BEAUTIFUL IN HIJAB: With Ami Schaheera & Eyqa Sulaiman

A collaboration I did with Women of Malaysia last month :) I answered the first interview question at home and the rest while I was already in the ward hence I didn't elaborate much.. Wish I did though..

How can we define fashion? Do we have to dress in the latest trends stated in all of the magazines out there? Does one have to show some skin to be called beautiful and sexy?

Dressing in hijab or headscarf does not mean one has to be totally out of fashion. As a Muslim woman, covering the hair and neck as well as the whole body (except her face and palms) is obligatory. Bear in mind that wearing hijab is NOT a symbol of oppression, but a symbol of liberation to the Muslim women.

WoM is lucky enough to have collaborated with the two lovely ladies who injected fashion into the world of hijab: Ami Schaheera & Eyqa Sulaiman!

Ami Schaheera is a famous fashion blogger and founder of “shop sputniksweetheart”. Her passion towards fashion has embarked her sense of style into a completely different level from the rest of the plain jane designers.


WoM: Who inspired you to do fashion?

Ami: I think honestly fashion is in all of us, whether or not we find ways to make it stand out with our very own styling or personality is the question. I mean many girls even at such young age find ways to fit in, some wear sneakers with studs to school and some don bow hairbands or maybe some stick to plain old scarves, while plain old scarves may not stand out they are still ways to define yourself. You choose that because it suits your style and personality, you like things clean and simple. For me, my elder sister loves fashion and I often sneakily read her Malay fashion magazines eg. Perempuan, Wanita, Jelita when I was small. I ventured into more upbeat western fashion mags in my teenage years, Cleo, Teen Vogue. My friends inspired me to be more versatile in styling myself and when I started wearing hijab I look up to my own hijab clad friends for inspiration.


WoM: At what age did you start wearing hijab?

Ami: Permanently at the age of 26.

WoM: How do you define beauty in a woman?

Ami: Beauty in a woman is having a beautiful heart that glows through her smile and face.

WoM: What makes your hijab style different from the others?

Ami: Not sure if my style is much different but I do try to create my own hijab style and wear something that's different than the common styles. If not, I will wear different types of scarf material or print, for example, the satin silk scarves, first worn by Yuna Zarai and from her style I was inspired to wear satin silk scarves. I then share my interest with other women by selling them. I also like to wear native or tribal printed scarves compared to the usual floral or striped prints.

WoM: Lastly, is there any personal message or advice that you would like to share with all the young women out there in Malaysia?

Ami: I think the women should really respect themselves, appreciate their body and have a little confidence in themselves. Find someone to be your icon and take what's good from them and try to match their achievement.

Eyqa Sulaiman is another talented woman who brings out the finest touch of style in hijab. Her alluring sense of style in fashion has made her become one of the few talented designers/stylists that has put a great remark on the revolutionary of hijab fashion industry in Malaysia.

WoM: Who inspired you to do fashion?

Eyqa: So many things inspire me. I'm always infront of the computer. I do surf the internet a lot. When I was a student I didn't have much money to shop. So I started selling clothes in sell trade, clothes that I would love to wear.

Most of the time I’m inspired by the people around me and work with what I have.
My close friend, Shida Suhaimy, always help me with what to wear and what not to wear. She was my ex roomate when I was studying in MMU Melaka. Now, we live far from each other, Internet is the place where we can communicate about fashion, exchange pictures we found over the Internet, and show pictures of what we bought. It is fun to play dress up when me and my scarflet sisters go out, I'm not afraid to experiment with fashion. I can say they build my confidence up and I'm so blessed I have those lovely people around me.

WoM: At what age did you start wearing hijab?

Eyqa: I started to wear hijab since 2003.

WoM: How do you define beauty in a woman?

Eyqa: It's not about having small waist and fair smooth skin or a perfect smile or gorgeous long hair. It is something that makes the person become breathtaking from inside out. Inner beauty will always emanate and never fade or wrinkle. I love looking at beautiful people but I think inner beauty is the most important. It defines who you are.

WoM: What makes your hijab style different from the others?

Eyqa: Just be confident. Confidence is very sexy! Never be afraid to try something new or something you see and you like. When I go out I always experiment myself with new hijab knot. Sometimes my friends would ask me how to wear the hijab that I put on to myself, honestly I don't remember how I wear all the styles, I just go infront of the mirror and just wrap the scarf whichever way I like!

WoM: Lastly, is there any personal message or advice that you would like to share with all the young women out there in Malaysia?

Eyqa: My advise would be to follow your dreams. Apply love, joy and peace in your life and most importantly, love urself first.

Be sure to check out Ami Schaheera's blog at ami.sptnkswthrt.com as well as her blogshop at shop.sptnkswthrt.com and Eyqa Sulaiman's shop at www.sugarscarfbyriqa.com

We also collaborated to style a few models wearing hijab sometime in mid April 2011. Excerpted from WomenofMalaysia.net:

Who says wearing hijab stops you from being fashionable?

Hijab has been one of the premier icon of fashion since the ancient days.

Though it is a compulsory practice for the Muslim women, wearing Hijab is NEVER a sign of oppression.

Wearing hijab enhances the femininity and exclusivity in a woman as it covers

one of the most precious belongings of a woman - the hair.

Let's take a look at some of the modern styles of Hijab fashion by Ami Scaheera's Shop SputnikSweetheart and Sugarscarf by Riqa:

This turban-styled

hijab compliments greatly to those with sharp features, accentuating the strong shape of her face and jaw.

Top it of with a classy look by wearing a proper coat or jacket with a silk satin scarf around the neck.

Schanaz Scarf - one of the very famous collections by Ami Schaheera's Shop SputnikSweetheart.

Feeling the romantic vibe in you?

Then go ahead and put on some soft pastel colors in your wardrobe.

Soft lilac color goes absolutely perfect with turquoise color.

(Model : Farhanah Akbar Ali)

(Model: Fairuz Adlidna Badrul Hissam)

(Model: Siti Aisyah Masri)

You can get all these gorgeous Hijab designs (including the amazing jewellery!) at Ami Schaheera's Shop SputnikSweetheart and Sugarscarf By Riqa.

On the launching of Women of Malaysia, I had to miss it as I was already in the ward - it happened on 7th May 2011 and as expected with much success. Syabas to the beautiful Shafiqah Shafie, the founder and chief editor of this online magazine for such a wonderful idea of creating awareness for women in Malaysia. I hope the magazine will bloom into a prestige publication magazine one day insyaAllah ♥

Article via { WOMEN OF MALAYSIA }. Check them out on:

Facebook: WOM

Twitter: @WomenOfMalaysia

Tumblr: Women Of Malaysia

Thank you so much for inviting me to participate on your first online edition! Hope to collaborate more in the future, when I am better of health. Amin..

My BFF Wynn was also featured, as also neighbor fashion blogger Diana Azmi for her hand-made headbands. I even get to meet Amber Chia { click to read }, Women of Malaysia's Women of the Month during our meeting and then have the honor of Mizz Nina, our local singer wore Schanaz Scarf for her photoshoot for Women of Malaysia. Thank you so much for the opportunity..

p/s: Shall update with details of what I wore that day in the next post insyaAllah.