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.

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!

Ramadan Mubarak from SHUKR!

This is one of our busiest times of year here, and one of our favorite! This year we have a stunning Ramadan/Eid Collection, and I wanted to highlight my top 10 picks from this collection (in no particular order).

My favorite piece this year is the Gia Lai Dress (US, UK, Canada). Tabassum outdid herself on this one. Basically, I’m obsessed with it. It is two pieces: an inner dress and an outer gown. The inner dress is this nice mandarin collared number, but it’s the outer gown that kills me. It just has such great flow. It’s simple, elegant, and I’ve never seen anything like it.

My second favorite is the Mussaret Dress (US, UK, Canada). This is another wonderful two-piece combination, except the inner dress is simpler than the Gia Lai, and the outer gown is more complex due to the embroidery. This one is a hair’s breath from a traditional abaya, but has this classy elegance that I’m becoming so fond of.

Third on my list is the Cowl Neck Abaya (US, UK, Canada). It’s just timeless. Such a nice sense of dignity, modesty and grace, it reminds me of some amazing women who have shaped my life. You know who you are.

Fourth is the Embroidered Drawstring Skirt (US, UK, Canada). I’m normally not a big skirt person, but this one is amazing. The gold embroidery in that interlaced pattern strikes the difficult balance of being both fancy and understated. I could match this with almost anything in my wardrobe and instantaneously take my outfit up a notch.

Fifth is the Dotted Swirl Tunic (US, UK, Canada). It’s just such an unusual addition to the SHUKR collection that it stands in a class by itself. Made from chiffon, it also has a very good flow.

Sixth is the Contrast Duster (US, UK, Canada). I love garments that are simple and practical, but also have some flair. On this piece, it is the cuffs that give it that extra push. And, it’s a great garment to wear to the office.

Not to neglect the men, the seventh is the Hussein Galabiyya (US, UK, Canada). Seriously, this is what a modern galabiyya looks like. Sharp, easy to care for, and lightweight.

Number eight is the Azhar Jubba (US, UK, Canada). A modified remake of the Damascan Jubba (US), it has a slimmer fit, wider sleeves and loses the shoulder pads. I could definitely see Keanu Reeves in this.

Ninth on my list is the Kalima Tencel Denim Trousers (US, UK, Canada). Nothing is more comfortable than these are. Never heard of Tencel? Made from wood pulp, this natural fiber combines softness, strength, and durability, is easy to care for, wrinkle-resistant, and breathes really well. If you’ve been looking for that perfect (yet modest) pair of jeans, you’re not going to come closer than these.

Last but not least are the Hasan Trousers (US, UK, Canada). Comfortable and casual, these might be the perfect pants to wear while you are fasting. They are loose, soft and have big pockets. I’m not sure about the connection between pockets and fasting, but given the choice between pockets and no pockets, I’d choose the pockets every time.

Feel free to comment letting us know what your favorite garments are (from any collection), so in the future, we can have a customer-based top ten list. We’d love to hear from you.

~ Beth, Blog Admin

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/

Our retail manager, Moustafa Elqabbany, was on Hayat FM yesterday for their English language program with Yasmine Al-Farra. The program topic was on—you guessed it—Islamic fashion.

If you are in Amman, Jordan, you can hear the program on Wednesday night at 10 PM or Friday at 2:30 PM (Amman is GMT +3). If you are in a different time zone, here is one of the many websites you can look at to figure out when you should listen.

Listen in to hear more about SHUKR, and let us know your thoughts.

~ Beth, Blog Admin

Create a video (maximum 5 minutes in length) that depicts what you think about Islamic identity in the West and how it relates to dress. The video can discuss any or all of the following:

–Ideas about Islamic fashion trends
–How dress, religion, and identity interrelate
–Islamic dress as a creative form of religious expression
–Islamic dress as it relates to gender and religion
–The fusion between Western and Islamic identity through dress, etc.

These are only a few examples of how the topic could be explored.

To submit your entry, just post a video reply at http://www.youtube.com/shukrislamicclothing to our video of the official rules by February 28, 2009. Videos are moderated. Win $1000 or £500 of SHUKR clothing, as well as publication of the winning video and the videos of the 4 runners-up on our blog!

For the official contest rules and terms of participation, please visit: http://www.shukronline.com/contestrules.html

~Beth, Blog Admin

After a long absence, SHUKR re-entered the convention scene with a bang this last summer and autumn. We attended the Islam Expo event in July (Olympia, London – England), ISNA’s annual convention on Labor Day weekend (Columbus, Ohio – USA) and the Global Peace and Unity convention in October (Excel, London – England). After taking out a spell to prioritize other aspects of the business, we felt it was high time to get back to the grassroots, meeting our customers face-to-face and appreciating the developments that Muslim communities have recently made. These big conventions become, in the short few days that they are held, a microcosm of the larger national Muslim picture. They are a great opportunity for networking, learning, socializing and buying! We want to say a big thank you to all our customers who passed by our stalls to buy something, browse the styles, or simply to give salams. It’s great to see you in person and hear your feedback.

(Above) Islam Expo: SHUKR’s Booth. We had a modest display at the event, focusing on introducing the SHUKR brand to new customers.

(Above) Islam Expo: SHUKR’s part at the Fashion Exposition, a section devoted to the clothing companies that took part in the inaugural Fashion Show held at Islam Expo. SHUKR showed a number of trendy outfits at the fashion show, accessorized by our Head Designer, Tabassum Siddique, who worked backstage.

(Above) ISNA: Hotel Room View. The conventions are hard work for the SHUKR employees that attend. After a few 16-hour days, it felt worse than the after-effects of Hajj, Moustafa Elqabbany, our Retail Manager commented. Sights like this sunrise provided some inspirational relief.

(Above) ISNA: Women’s Booth. We had a large shop floor style display at ISNA, with lots of styles, a dressing room, and a Powerpoint presentation about the company. This was the women’s booth; we also had a separate men’s booth.

(Above) ISNA: Special Offers. There were some great offers for customers who purchased at the booth.

(Above) Global Peace and Unity: Men’s Booth. The GPU event was our favorite booth display. We had both a large men’s and an even larger women’s booth.

(Above) Global Peace and Unity: Women’s Booth.

SHUKR will be making regular appearances at all major conventions, insha’ Allah. Our next stop is Le Bourget, the annual convention for French (and increasingly, other European) Muslims in Paris, France. Over 100,000 Muslims attend this event, far more than at ISNA in America or at the GPU or Islam Expo in England. Fancy some tasty French cuisine? See you there!

~ Anas, Managing Partner