Tell us about yourself.
We believe the spectrum of fashion is limitless and we started Fllumaé with the vision to bridge the gap between fashion and modesty. To merge the two. Fllumaé is an inclusive brand for women of all faith, sizes, and color. We strive to provide a choice for the everyday woman. We focus on designing luxury clothing, catering to all women. We are a brand that embraces ethical fashion, Which is operating a fashion house based on, zero environmental damage, avoiding the use of hazardous chemicals that may harm the environment, free of animal cruelty, intolerant to child labor. As a designer it is very important to see the ways we can use fashion, to help improve our environment, and to change some of the practices that we see happening in big fashion houses.
What inspired you to start this brand?
Fashion is something that’s been connected to us our entire lives. It’s always been something we all dreamed of and spoke about our entire lives. We had a mother who is the biggest fashion icon and an inspiration for us. Everything she wore inspired us. She had no rules when it came to fashion, everything was custom made in Somalia or by us. We would hunt for different fabrics and just create unique pieces with the help of our mom. She knew exactly what material she wanted or what colors she wanted to mix; she even knew exactly how to style it. Our community always asked where we shopped from but it was a little secret among us that we made some of those pieces. We always tried to ignore our artistic abilities and took more realistic paths in our career – at least ones that we thought would make us happy. Finally, in January of 2015, we started talking about fashion over some coffee, and that day we talked for hours not realizing it. After only a few weeks we were all on the same page and decided to leave everything behind, and pursue fashion. So on February 14, 2015, Fllumaé was born, and it’s been the best decision we ever made. Our history with fashion is much deeper than just passion. There was a time in our lives where we could only afford water and bread. Fashion was our savior to surpass these struggles and our mother made a living using fashion techniques like embroidery and crocheting handcrafted garments to be able to put food on the table for us. With the same culture and values that were instilled in us, we now use it towards our love for fashion. Within our community, we didn’t have many options when it came to representation, which is why we decided it was time to change that.
What is your design philosophy?
Our philosophy is that no woman should ever feel forced to compromise fashion or faith, but instead encompass both in a manner that is representative of who they are. Handcrafted to perfection with a story behind every design. Contemporary fashion with modesty defining every step of the way.
We want to make all women feel they’re very best no matter what their story is, we want to motivate women through our designs, culture, and story. We want to evoke a new mindset and empower women from all backgrounds. Being Somali Muslim designers, we know the struggle of feeling like you can’t relate to modern day fashion, especially when you are trying to dress a certain way. We want to bring something that the fashion industry lacks. which is a fashion fit for all women, whether you choose to dress modestly or not. Our brand caters to all women who want to feel powerful, confident, and empowered.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everything around us is an inspiration. Art, traveling, coffee shops, different cultures and traditions, and everyone we meet along the way. Our designs are inspired by our personalities, our background, and the phase of our lives during the collection. Our main source of inspiration is our mother, who is the biggest symbol of power, strength, and independence. She showed us that you can be a woman and conquer the world – despite the everyday challenges and obstacles that stand in our way, to always keep pushing, express, and believe in ourselves.
How can the fashion industry improve for the better?
The fashion industry needs to be more inclusive towards designers of faith and color as cliché as that sounds, it’s still a big issue. In recent years, brands were able to see that the modest market is a very profitable market to tap into – $270 billion in 2018 and 361 billion by 2023 according to the global Islamic economy report. This is why we see big fashion houses tapping into this industry. creating hijabs, abayas, and modest garments, and even promoting these with Muslim models. So why is it hard for actual Muslim designers who can better serve modest fashion to have a seat at the table? The industry needs to create more opportunities for Muslim women designers. We have seen a change in the industry, but there’s a lot of work left to do. We still face an issue where a very small percentage of designers are Black designers or Muslim designers. The industry needs to embrace different cultures, religions, and races. The CFDA is a platform we admire and which has been pushing towards so much change in the industry. We hope we can inspire young female designers of faith and color to keep pushing till we get a seat at the table.
What are your hopes for 2021?
We are very hopeful for 2021 since 2020 has been a tough year for everyone, not only affecting our professional lives but our personal lives as well. Even though it’s been a tough year, we are grateful for everything, and must always remain positive. We have upcoming partnerships and projects in place that we are very happy about. We hope to raise awareness for more sustainable fashion, and to always protect our earth, and never to waste our resources. We want to encourage young women that are facing so many stereotypes and problems that nothing can stop them from achieving their dreams – especially if you are different. Our mission for 2021 is to have more representation on the runway in major magazines and in major department stores. We hope that 2021 is a year of change, unity, and acceptance. We aim to give, to grow, and to live by gratitude, in a unified world.
