlist, a hijab quiz, a product review and a showroom appointment booking feature. It took nine months to build and migrate the website. And the process was very challenging and stressful. I had to learn alot of technical stuff outside of my comfort zone. The website built was expensive, too. However, despite all the challenges, I pushed hard and made it. There is still a lot more that I want to do with the website, but that would have to wait for 2024. I am happy with how my website turned out, and I received positive feedback from customers. I advise any business owner looking to build an e-commerce website to research thoroughly what platform they want to use and to who they want to give their hard-earned money.
And last but not least, the project I launched this year was Modesty Hut Mobile Boutique! I am proud to say it is Australia’s First ‘Hijabs on Wheels’ concept, which I launched in Sydney during the IFAM Convention on 30 September. I want to thank my husband, who worked tirelessly alongside myself to deliver this project in five months. We sourced a caravan and built a gorgeous modesty boutique. It was a mammoth effort, but it was worth it. We worked seven days and nights a week to build this boutique while keeping our day jobs! Yes, we would work during the day as usual and head to the caravan at night to bring it to life! On occasions, my husband and I worked 16-hour days! I had to shut my mouth many times to complete this project, hahaha! Watch out for Modesty Hut Mobile Boutique travelling to your location! At IFAM, the crew from ABC interviewed me and shot footage of the boutique for their upcoming documentary about the second and third-generation Muslims in Australia.
I already have plans for more launches and projects in 2024. Insha’Allah, they come to fruition if it’s good for my Deen and our Ummah. I want to source hijabs in diverse kinds of fabrics. It’s tough to find sustainable hijabs that tick all the boxes, so I look for in-house atelier productions that meet the ethical criteria. That is Fairtrade, great quality, and made with care about people and the environment.
On a final note, I want to make dua that Allah SWT grants relief and mercy to our people in Palestine and liberate them from brutal oppression.
Free Palestine. Today, Tomorrow and Always.
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