Ameera Hammouda (Questrom’18) has launched a clothing brand that redefines modesty as vibrant and chic
Ameera Hammouda (Questrom’18) wearing the Noha, a dress she designed. Hammouda is behind Ameera’s clothing brand.
Fashion
Ameera Hammouda (Questrom’18) has launched a clothing brand that redefines modesty as vibrant and chic
Our series My Big IdeaWe bring you interviews with BU alums as well as other University members who have started businesses, created new products, or solved big and small problems. We ask them how they got the idea, what were their biggest stumbling blocks, and what’s next for their big idea.
If you think modest clothing has to be drab and forgettable, you haven’t met Ameera Hammouda. The 26-year-old’s designs—a fuchsia silk chiffon cape that cascades to the floor, a polka-dot satin dress trimmed in black ostrich feathers—are as dramatic as any runway ensemble.
For Hammouda (Questrom’18), an Egyptian-American Muslim woman, modest clothing doesn’t have to be shapeless and dull—she prefers to wear long sleeves and loose fits bursting with color and detail. Ameera is her clothing brand.
Its offerings—which include dresses, skirts, and a cape—satisfy the sartorial needs of many Muslim women who, like her, honor their faith by covering exposed skin. Modest fashion lines such as Ameera appeal to a larger number of women. Last year, as established brands and start-ups alike began offering fashionable-yet-modest duds, the modest fashion industry was valued at $277 billion and is expected to reach $311 billion in the next two years, according to the 2020/21 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report.
Ameera is bold with its brightly colored hues and luxurious fabrics. Hammouda, who’s had a lifelong interest in fashion design and did a stint in BU’s Fashion and Retail Association, was 25 when she founded her clothing brand in 2021, with the help of crowdfunding and her own savings. Now, Ameera has outgrown its humble beginnings—in the past year and a half, the brand has attracted an international customer base and earned a stint at New York Fashion Week in September 2022. Some of her most eye-catching designs—like the Noha, a grape-colored shift dress with waterfall sleeves—have become bestsellers.
Hammouda has recently spoken to Bostonia about the long road that led to Ameera’s launch, what’s next, and why she thinks modest fashion is (finally) having a moment.
Q&A
Ameera Hammouda
Bostonia: How did you develop your sense of fashion?
Hammouda: I’ve definitely had a strong vision since childhood and have always been interested in fashion. I used to see high-end designer pieces in catalogs—that I would not be buying from as a nine-year-old—but I would rework them into my own pieces by cutting or BeDazzler-ing them. As I got older, I developed a style around clean lines, good colors, and high-quality fabrics, and that’s definitely present throughout my line.
Bostonia: Who is the Ameera girl, you ask?
Hammouda: Our girl is very busy. She wants something easy; she doesn’t want to have to layer items or wear something that’s dry clean only. She wants something she can just throw on. But that being said, she wants something that’s still unique and timeless, because part of that ease is not necessarily needing to refresh your wardrobe every single season. She is a big believer in handmade American products and modesty.
Bostonia: What makes a modest clothing exciting and unique?
Hammouda: Ameera’s inspiration is that modest fashion was always designed for older women. It’s kind of drab. Boring shapes, boring colors, and bad fabrics went into the modesty bucket—and everything that was nice was not modest. I would question certain pieces of clothing, like, why can’t this be made with a different neckline? It would still look great. It was something I thought we could combine: nice, modest clothing is possible. A maxi dress can look great. It’s just about the fabric you pick and the way it’s cut and how it fits.
Bostonia: What’s your design process?
Hammouda: Designing modest fashion almost makes things easier, because you’re always going to have certain restrictions, like how the final garment will look on the body. It’s not going to cling. You still have plenty of options for playing with the other elements: the colors, shapes, and sleeves.
The design is my first priority. Either I get inspired randomly and I do a quick sketch, or I might see an old film and think that I’d love to see [a costume] in a modest silhouette. The three most important components of the final piece are design, silhouette, fabric. I am grateful to have found amazing manufacturers that I can trust.
Bostonia: Where does the brand’s focus on sustainability come from?
My faith is heavily involved in the brand. I believe that caring for the environment and sustainability are important pillars of Islam. It’s definitely not one of the most highlighted ones, either in Islam or in mainstream media, but there’s actually a saying from the Prophet that if the last thing you can do in your life is plant a tree, you should do it. These elements are all connected: modesty, sustainability, and philanthropy, and that’s why we plant a tree for every purchase. I make sure that our garments and the process itself are as sustainable as possible by choosing sustainable fabrics and designing timeless pieces that won’t be thrown away in a month. I make everything in New York, so I know I’m not going to have to fly overseas every time I need to make something.
Bostonia: What’s coming up next? Do you have any special collections coming up?
Ramadan is super special to me and it’s obviously a big deal for Muslims all over the world, and this collection is definitely something I’ve dreamed of for a long time. I’m working with this very talented Muslim artist, and we’re doing a little Ramadan toile de Jouy collection. The print is inspired by Ramadan traditions and includes prayer beads and dates. When you go to the mosque, there’s a tradition that you wear new clothes, or whatever makes you feel good and confident. We are the main customers of Muslim women so it was important that these clothes can be passed down to their children or grandchildren.
Bostonia: Are you a fashion designer?
A lot of people have persistence, but when they’re told “no” from someone with a lot of authority they might think, okay, that’s it. But there’s always a way of negotiating. I tried for four years to get a job as a fashion intern, but was unsuccessful. Because I own a business, I am more persistent. Don’t give up and just don’t take no for an answer. When you’re told “no,” think, is there another way to do this? Did I really try my best? Did I get to ask each person? Sometimes, if you look at things with a birds-eye view, you’ll see there’s another route to take.
Bostonia: What was the most rewarding aspect of launching Ameera
I recently did a pop-up at New York Fashion Week, and we had this lovely young lady stop by who was very passionate about the brand—she used the word “obsessed”—and said that we’re changing modest fashion, which I found so humbling. We’re still in our growing-pains phase, where we’re looking for awareness, so the fact that someone can, in one year, feel that connected to us was super rewarding. The fact that someone could feel that connected to the brand really made me feel like it’s all been worth it.
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