Here at SHUKR, we are happily expanding in new, exciting directions. One of these is our new product category, Urban Casual: edgy, sporty, fun, and at the same time, elegant.

Shop Urban Casual in the US, the UK and Canada.

****Update!****

We are indeed repeating the items below, but they will not be in the next shipment as I stated. Rather, it may be a month or two. Sorry for the confusion!

****Update!****

Missed some of our new arrivals? Then we have good news for you! For the next shipment, we will indeed be restocking the Pleiku Tunic (US, UK, Canada) , the Light Jersey Maliki Hoodie (US, UK) and the French Cuffed Tunic (US, UK, Canada). Look for them around the end of March.

For lovers of Tencel (US, UK, Canada), in about two month’s time, we will be getting some new stock in.

If these are items on your wish list, then please take this opportunity to sign up for our mailing list on the appropriate country page of our website, www.shukronline.com. That way you’ll receive our “new arrivals” email, indicating that the new stock is available to purchase. First dibs will be all yours.

The Pleiku Tunic (US, UK, Canada)

Here is a list of our top 10 best-selling items from the USA store, from the beginning of SHUKR’s foray into the world of online Islamic clothing retail.

Clearly, cotton tunics are the winner!

We used to repeat styles over many seasons, but now like most professional clothing companies, SHUKR now has an in-house design team to product new designs every season. Therefore, this list may not reflect your personal favorites that you’re longing to see again.

What are the designs that you love and want to see more of? Are there any that SHUKR should consider bringing back?

10. The 100% Cotton Embroidered Hera Tunic (currently out of stock, but available in Linen without embroidery: US)

9. The 100% Cotton Light Tunic Shirt (currently out of stock)

8. The Hooded Moroccan Zaytuna Cloak (USA, UK, Canada)

7. The Asymmetrical Flared Skirt (USA, UK, Canada)

6. The 100% Cotton Pintucked Tunic (currently out of stock)

5. The Laced Tunic (USA, UK, Canada)

4. The 100% Cotton Cocoon Tunic (USA, UK, Canada)

3. The Princess Dress (USA, UK, Canada)

2. The Trompe L’oeil Tunic (USA, UK, Canada)

1. The Contrast Tunic (USA, UK, Canada)

We’d love to hear your feedback on your favorite styles, fabrics and designs.

Some of the most common fabrics that SHUKR uses are cottons, denim, linen, rayon and tencel. So, why does the Cowl Neck Abaya (US, UK, Canada) (made of rayon) look and behave so differently from the Gia Lai Dress (US, UK, Canada) (also made of rayon)?

Fabrics made from the same fiber (for example 100% rayon) can have different appearances, feels, and drapes because of their weave. A fabric weave is simply the pattern for manufacturing a fabric. Weaves can be simple, complicated, artistic, or even incorporate different kinds of materials in order to change their flexibility, strength, stability, durability, and texture, among other qualities. Oftentimes, weaves and fabrics are often mistaken for each other. One good example is Jacquard. This is actually a type of weave, not a fabric, and can be made from polyester, rayon, silk, etc. (For more info, see this article from the Textile Exchange).

In order to find out more about fabric in general, please visit our intensive explanation page about fabrics on our site called the “Fabric Guide.”

In the meantime, I’ll provide a brief overview of the most common types of each fabric we stock, and then give examples of each one from our website. This will likely be most helpful to those already familiar with our garments; however, we hope it will be useful for new SHUKR customers as well.

On each item webpage on the US site, like for the Selina Dresstop with Pockets (US, UK, Canada), you will see a ‘More info’ tab to the right of the main image. When you click on it, the first thing listed is “Fabric Type.”

So, what does that mean?

1. Code. SHUKR, like all companies, often uses the same fabrics for many designs. Repeat customers may like a fabric of a particular garment they purchased in the past and would like to know what other products are available in this same fabric. In order to help customers we have now included a code for all fabrics that we use. In this example, the code is R16. Other garments made with this fabric are the Cowl Neck Trapeze Top (US, UK, Canada) and the Embroidered Short Moroccan Djelleba (US, UK, Canada).

2. The weight and thickness are fairly self-explanatory. This particular garment is ‘light’ weight, and is “thin.’

3. The third category, “class” deserves a little more explanation. “Class” refers to the fabric construction, meaning either ‘woven’ or ‘knitted.’

A woven fabric is made nowadays by high-tech specialist weaving machines, which interlace 2 distinct set of straight threads, one running lengthwise (warp thread), the other crosswise (weft thread). There are 3 basic types of weave: plain, twill and satin (yes, satin is actually a type of weave and not a type of fabric).

A knitted fabric, on the other hand, is made by a machine that directs the yarn on a meandering path, forming symmetric loops symmetrically above and below the mean path of the yarn. Knitted fabrics normally have a lot more elasticity than woven fabrics. Jersey is a popular type of knitted fabric which SHUKR often uses.

Here is a list of the most common fabric codes that SHUKR uses, along with some examples of garments from each:

Cotton:

C1 –The Inspiration Blouse (US, UK, Canada) and the 100% Cotton Cocoon Tunic (US, UK, Canada)

C3 – The Guardamar Twill Cotton Jilbab (US, UK, Canada).

C12 –The Princess Dress (US, UK, Canada)

C18 – The Long Corduroy Shirt (US, UK, Canada)

C24 – The City Hoodie (US, UK, Canada), The Racing Stripes Hoodie (US, UK, Canada)

Denim:

D23 — L.A Denim Jilbab (US, UK, Canada), Najma Jeans (US, UK, Canada), Leah Denim Shirtdress (US, UK, Canada)

Linen:

L11 – The Linen Shangri-La Dress (US, Canada)

Rayon:

R16 – The Cowl Neck Trapeze Top (US, UK, Canada), The Embroidered Short Moroccan Djelleba (US, UK, Canada)

R3 – The Embroidered Sleeve Duster (US, UK, Canada), The Cowl Neck Abaya (US, UK, Canada)

R8 – The Sporty Top (US, Canada)

R22 – The Gia Lai Dress (US, UK, Canada)

R19 – The Shawl Cardigan (US, UK, Canada)

Tencel:

R21 – The Tencel Denim Duster (US, UK, Canada)

I hope this was helpful. What are your favorite fabrics/weaves? What would you love to see from SHUKR?

This is just a quick note to check out our facebook page! There is a 10% off coupon code posted on the group wall. It’s good for 10% off your order and expires March 31st. While your there, join our group! We are going to start featuring some exciting special offers (i.e. discounts and giveaways),  and at the same time, you can have your say about SHUKR and what you’ld like to see in the future.