Zahra Rosea has 13k+ followers on instagram so one could definitely say she is in a very good position to inspire those who would like to start their journey to covering. As muslimahs we are constantly trying to improve ourselves and it can be so very hard for those who want to cover, and the 101 thoughts that enter your mind when making the decision to begin covering.  A lot of thoughts may enter your mind about wearing hijab e.g 'i won't look nice', 'i can't be fashionable with a hijab', 'people won't accept me', 'it isn't the norm in my environment or society to wear hijab', 'people at work will think i am weird', 'my wardrobe isn't modest enough to start wearing a hijab'. Well ladies, please stop thinking like this because hijab is a journey and it is done for the sake of Allah, so if you would like to start by wearing a hijab and slowly making your wardrobe more modest as you go along, what is wrong with that.

There are many inspirational ladies out there who you can take style ideas from on how to dress modestly. Of course, the overall aim is to please Allah, but a little helping hand can never be a bad thing! Zahra Rosea is one of the many hijabis who are here to show you that you can wear hijab and still be trendy at the same time. As long as you are fully covered there is nothing wrong with adding a bit of style to your look to ease you into to dressing modestly and from there things can only get better.

So without further ado here is my interview with Zahra who recently featured on Gap and was selected as the first winner to feature. That in itself is a great privilege, for a hijabi to be recognised as the first winner to feature on gap is something to be proud of. It highlights that the world is opening up more and more to the notion of hijab and this will only make it easier for those who want to cover but don't have the courage to take the plunge. Anything to help someone feel more comfortable wearing a hijab is something to celebrate. Zahra explains why she put herself out there and what her future goals are. Read below;

What made you submit your picture to Gap? 

I decided a very long time ago that as Muslim women and as a consumer of fashion we are very poorly represented in the fashion world, media and industry. I thought it would be a step in the right direction to have a Muslim within a media campaign, I think it's also a significant step for the industry to readily identify that we too are part of their consumer base and deserve to be included.

When did u start wearing hijab? 

I began wearing hijab when I was around fourteen years old. In all honesty it wasn't a step I really thought about since we were raised in a very un-multicultural part of the U.K where my family and I were the only permanent Muslim family in town.

What made you wear it? 

We had just spent that whole summer in Dubai and wore the hijab when we were out there and back to the airport in the UK. When we landed, my younger sister Asma was actually the first one to make the decision to continue wearing it. I decided I wasn't going to allow her to struggle alone and so I too began wearing it.I knew it would be difficult being the only teenager in the whole of our town wearing it, but with both our support to each other we decided it would be something attainable.

What would you describe your style as? 

I would decide be my style as muted power dressing. I love structured silhouettes, pointed pumps, clean crisp lines and shirts

What are your future goals? 

In terms of goals for hijabis as a whole I would love for us all to be included and recognised as a consumer market by fashion brands. 

As for myself, I am establishing and developing my own modest clothing brand, I would love for that to become global inshallah.

What or who is your style inspiration? 

I love Victoria Beckham, Celine & Coco Chanel. A mixture of all of the above!

I would like to thank Zahra for taking time out of her busy schedule to do this interview, and i hope this can help those of you who want to cover to come one step closer to making that decision and putting on the hijab. Hijab is beautiful, and anything that is done solely to please your creator will only bring you good things. Start your journey and remember true beauty comes from within and will shine out. Don't say to your self 'one day i will wear it' because that one day may never come, be spontaneous and just go for it. Zahra did, and has no regrets. We are all on a journey and continuously trying to improve- may we all be the best we can for our Creator.

Zahra Rosea can be found on Instagram ; http://instagram.com/zahrarosea 

So as many of you may have heard, Italian designer label D&G have launched a hijab and abaya range. My initial opinion was, wow this is great- this will encourage more women to dress modestly and will also help the western world to become more accepting of modest dressing. I stick by this opinion, it is great to see the likes of Mango, DKNY, Uni Qlo and now D&G embracing dressing modestly.

I personally will not be going out and buying anything from this collection simply because i would not want to fork out £££s for abayas from D&G when i could get something just as nice, if not nicer from places like INAYAH and AAB. I prefer their styles, and think they look a lot better and cost a fraction of the price. i think this range will attract rich Arabs who are happy to spend this much on clothing just for the name. I'm not to keen on the designs they have launched, and nothing stood out to me enough to spend those extra pounds. 

Out of all the designs i found the black floral hijab most appealing, and the cream abaya with black lace. See images below.

I'll keep this post short and sweet! This is not a review of the range as i haven't purchased it to be able to give a review, it is just my initial thoughts! My opinion is; yes it's great to see how mainstream designers are now embracing the abaya,hijab and generally modest clothing. It is very encouraging and i hope this will help the western world see the beauty of hijab. However, i don't think it will appeal to the every day Muslimah due to the huge price tag.

Want to dress in a modest manner but don't know where to start? Read on and let your journey begin.......

There is just something so beautiful about dressing modestly. Not only is it one of Allah's commands but it really is a protection for us women. For me dressing in a modest manner brings me confidence, contentment and happiness.

I know there are many ladies out there who want to wear hijab, and dress modestly and speaking from experience one thing that use to deter me was my current wardrobe and those annoying inner voices. The thoughts that used to play on my mind were  'my current wardrobe is just not suitable', ' i will have to go on a long search for modest clothing, it will take me forever' 'where do i start, I'm not quite ready to wear an abaya but i really do want to dress modestly', 'i wont look good''. Im sure I'm not the only one who has had these thoughts, even now i still feel there is a lot of room for improvement and am still striving to better myself in this department. 

But remember, everything beautiful is covered, a woman who is dressed modestly is like a pearl in its shell. All precious things are covered and protected and ladies we ARE precious.  We do need to protect ourselves, our honour and our beauty.

The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens. Be that pearl. 

The great thing nowadays is that fashion has taken a step in the modest direction, this is wonderful for all us hijabi's and sisters who choose to dress modestly as we have so much more variety out there. I'm writing this post to help any sisters out there who need a little help in dressing modest but trendy at the same time. It is possible to be both believe it or not.

My staple items are my cullotes, baggy jumpers and loose fitting long shirts. I can never have too many of those three items. With cullotes i tend to wear fitted tops and a boyfriend blazer or cardi as a cover up. With the baggy knitwear tops i tend to wear fitted trousers or jeans, and with long loose fitting shirts i go for either fitted trousers or jeans.

When shopping i don't really go for designer brands unless its a special occasion, i shop so much and only wear my clothes a few times so designer seems a bit of a waste of money for me especially as i get bored so easily of my outfits. Having said that, bags- that is something i will always splash out for- i have a nice collection of designer bags but tend to wear the same ones over and over again! 

So would you like to know what my favourite shops are for buying modest clothes.....well carry on reading and i will give you a list of afforable hijab/modest friendly shops where i find myself more then often..

1. Zara - i find that Zara will always have something modest that i can purchase. If you are looking for loose fitting tops, long shirts, or long skirts this is the place to go. In the summer they always have the nicest summery blouses that are modest and pretty at the same time. Zara also bring out long dresses and skirts every summer- so when looking for modest clothing be sure  to check out Zara. And it gets better.....i found this winter especially that they have been catering again for the modestly dressed woman by bringing out knitwear dresses which are long, i tend to buy a size or two bigger in knitwear as it can be quite figure hugging so to avoid that i go up a size.  The last item i purchased from Zara was a long maroon knitwear dress with slits on each side- one size bigger of course just to make it a looser fit. Zara never fails for me, be it for when im looking for modest clothes in the summer or something warmer for those chilly winter days.

2. Aab- i have only bought a dress and a few shirts from Aab but i love all their designs. The con for me with Aab is that they are quite pricey, however due to the quality being so good i do not mind forking out a little extra for their pieces. They have a good sale on too every now and again. With Aab you will most certainly find many modest options, all their range is quite modest. So if you haven't got the time to shop around and need modest clothing urgently this is the place to go, rest assured you will find something here. My last item from here was a long line shirt with stripes going down, i like it because it is modest but at the same time trendy. I dont go a size up for Aab clothing as they are designed to be modest anyway. 

3. H&M- what i like about H&M is that it is very reasonably priced and i will always find a nice baggy jumper that keeps me cozy on a cold day. They even have long shirts and loose fitting tops so i just cannot complain. The most recent item i purchased from h&m was this pretty black oversized jumper- it has detail on the neck which is sort of like beaded work (not sure how good a description that is) but its pretty, modest and cosy so what more can a girl ask for ey...:)  H&M are also good for accessories for example necklaces to go with those plain tops you have that need a little jazzing up. If you are looking for long sleeved tops to wear underneath any sleeveless or short sleeved tops you have (as a cover up) then rest assured you will find a variety of these in many colours at H&M. 

4. New Look - I'm quite surprised myself that new look made it to my list of faves but i will tell you why. They are reasonably priced for a start, their range has improved a great deal and they always have long cardigans which if you dress modestly you will know is a must in your wardrobe. You can never have enough long cardigans.  Also their shoe collection (flats and heels) is not bad too- especially for everyday wear, work etc it is cheap and cheerful. The last item i bought from here was a cape with fur on the collar, the perfect cover up! Im loving capes at the moment. We haven't had much of a winter so these are ideal, i have a few of them and shouldn't buy anymore but they are hard to resist. 

5. ASOS- i love ASOS first of all because its online, i love online shopping as im not a fan of crowds and shopping centres so ASOS is perfect. ASOS is great because is has a mixture of brands (mostly high street brands) and some low end luxury too. They always seem to have loose flowy tops which always grab my attention. Another good thing about ASOS is if you want something a little glitzy for a night out or for a special occasion you are likely to find something here especially during the summer months. Dresses - long and short, skirts, cullotes, oversized jumpers, shirts and loose fitting trousers are all items you will most likely find on ASOS. The last item i bought from ASOS was a longline winter coat which is slightly oversized in beige. I love it because it is a great thing to throw on over an outfit when you want to pop out and also can be dressed up with heels for a more classy and sophisticated look- it definitely does the job for me and is very versatile. Im quite petite so i was unsure about a long coat, i was worried it would drown me but this looks just fine.  

The list above is not exhaustive however i didn't want go on too much! Those are the ones that have come to mind and are the places i find myself buying from all the time! There are also many great sites online where you can shop, i will write about these some other time.

Sometimes dressing modestly can sound like you cannot be fashionable at the same time, but my advice is play around and find your own style. Once you do, you will love it. I know i do.  

Remember, be the pearl <3