By Graeme Morton, Calgary Herald
June 14, 2009
For Calgarian Nida Makhdoom, creating beautiful clothing with a Muslim flavour is as much a spiritual calling as a budding career.
"If God gives you a passion for something, you should pursue it," says Makhdoom, 26.
"This (fashion design) is a gift that God has given me and I want to give it my all, to see where it leads me."
Makhdoom's creations will be on display at a fashion show titled Offbeat, to be held next month. Both women's and men's clothing will be on display, modelled by her friends.
The key to her design philosophy, Makhdoom says, is to respect Islam's instruction to practice modesty in dress while celebrating the dazzling colours, intricate patterns and fabrics found in the many cultures within the one-billion-member global Muslim community.
"My goal is to create clothing that's modest, but cool," says Makhdoom with a smile. "Islam has an incredibly rich tradition of art through the centuries that I can draw inspiration from. Modest doesn't have to mean drab."
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