Abaya and modest wear manufacturer in Bangladesh

What modest wear means on a production floor

Modest wear is a construction brief before it is a style: full length, loose through the body, sleeves to the wrist, opaque fabric or a lining where the fabric is not, and a finish that reads as considered rather than plain. The garments range from the open and closed abaya, through kaftans and long dresses, to the long tunics, wide-leg trousers and maxi skirts sold by modest fashion brands in Europe and North America. We make all of these in Bangladesh: the woven pieces in woven factories with the pattern and lining skills they need, the knit tunics and jersey maxis in knit factories.

Fabrics, and which are imported

The classic abaya fabrics, nida, crepe and chiffon, are polyester wovens that are not made in Bangladesh and are imported from mills in China, Korea and the Gulf, which puts a mill minimum per quality and colour and a fabric lead time into every order that uses them. Cotton and viscose blends, linen looks and jersey are made locally and carry lower minimums. Colour is a fabric decision as much as a design one: black is stocked in the standard abaya qualities, while a seasonal colour is a dye lot.

Constructions: open, closed, kaftan and separates

An open abaya is a front-opening coat-style garment worn over clothes, closed with snaps, buttons or a tie, and usually unlined in nida. A closed abaya pulls over the head, often with a side zip, and the sleeve, from a narrow set-in sleeve to a wide butterfly or kimono sleeve, is where the design lives. Kaftans are cut wide with a yoke or a gathered neckline. Separates, long tunics over wide-leg trousers or maxi skirts, follow the same rules as the dress and trouser categories with length added. Every one of these is graded in length as well as girth, and the length is part of the size chart, not a single figure.

• Open abaya: front opening, snap or button closure, self-fabric or contrast binding
• Closed abaya: pull-on with side or back zip, sleeve style specified
• Kaftan: wide cut, yoke or gathered neck, often with a belt
• Tunics, maxi dresses and skirts: length graded per size, opaque or lined
• Wide-leg trousers: elasticated or flat waistband, length per size
• Hijabs and scarves: cut and hemmed from the same fabric where the range needs them

Sizing and lengths

Modest wear is sold by length as much as by size, and the two are graded separately. An abaya size chart states the length for each size, and many brands offer two or three lengths per size so a customer can choose by height. We grade from your chart, prove the range on a size set worn on a model or form, and measure the length in every size at final inspection, because a hem that is an inch short is a return. The size chart is yours; if you have none we propose one for your market and confirm it before sampling.

Embellishment: embroidery, and what needs a confirmed factory

Machine embroidery on sleeves, hems and yokes is the standard embellishment and is available on every order: digitised from your artwork, sewn as a strike-off on the real fabric for approval, and kept on file for reorders. Lace inserts, contrast binding and piping are sewing operations and are quoted per placement. Hand beading, stones and sequins are a different skill and a different factory, and we quote them only once a factory for that work is confirmed for your order; we say so rather than promise it in a quote.

Selling into the Gulf: labels, conformity and duty

The largest markets for abayas are in the Gulf, and each has rules that apply on arrival. Saudi Arabia requires a SABER product certificate and a shipment certificate per consignment under the SASO Technical Regulation for Textile Products, and labels in Arabic with fibre percentages, origin and care; duty is 5% of the CIF value on most apparel lines and VAT is 15%. The UAE registers textile products under its own scheme, requires Arabic or Arabic and English labels, and charges 5% duty and 5% VAT. Kuwait requires Arabic labels with origin and importer, charges 5% duty and has no VAT. Our Saudi, UAE and Kuwait market pages carry the full position with sources, in English and Arabic, and we prepare the labels and documents for each destination as part of the order.

• Saudi Arabia: SABER certificates, Arabic labels, 5% duty, 15% VAT
• UAE: textile product registration, Arabic or bilingual labels, 5% duty, 5% VAT
• Kuwait: Arabic labels with origin and importer, 5% duty, no VAT
• Europe and North America: fibre, origin and care labels under each market’s textile rules

Minimums and small runs

The fabric sets the minimum. An imported nida or crepe carries the mill’s minimum per quality and colour, which is usually the binding figure; black in a stock quality is the easiest to clear, a seasonal colour the hardest. Locally made cotton, viscose and jersey pieces have lower minimums. Our confirmed minimum applies to t-shirts; modest wear is quoted per style with the minimum stated. Small runs from 100 pieces exist only in the knit categories our small-run partner covers, so a knit tunic may qualify where a nida abaya does not.

What to send for a modest wear quote

There is no published starting price for this category; each style is quoted against its specification with the fabric named and the embroidery shown as its own line.

• Flat drawing front and back, or a reference garment with changes marked
• Fabric: nida, crepe, chiffon, cotton or jersey, weight, colour, and whether black or a seasonal shade
• Construction: open or closed, sleeve style, closure, lining, binding
• Size chart with lengths per size, or a request for ours
• Embroidery or embellishment artwork in vector format, with placement
• Markets, so labels, conformity and documents are prepared for each