Dive Brief:

• Uniqlo is reprising its successful partnership with U.K.-based Muslim fashion designer and blogger Hana Tajima on a womenswear collection that includes hijab headscarves, long dresses and skirts, relaxed pants, and outerwear. 

• The first Uniqlo-Tajima collection was a hit in Southeast Asia, and this time around, as of Feb. 26, the collection will also be available in the U.S. online and at Uniqlo's Fifth Avenue flagship in New York City.

• Uniqlo is among several apparel retailers making a concerted effort to appeal to the Muslim market, a segment expected to grow to $484 billion by 2019. Worldwide, Muslims spent $266 billion on clothing and footwear in 2013, according to a report from Thomson Reuters. 

Dive Insight:

Apparel designers, retailers, and magazines are waking up to the fact that women who dress modestly by choice or because their religion encourages it aren’t necessarily disinterested in fashion. 

Marie Claire last year spoke with several Muslim women, many fashion bloggers and designers themselves, who presented multi-faceted notions of fashion for observant Muslim women.

Perhaps it stands to reason that many women who think so much about what they wear and who impart so much meaning into their clothing would be interested in fashion, and a boon to the fashion business. 

"At its heart there needs to be a real understanding of the women who will be wearing these designs," Tajim told Fashionista. "I think that starts with breaking down boundaries and allowing clothing to be something that can connect us."