For those of you who were at
Smoky not Smudgy on Sunday 25th, you'd have been the first to see the new collection from
Elenany. But if you missed out, the good news is that it's now available to buy online! The range now includes menswear, bespoke options and also comes in UK sizes 8-24. Hijab Style asked Sarah Elenany a few questions to find out more:
Jana: How has customer feedback influenced the new collection?Sarah: It’s been blogs like yours, buying customers, and general comments which have informed me which direction to take the brand. First and foremost I have looked at what customers have been buying and why they like them, and have maintained these product elements in the new collection.
I’ve also looked at who my customers are – they have been older than I expected and hence I have tried to make the clothing more sophisticated to cater to the tastes of an older audience. Whereas before, the label was “urban street” it’s now more “urban chic”!
Lastly, in trying to create a better product, I have also made this collection available in UK sizes 8 to 24. This, combined with the option of having bespoke elements will hopefully inform me further to what the customer wants.….I am still learning and the brand is still developing so it’s only from feedback that I can understand what I need to do to make a better product.
Jana: What was the inspiration behind 'The Friday Collection'?Sarah: Elenany produces clothing which can be worn forever, not for just for a specific “season” or 6 months like the fashion industry tells you. So I will be naming future collections on the themes of the graphics rather than the seasons such as “Autumn/Winter ‘09”.
The graphics for “The Friday Collection” are all inspired by the things Muslims do on Friday. For example, the “Brotherhood” print shows lots of people praying next to each other. The “Minaret” print depicts the actual thing used to call people to prayer, and the “Salaam” print to show what people do after prayer. Or before….and all the time!
Jana: You've now branched into menswear, did you find that more challenging compared to designing clothing for women?Sarah: It actually felt very natural doing the menswear. I think being the little tomboy that I am, my personal style is naturally a bit more masculine anyway! I really hope the guys will like it and hopefully for the next collection I can produce more clothes once I’ve found out from them what they want me to produce!
Jana: Anything else we can look forward to in the new future from Elenany?Sarah: I think for now I want to concentrate on perfecting the womenswear and menswear. Once I have achieved that I have big plans!
Click
here to watch Elenany's promotional video too!
