NADIA ATIQUE: MODFANS
“Liverpool FC has always been a part of mine and my family’s life. The atmosphere at home and in Liverpool, when our team plays, is just electric!” Enthuses Nadia. “From the sea of red shirts leaving the grounds (if it’s a home game) to the scattered fans on their return home as they chant in chorus, will always warm my heart. Whenever the match is on, my brothers and I gather together to watch.”
Proud Liverpudlian and Liverpool John Moores University graduate Nadia is aiming to dispel the misconceptions of being a female Muslim football fan with her range of modest-womenswear. “Muslim women are wrongly conceived as being overly conservative”. One of her aims, while designing the ModFans collection, was to break down barriers and showcase the strong personalities and deep interests in a wide range of topics.
“I feel things are changing, and so they should,” she comments. “I see a lot more women getting involved in football culture and it’s more socially acceptable for us to be a part of the game, just as much as men are.”
Nadia was spurred on to create a modest-wear collection after seeing bans in the Middle East lifted on women attending local football stadiums to watch the match. “I found this very empowering as I would hate to have that restriction imposed on me regarding a game I love.”
The concept of the collection pays homage to different aspects of Liverpool Football Club through each outfit. Inspiration is drawn from previous kits, fans and influential players and managers both past and present, making each outfit modest but still keeping in line with the LFC theme.
References from modest Islamic wear such as head coverings and loose-fitting silhouettes have been fundamental in creating the style needed to express her concept. As well as references taken from key dates from the European cups and what the players and fans wore during these eras.
