Photo courtesy of Jasmine Fares.
Social media content creator, hijab model, and now fashion designer, Jasmine Fares has been a long-time advocate for modesty. Having launched her eponymous line FARES in May 2021, she continues to bridge the gap between elegant, minimalist, and Instagram-worthy clothes and the world of modest fashion. Fares chatted with Elixuer ahead of the release of her 2021 fall/winter line.
FARES apparel reflects timelessness and modesty. Tell us — what does modesty mean to you and your customers?
I believe modesty is something that can be subjective. It can be represented and practiced in many different ways. The beauty of dressing modestly, or any way you choose to, is the freedom that comes with it. Whether someone chooses to dress modestly or not, the idea is to have control over how we want to be perceived in public, without letting society (i.e., societal norms) determine that for us. With this mindset, we get to decide what we want to show or cover up, according to our personal values or simply what makes us feel comfortable. That freedom of choice is liberating, and its something that my customers and I truly value.
When you first launched FARES, was the industry accepting of your brand? Has it changed over time?
When I first launched FARES, I would say that the modest fashion industry was very supportive. Our community online is like no other, and they showed nothing but love and support for our brand. We have also received lots of love from people outside of the modest fashion world, which was so lovely to see!
Can you share the inspiration behind the pieces in your new fall/winter collection?
My goal behind every collection we release is to solve a universal problem that modest dressers experience. There are so many brands out there that release great designs, but those designs are not always modest-friendly. Our inspiration for this fall/winter collection was to really focus on creating designs that are modestly made while still implementing current colour trends and styles for this season. You’ll see lots of moody dark tones as well as some great fall neutrals in this collection.
As an influencer, what role do you think social media plays in the fashion industry?
Social media plays a huge role in the mainstream fashion industry. I think that content creators have a very unique and effective way of communicating with their followers on a much more personal level than what traditional marketing has to offer. As a result, trends can easily and much more quickly spread. For example, a content creator can wear something unique or style a piece of clothing in a new way, and that can quickly become a trend that gets picked up by social media. That results in a demand on the fashion industry (especially fast fashion) to hop on the train and produce more of that design. A good and funny example of this would be the viral “TikTok leggings” that so many creators wore while recording their partners’ reactions.
How do you want the women who wear your clothes to feel? Would you ever consider expanding to menswear?
Our goal at FARES is to make every woman feel comfortable, confident, and empowered. We know that the women in our community already have these qualities, so our clothing line is a just a reflection of these beautiful traits that they already hold.
Yes! We are currently working on introducing a men’s line. That is a whole other ball game, but we are super excited for what’s to come!
Brooke Parker | Contributing Writer
