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.

We regularly receive emails from customers about a couple of websites that use our images, without our permission, to sell their own products. Here is one we recently received from a wonderful sister:

Salam,

I nearly placed an order on a site because their items were so similar to yours. I then realized that the pictures were from your previous seasons. (I think so anyway). The site is called

barakallah.com.

Are these your resellers? If so I apologize.

However I have read very negative feedback for this site from Muslimah blogs.

Allah hu Alim

Regards,

(A very nice sister whose name we would like to protect)

P.S. I bought my items from Shukr instead, Alhamdulilah

We would like to thank the sisters and brothers who brought to our attention the fact that these websites are using our photos (without our permission). May Allah reward you.

Only certified SHUKR re-sellers and affiliates have the right to use our photos.

Currently, those re-sellers are:

(USA) al Muhajabat

(USA) Hijab Fashions

(Canada) Bahiya Collections

(France) Iqra Shop

(France) Orientica

(Singapore) al Qismah

(UK) The Islamic Establishment

(Germany) Silk Route Design

Any other websites, including Barakallah.com, are not affiliated with us. The photos on other sites have been taken without our permission, and the clothing they are selling is not related to our products. SHUKR quality is only guaranteed when it is sold through our website. You can identify genuine SHUKR clothing simply by looking at the label. All of our clothing features SHUKR’s distinctive label at the neck with our logo on it. If the garment doesn’t have our label, it isn’t genuine SHUKR clothing.

Every collection that SHUKR features on our website has an extraordinary amount of hard work behind it. Each product starts in the sketch pad of our designers before it moves to the pattern cutters and the garment workers. We have a quality control process where every garment is inspected. We package and ship these products overseas for sale. When we photograph our garments, we hire a professional photographer, pay models, rent locations, and provide transportation and food. The photos are then processed for the website by our staff. In all, the work of approximately 100 people, from sewers to graphic designers, goes into the products and photographs you see on our website.

When others take advantage of the hard work the Muslims at SHUKR have done without permission or compensation, those Muslims are harmed. SHUKR works hard to create a product and brand that is unique. We feel sure that companies that aim to serve the Muslim community would not knowingly harm other Muslims. Each company has something unique to offer the Muslim community and should do their own work to highlight and showcase that unique something, rather than relying on the work of others.

Please be careful when ordering from online sites. It is an excellent idea to ‘Google’ them for reviews before you commit yourselves to any transaction.

If there are every any questions about whether or not a product you see online is actually a SHUKR product, always feel free to contact us through our support site or to call us. In the UK we can be reached at +44 208 090 7151, and in the US, you can reach us at (203) 304-2379.

Say goodbye to color swatches as you know them! We are happy to announce that, starting with the new arrivals currently on the UK website, and all new arrivals thereafter, will have images of each garment in every available color, just like the US and Canadian sites.

Simply click on the color swatch below the main image, and the picture that pops up will be of the garment itself and not just an enlarged picture of the color! We hope that this improvement makes shopping easier. As always, your comments are welcome.

Before:

After:

Experience SHUKR in person at Reviving the Islamic Spirit, taking place this year from December 25th – 27th in Toronto, Canada.

- Try on new designs and SHUKR classics

- Purchase from a range of sizes and colours

- Take advantage of our special RIS offers

- Visa and MasterCard accepted

Visit us at booth numbers 1115, 1117, 1214 and 1216.

Eid Mubarak to all! May this holiday be a blessed one for you and your families.

While our website will be accepting orders over the Eid, please note that the SHUKR staff will be on holiday from November 26th to 30th, inclusive. The next scheduled shipping date for these orders will be December 2, 2009. Our staff will again be answering queries on December 1st, so your patience is appreciated.

On that note, feel free to visit our Hot Mid-Winter Sale for the US (www.shukronline.com) and UK (www.shukr.co.uk), where you can save up to 70% off!

SHUKR is happy to announce some big improvements to our UK operations in distribution and shipping.

1. Distribution

Since we have recently outgrown our old distribution center, we changed to a bigger center and moved all of our stock from Purley to Manchester. Our old distribution center lacked a barcoding system, causing some orders to be fulfilled inaccurately. With the new warehouse, there are some integration issues that we are sorting out and look forward to completing soon. The improved efficiency and capacity of the new distribution center will have orders fulfilled quickly and accurately, inshallah.

2. Shipping

We have changed our preferred shipper from Royal Mail to DPD in order to avoid, whenever possible, any interruptions in shipping. We were caught off guard by Royal Mail’s industrial action, so a number of orders are still undelivered. However, we acted quickly to move away from them in order to assure that your garments are delivered in as timely and reliable a manner as possible. For more information on Royal Mail’s issue, please click here and here.

SHUKR is happy to announce it will be participating in three upcoming events in Canada: the 7th Annual Muslim Heritage Weekend, the 35th Annual ISNA Canada Convention, and the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention in December. 

The 7th Annual Muslim Heritage Weekend, Civilization Expo
August 8th & 9th, 2009
Ontario Place
www.civilizationexpo.com

This weekend features a bazaar, halal food, a “Children of Civilization” Fashion Show, Muslim Movies, and Live Entertainment, including Kamal Uddin and Preacher Moss. As a Silver sponsor at this event, we will have a table in the Bazaar.

 
The 35th Annual ISNA Canada Convention
‘Serving God, Serving Humanity: Moral Basis of Effective Social Action’
August 15th & 16th, 2009
Living Arts Center, Mississauga
http://www.isnaconvention.com/

ISNA Canada and Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) have partnered together in presenting the 35th Annual ISNA Convention. We will have a booth at their bazaar and will be selling hats, hijabs and bags.

Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS)
We will be participating in their convention in December, and will post more details soon.
http://www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/

Many customers ask whether SHUKR has any physical stores. The answer is: yes, and no. Yes, we do have stores in Syria and Jordan, but no, we don’t currently have any stores in England or North America, although hopefully that will change in the not-too-distant future. We thought a short post about our stores in Syria might give you a foresight about what we can hopefully see in the West one day. Also, if you ever make a trip to Syria or Jordan, then please pop in and pay us a visit.

Our main store in Syria is in the capital Damascus, in a historically conservative religious area called the Midan, just a few steps away from al-Hasan masjid.

We stock pretty much all the styles that you see on the website. The local taste is very similar to that of customers in the West, although Syrians are a lot more crazy about pants and not so keen on dresses.

One of the benefits of a physical store is that it enables us to display the clothing in color-coordinated sections, giving customers ideas about what outfits might look good matched together.

We also have a section of a new mall that has opened up in a countryside area of Damascus called Harasta.

Finally, our 3rd store is in the student area of Damascus called Rukn al-Din. This store is used mainly to stock slightly imperfect items which are sold for a discount. This was the first store we opened in Damascus and is well known amongst the foreign students here.

~ Anas, Managing Partner

SHUKR is now on Twitter!

For new Tweeters (Twitterers?) Twitter is “a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/shukr and receive all the latest information on sales, styles, and media. Be the first to know what’s going on with SHUKR!

Find out more by going to the new light blue box on the left side of this page under the search box.