Meet the designer who's bringing hijabs to Uniqlo

When Uniqlo expanded in Southeast Asia, the company began getting feedback that shoppers were looking for a more modest range of clothing. When execs started exploring, the same name kept coming up: Hana Tajima. By 2015, the retailer partnered with the UK-based Muslim blogger and designer on its first line of modest streetwear. Now, the collection is making its debut in Canada on February 24.

The Spring/Summer 17 collection is a range of cool separates that can be cinched for slimmer fits or worn a little looser depending on personal style. Adjustable long-sleeved tunics in nudes are highly versatile. There are wide leg ankle pants that are a hit every season and a set of buzz-worthy hijabs in muted colours. The game-changer for the hijabs, according to Tajima lays in Uniqlo's ultra breezy fabrications, which can actually help keep wearers cool. "Going into it, it was probably the most niche item that wasn't in the market already, at least mainstream," says Tajima. Surprisingly, it's not just Muslim women buying them. "I felt like it was very specific to a certain type of person, but when they started selling it in Japan, women were wearing it for gardening and sportswear, just because they're aware of the UVs," she says. "It was an interesting to see people adopting these things for different uses.

Over the past few years, diversity and inclusion have played a more significant role in mainstream fashion, and if ever there were a time to do something niche with broader appeal, now would be that time. And though Uniqlo is not the first retailer to design specifically for the largely untapped Muslim market, it's likely the first on such a large scale. "Canada is such a diverse place, and it feels very representative of the culture that's there," explains Tajima. "For me, just being able to have a voice that isn't necessarily what's been perpetuated or this mainstream idea of what femininity or what beauty is, having something else is really valuable."

Based on the collection's launch in other countries, the feedback from the press and the public, so far has been overwhelmingly positive. "The response has been really fantastic, and I think it's allowed us to come to Canada and all these different places, where people find it very approachable," says Tajima of the wearable collection, which will be available at the Toronto Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Shopping Centre. "It's not targeted specifically to a certain demographic," she concludes. "It really is for everybody."