Islam and fashion may not seem as a desirable recipe by trend setters yet as Lamyaa Khammal finds out, Muslim women are giving Islam clothing a fresh and stylish approach making fashion conscious women envious.

Traditionally, Islam and fashion were not seen to go hand in hand. With Muslim women confided in the stereotype of wearing the long black dress (jilbab) many have fallen into the stereotype that Muslim women are bland and lifeless.

Yet it isn't the religion that is at fault, it is the accessibility that such women have to stylish clothing as Hijabi Fashions Director Reman Sami says: "Fashion is usually aimed at the majority not the minority that are Muslims"

This has restricted Muslim women into their silhouette of solitude that is the jilbab. With this in mind, young female Muslims have taken it upon themselves to break out of the jilbab by adapting their clothes to fit in society.

Short skirts, crop tops and strapless dresses does not seem as the ideal wardrobe for a female Muslim, yet with the limited alternatives Muslims girls are manipulating current fashion garments to suit their religious needs.

By experimenting with colours, layers and textures, the gap between religion and fashion are bridging together given their once depressing attire a breath of fresh air.

"I try to avoid wearing black head to toe, instead I mix up colours depending on what mood I am. If not I focus on accessories with a big bag or lots of jewellery" Says 21 year old Amal Saiad.

"I love being able to dress both fashionable and modest, and to be honest its not that hard. All I do is layer my short dress over jeans and so on" says Layla Surroukh.

As a result, this has been an eye opener for designers making them take the chance in catering for Muslim women.

Up and coming Muslim designer Sophia Kara is one of few people that has taken the chance in targeting her designs at Muslims.

"Nobody has looked into this niche as many designers are given the illusion that they will fail if they do so" says Kara.

"That's why I decided to start my online business Imaan Collections' as it would give all Muslim women a chance to wear clothes that they feel comfortable in" adds Kara.

With the increase of women around the UK choosing to wear the headscarf, it seems unfair that they must only be given the jilbab to wear.

"At Hijabi Fashion' our aim is to make Muslim women look both fashionable and tasteful" says Reman Sami "What's more important is that we want our designs to reflect the love and confidence that women have for the headscarf" continues Sami.

When designing clothes for Muslim women there are many considerations that designers such as Kara and Sami must acknowledge.

Textures, hemlines and colours all play important themes in Islamic fashion, yet the most important aspect is the modesty of the garment.

Kara says: "Modesty is the essence of Islamic fashion. In my new designs I have infused the modern and traditional by making a new range of knitted jilbabs that come in a variety of colours and designs" adds Kara.

"This is to help other Muslim women see that if they do decide to wear the jilbab it doesn't have to be black and boring" continues Kara By combining culture and religion into fashion we are witnessing changes as more non-Muslims are also dressing similar to Muslims.

We have already seen the concept of Kaftans, long skirts and printed dresses gracing not only the catwalks but the high street and music videos.

With growing acceptance in both the Muslim and fashion worlds, Muslim women are slowly finding the confidence to experiment with modern clothing.

By making a stand and showing that they too have if not a stronger flare for fashion, Muslim women are now being judged by their stylish outfits.

We all know that first impressions are lasting, so let's welcome the trend setting Muslims that are leaving their mark on the high street.