When Shereen Sabet made the decision to become a more devoutMuslim, she was ready to adhere to the religion's modest dresscode: A woman must wear clothing to cover her entire body, exceptfor her face, hands and feet, in public.
Then another thought entered her mind: "But wait a minute, Ilove to go swimming and snorkeling and I'm a certified scuba diver.Can I still do those things and abide by the dress code"
Sabet, who lives in Huntington Beach, Calif., tried to research heroptions. Because part of the dress code also discouragesbody-clinging attire, even surf vests or rash guards were tooskin-tight. She even considered dry suits, which divers use, but at$800 to $2,000 a suit, it was too costly.
Hiking pants and swim caps didn't fare well, either, so Sabet, amicrobiology scientist at Cal State Long Beach, decided to start aline of Halal swimwear, called Splashgear. The idea was to createswimsuits that would conform to the Muslim dress code, but also becomfortable and fashionable.
The original suit design was based on surf wear and featured floralHawaiian print separates: the "Island Shirt" -- alooser-fitting version of the rash guard, with more fabric in thechest area and a tapered waist -- and swim pants, basically boardshorts turned into straight-leg pants.
A swim cap and swim hood, similar to what scuba divers mightalready wear, completed the suit.
"I understand most people are accustomed to not seeing a lotof clothing on the beach or in the water," Sabet said."We don't want to look like freaks or stick out like sorethumbs for being so covered up on the beach, but I wanted to helpmake water activity accessible to Muslim women."
That was in 2005. Today, Sabet has customers all over the world,including Canada, Asia and Australia. She has updated the design ofthe suit. Gone is the Hawaiian print, replaced by suits in solidcolors with an athletic stripe down the side.
From www.chinatopsupplier.com
