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.

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.

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

Alhamdulillah, SHUKR Canada (www.Shukr.ca) has been live since June4.  Canadian customers can now purchase online without any unnecessary delays or having to deal with Customs Canada.

In terms of selection, the site is new and obviously doesn’t have the huge selection of the US website.  However, a greater selection of styles will be available as time goes on, insha’ Allah.  To stay informed of new arrivals and other Canadian lists, please subscribe to the SHUKR Canada mailing list on the SHUKR Canada Homepage.

O Canada! Your hopes have been answered! SHUKR is proud to announce that it is launching its Canadian website in June! This means, no more delays or customs fees to pay for our valued Canadian customers.

The site isn’t quite up and running yet, but we expect it to be ready for your orders in June. Check on our progress by going to our new Canadian website, www.shukr.ca. Once live, you can place your order from there.

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.

Are you a Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter? If these questions don’t sound familiar, then you probably don’t remember or weren’t old enough to remember the book “Color Me Beautiful” by Carole Jackson from the early 1980’s that completely changed the way women shopped and dressed. Granted that at that time I was more into Leggos and struggling with the Rubrick’s Cube, caring about what color palette suited my skin tone wasn’t my main preoccupation. But, like any young girl, I had a thing for rummaging through my mother’s, grandmother’s, and great-aunt’s clothes with a desire to be just like them, and so I remembered a thing or two about that iconic book.

Before that time, there wasn’t really a system for shopping for clothes and getting dressed to look your best. What I found interesting about this book was the idea to harmonize nature’s colors with our own skin tone and hair color to select clothes in colors that will always look best on us despite the time of year or fashion trend. How does this concept help us maintain our style on a budget? Instead of buying clothes in colors that look good on the model, rack, or pages of a magazine, you buy what makes “you” look and feel good. Period.

Every season, designers come up with color palettes that are the “in” colors for the season. The tactic that you have to employ is to resist buying your clothes in colors that don’t suit you. Kelly Green is a gorgeous bold green, but why would you have a Kelly green shirt in your closet if it makes you look like you’ve got food poisoning? I think it’s safe to say that a lot of us have those “Kelly Green” shirts, trousers, and other items beautifying our wardrobes, but doing nothing for us except eating a hole in our wallets and taking up valuable space in our closets.

For some, picking out colors to wear might send them into a state of panic knowing that in the past they always looked dull, washed out, or older than what they are. What’s good to know is that every collection at SHUKR not only gives you a great base of neutral colors, but also gives you a larger color range to choose from and the possibility to find “your” colors in the styles that you love. I make an exhaustive search every season to create new color palettes that draw a lot of inspiration from nature, landscapes, interior design, my world travels, and books that aim to complement your look.

Here are some tips to help you find your colors and incorporate them into your wardrobes that will save time and money and leave you looking great every time:

1) First go through the clothes that you have to make sure they are in colors that suit you. It is more than likely that most of your clothes are in your colors except for a few. Everyone probably has that favorite item that they always reach for when they get dressed and it most probably has a lot to do with its color and how good you feel in it. Hold each item near your face and look at yourself with natural daylight which will help you ascertain which colors are suitable for you. If you have trouble distinguishing colors, ask someone to help you with this process. Donate any clothes that don’t make you look or feel good.

2) Now that you know which colors are yours, purchase only those colors when shopping.

3) Be sure to build your color palette upon a good foundation of neutral colors such as whites, nudes, beiges, browns, grays, and, don’t forget, black. Blending neutral colors with your bolder colors will help to harmonize your overall look. Wearing all one neutral color such as a charcoal gray, if that’s your color, can be sophisticated and adding small bold accents can make it chic. Your skin tone and hair color will determine how much of each of these neutral colors you can have in your wardrobe and in which types of clothing. For those who have a fair complexion and light colored hair, wearing a lot of black near the face may be to jarring for you, but wearing black in trousers or skirts or as an accent color may be more suitable. The same is true for other colors such as reds, blues, greens, oranges, and yellows. Since there are hundreds of variations of the same color, it is important to choose the right variation for you.

4) Creating color groups in your wardrobe also helps you to stay organized and makes getting dressed a lot easier. In my closet, I started creating color groups, something that happened organically without planning, to divide my wardrobe in a way that easily shows what colors I have. I have Blacks, Whites, Grays, Royal Blue/Chinese Red, Eggplant Purple/Mauve/Taupe, and Salmon Pink just to name a few. Since the colors in my closet are “my” colors, I don’t have problems matching and putting looks together in the morning because the color groups work together, giving me limitless options. The end result is more money in my wallet and a overall appearance that is polished which helps me feel more confident and positive. The last thing I want to be doing all day is fiddling with my clothes or thinking about how bad I look every time I catch my reflection in a window.

Many people just avoid color altogether because they don’t know how to work with it or don’t know how many wonderful benefits wearing color has on the mind and spirit, apart from the aesthetic aspect. For me fuschia is my signature color and it is a color known to raise energy levels. Even having small doses of it in a room immediately lifts your spirits. So with summer already creeping in our minds, visions of leisurely sunny days by the beach or in the mountains, and nature coming into full bloom, now is the perfect time to embrace COLOR.

~ Tabassum, Head Designer

SHUKR clothing isn’t just for mosque visits or feel-Islamic social gatherings like a Muslim bachelor party, where you get to practice your last night of unlimited gaze-lowering. No, and it’s certainly not just for showing up at your arranged overseas engagement party to silently communicate to your bride-to-be that, while you’re traditional and all, you also have a sense of style. Real Men™ practice the most macho of activities in SHUKR clothing: working out.

For many exercises, the Zaytuna cloak (US, UK) is an excellent piece. Normally, I am in-between sizes when it comes to SHUKR galabiyyas; the smalls are a bit short on me while the mediums are rather baggy. The Zaytuna Cloak (US, UK) is particularly loose, so I normally wear a small, though I also own one in medium. The medium gives me such freedom of motion that I have no problem doing free weights and chin-ups in it. And, after a grueling workout, it’s nice to be wearing something that doesn’t feel like it’s attached to your body.

Recently, a group of brothers in Amman went hiking in Dibbeen. I wore the perfect hiking garment: a Zaytuna Cloak (US, UK) – in small to ensure I wouldn’t trip on it. After the less-than-taxing hike through the wildflower-covered hills, we decided to play a game of Capture the Flag. After an initial tie, we played the deciding game. One of the opposing team’s better players was hovering around our side. I wanted to eliminate him, so I bolted towards him and started my fateful chase downfield. What happened after that was somewhat of a blur, but somehow one of the children on the field got right in front of me as I was running. Other than having the wind knocked out of him, the boy was ok. I wasn’t as lucky. Alhamdulillah, I managed to break the fall on my hands and knees, followed by a roll. When I got up, I found my hands were bleeding, and the thin white non-SHUKR trousers I wore under the Zaytuna Cloak (US, UK) were all bloodied and shredded, but the Zaytuna Cloak (US, UK) was in fine shape, other than quite a bit of dust, a minor scratch, and a loose, but still-attached, thread-button. The white cotton slacks are now history, but I still wear the Zaytuna Cloak (US, UK) regularly. Some day, somewhere, a rugby team needs to use a customized Zaytuna Cloak (US, UK) as its uniform.

Back in 2008, I visited my family in Vancouver. While there, I decided I’d get back into running. I know that, with a bit of practice, I can maintain eight-minute miles. So, when visiting my mother, I went to her building’s gym and hopped on the treadmill at the desired rate. It turns out that when you’re in your mid-thirties and haven’t worked out for a few months, you can’t just pick up where you left off. I certainly didn’t make it to my goal that day, nor the day after it. However, by the end of the week, I was doing eight-minute miles easily, alhamdulillah. Of course, the treadmill was just the appetizer. This was followed by a couple rounds of the Grouse Grind, Vancouver’s outdoor staircase. Evidence of my successful climb up Grouse Mountain is below, where I triumphantly stand in true SHUKR fashion, sporting the 100% Cotton Baggy Trousers (US), sans tête, and complete with ugly shoes.

(Above: 100% Cotton Baggy Trousers, US)

~ Moustafa, Manager, Retail Division