Sabrina Marican and Wirda Elliesa are young Muslimahs who are breaking the taboo around lingerie with their brand – Luxegerie. Shruti Gattani rounds up both ladies and finds out how they are encouraging women to look good, while sticking to their beliefs.
Asia is still considered the conservative cousin of America and Europe, despite Muslims’ efforts to break taboos around sex, lingerie and cosmetics in the Arab world. Two young Muslimahs from the conservative side are joining hands with the others to remove the stigma around purchasing luxury lingerie, by essaying that their clientele are mostly hijabis.
“We are Muslims living in this modern world, and as long as we know our limits and stick to our beliefs, we’ll be alright. One of our hijabi customers even told us that she is happy that Luxegerie enabled her to purchase lingerie without feeling embarrassed and being judged,” Sabrina and Wirda, the proud brand owners reveal.
The brand actually stands for ‘Luxury and Lingerie’ and that’s how they came up with the name. Initially the mission was ‘break-up glow/girl power’ but soon the brand became more serious, and that’s when the entrepreneurs decided to add more value to the products and not let them be subjected to just being lingerie. “We wanted to create lingerie that spoils women and make them feel and look good when they face the mirror. Furthermore, our aim was to produce lingerie that’s affordable without needing to spend tons of money on luxury lingerie.”
While for now Luxegerie only exists on cyberspace, the duo hope to own a brick and mortar store, with a global presence. Their collection is all about being confident, bringing out the inner you and being elegant at the same time. They strongly believe in empowering women, regardless of race, religion, body type and skin color.
Around the world, there are Muslim women who are shy to enter lingerie stores when they are out shopping due to them wearing the hijab. Luxegerie is a platform for them to purchase lingerie without feeling all eyes on them. “We respect our customer’s privacy,” announces Sabrina, “and we will continue to. In our opinion, buying lingerie has got nothing to do with religion.”
Wirda cuts in, “It doesn’t matter if you are from this religion, or have that skin color. Women shouldn’t feel ashamed or judged whenever she wants to purchase lingerie for herself. As a matter of fact, we don’t even find it funny when people refer to lingerie models as bimbettes or anything else. They’re just models, that’s an occupation. It shouldn’t be a label. Luxegerie doesn’t believe in body shaming, name calling and religion stereotyping.”
They have got overwhelming response and women – young and old; hijabi and non-hijabi – love their satins and silks. The most popular items are personalized satin robes, empire bodysuit, femme-fatale dress, velvet shorts & devious set. Marican and Elliesa hate lingerie that is badly manufactured and looks cheap. For them social media is the most powerful tool for e-commerce. “We will be sticking to Instagram for a while and eventually will move on to our own website.”
Stalking women with substance, drive and varied lifestyles on Instagram may be their hobby; it is the ‘hope to inspire young Muslimahs’ is what they work for. “To start your own business, it is not always easy but if you prepare yourself and believe in your product, there is nothing that can stop you from building your own company. Always be humble and open to suggestions, and always accept criticisms,” the partners end with powerful advice.