Growing up as a hijabi in Auckland, Aneeza Hussain says shopping for the right clothes was always a challenge. In 2021, she started Posh Boutique – an online modest-wear retailer curated for young women in Aotearoa, now featured at Parnell Rd\u2019s Masala Bazaar.<\/b><\/p>\n
After two years in business, Hussain has been inundated with more demand from home and overseas for modest fashion and says global fashion trends are finally catching up.<\/b><\/p>\n
What is Posh Boutique?<\/b><\/p>\n
Posh Boutique is the solution to my problems growing up as a girl who chose to dress modest, but always had difficulty in finding the right clothing.<\/p>\n
As I put my creativity out there, I quickly realised I wasn\u2019t the only one. There are lots of women out there who struggle every day to find something for themselves.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re here to cater to people who want to blend in and stand out at the same time while feeling their best confident self.<\/p>\n
Why did you start the business?<\/b><\/p>\n
I started the business in 2021 in lockdown. I took some brave steps in lockdown for my vision of fashion and what I feel has been missing for me. I think lockdown gave everyone a little bit of time to think about things – that\u2019s what got me started.<\/p>\n
Growing up as a hijabi or someone who wears a headscarf, it was just hard growing up to shop for yourself. So rather than crying about it, you get up and do something.<\/p>\n
It was actually starting a new job where I didn\u2019t have a uniform, so I had to have an outfit for everyday.<\/p>\n
That really amplified the problem for me. It\u2019s very hard for me to shop anywhere and be able to dress the way I want to, blending in and standing out at the same time.<\/p>\n
What do you mean by blending in and standing out?<\/b><\/p>\n
I was born in Fiji, I grew up in New Zealand, and I\u2019m a Muslim, so it is a bit of an identity crisis. On top of that, I\u2019m a hijabi so growing up here, you go to school and want to be like your friends.<\/p>\n
You also just want to embrace what fashion and modesty feels like for yourself, because it\u2019s quite different for everybody.<\/p>\n