The College of Design student weaved her East African Culture into her senior project and hopes to start a brand of her own.
By Tina Nguyen
As a child in Dubai, Warda Moosa spent time sketching anime characters while riding the elementary school bus, all the while dreaming of becoming a character artist.
Today, after graduating last spring as the only Somali woman in the University’s apparel design major, Moosa’s ambition has moved from anime to the runway: She wants to create a brand of clothing for women who seek modesty with style.
“My dream, honestly, is to create the Zara of modest fashion,” she said, referring to the world’s largest apparel retailer.
While she is just starting out, she is well aware of what lies ahead. Moosa’s current job is as a technical designer for pets at Target. Her plan is to become a creative director, which will allow her to take the first steps to building her brand, she said. In a career field where Somali and Muslim representation is so little, Moosa joined it knowing she had to become a trailblazer.
“I feel like design, in general, is such a creative medium that it just gives you the ability to do whatever you want to do with it,” Moosa said. “That creative freedom is something that really resonated with me.”
Obstacles are nothing new for her. In a culture where the arts and design isn’t boosted as a career option, Moosa seeks to pave a path not just for herself but for other Somali and Muslim women. When she came across apparel design, she knew she had to create something bigger than herself, where other modestly-dressed women can see themselves resembled in the pieces.
She always knew she was going to be a part of design and art. She just didn’t know what until she experienced her first runway show on TV.
“I remember seeing it as beautiful,” Moosa said. “Like, there’s this whole art aspect of it, which they’re inspired by, and then it’s being translated into garments.”
When Moosa arrived in the United States with her family at age 15, her passion for fashion only grew more robust. But with it, she realized there was a critical missing piece in the fashion world.
“One thing I realized coming to the states about fashion is how important it is for people who are interested in dressing modestly because there’s a huge gap in that market,” Moosa said. “I feel like there are certain pieces that I can’t find, and we’re in the 21st century, but I still cannot find a lot of pieces.”
Invigorated by this gap, Moosa became adamant about tapping into this market and creating positive change.
“The whole narrative against modest fashion, or like Muslim women and the representation in media and the fashion industry, is something I truly wanted to change,” Moosa said. “The narrative the media was painting was one that did not sit well with me, nor a lot of other women, and also was incorrect.”
Moosa knew she had to be the one to change it. “Because no one is going to know your narrative better than you,” she continues.
Although Moosa was confident in her goals, fear held her back, she said.
“When I first started with my design process I remember I wasn’t very comfortable sharing where I came from or even the fact as a person of color who dresses modestly, and I have a headscarf,” she said. “These are identities that are very close to my heart.”
Moosa became concerned with how she was going to showcase that, becoming hesitant about adding details such as headscarves to her designs. It wasn’t until the summer after her first year in school that she began working more intently with modest fashion and those who were involved with it.
“I’ve seen a ton of people just embracing who they are, especially like a lot of hijabi girls,” Moosa said. “So, then I was like: You know what? This is who I am. I’m visibly a Muslim woman, there’s nothing I could hide.”
She began sketching fashion illustrations with headscarves on, saying it all began to stem from there into the final phase of her college career: the senior fashion show.
“I remember a lot of faculty and the seniors talking about how your senior show is almost like a very personal journey; it’s about you and showcasing your growth,” Moosa said. “I knew I had to challenge myself, and the only thing that would truly allow me to challenge myself was exploring my culture more, because that was something I was very uncomfortable with.”
Moosa said she didn’t know where to begin, but in the spring of her junior year, she dove right in. Her peers and instructors gave her positive feedback, and that’s when Moosa knew she was headed in the right direction.
“I was getting more and more comfortable, I learned so much about my culture, the country, the people and the music,” Moosa said.
But in January of 2020, a month before the show, Moosa thought to herself that this was one of the hardest things she’s ever had to do.
“A lot of other concepts that people were working on, they were things you could Google and you could find a lot of research,” Moosa said. “But then with my specific topic, professors weren’t really culturally educated to even know anything and Google had absolutely no information about Somalia, aside from it being a war-torn country, poverty and then terrorism.”
Moosa knew she had to present a different narrative, but doing so was a difficult process.
“Regardless, coming out of it with four pieces was something that made me realize this hard work made sense. And explaining my concept to my friends who share the same culture, and just them being really happy that something like this is being worked on gave me more of a confidence boost,” Moosa said.
Despite the bumps and the moments of self-doubt she’s confronted, Moosa says that it was her journey, and she’s glad she went through with it.
She hopes by normalizing modest fashion, she can show it’s a way of life ― not just a trend. The reactions after her show may have given her a glimpse into its impact.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal in my head until I saw the audience’s reaction and then people coming up to me,” Moosa said. “I remember this one particular girl coming up and saying, ‘Thank you for showcasing East African culture on the runway.’”