Pak Jeans for Prayers!

MAR
22 - They are high-around-the-waist, wide-around-the-leg and
have lots of pockets to hold watches, bracelets, glasses and
other knickknacks. A new line of jeans, Al Quds, designed by
a small company in northern Italy, caters to Muslims seeking
to stay comfortable while they pray.
The jeans are manufactured at a plant near Karachi, that
employs about 15,000 people. "I wanted to respect [the fact]
that if these are the first jeans for Islam, they should be
built by Muslim hands," French retailer Carrefour SA said.
The bagginess is to ensure the wearer avoids stiffness while
bending down repeatedly during prayers. The pockets are for
holding all the accessories Muslims have to take off while
they worship.
And the jeans have green seams — because green is the sacred
color of Islam. The price will be $30.44 (about Rs. 1,370).
Abdel Hamid Shaari, president of the Islamic Cultural
Institute in Milan, said low-priced jeans specifically
designed to keep Muslims comfortable could open up a big
market in Islamic countries and countries with large Muslim
populations. "This could be a good idea, thinking of the
comfort," he said. Al Quds — Arabic for Jerusalem — has
produced an initial 9,500 pairs that were sold to the French
retailer Carrefour SA.
Carrefour said it did not intend to market the jeans
exclusively to Muslims. A spokeswoman said: "We target
everyone. We do not have a political or religious
connotation."

Lately,
there has been an upsurge in sale of unique Islamic, Arabic,
or Muslim modest clothings worldwide. Retailers have also
been reportedly sourcing hip Islamic fashions -
Dresses made to look modest without sacrificing high style.
"Islamic clothing includes long shirts in the season's
hottest styles and colors, with tapered fits that do not hug
the figure. Add a coordinating scarf, available with every
shirt, or pair it with matching pants or an ankle-length
skirt and it becomes an acceptable fashion. Long skirts have
no slits yet allow one to move in comfort," says
Pak-American Aneesa who wears Hijab(scarf) along with
sleeved tank top, Levi jeans and coordinated accessories.
Formal dresses and evening gowns feature rich hand-woven
fabrics, hand embroidery, and completely cover the body in
style. Dresses come with a coordinating wrap for adorning
your head or can be worn as a stole for added drama, Aneesa
added.
Note from Wikepedia on Blue
Jeans:
Initially blue jeans were simply sturdy trousers worn by
workers. In the United States during the 1950s, wearing of
blue jeans by teenagers and young adults became symbolic of
mild protest against conformity. This was considered by some
adults as disruptive; for example, some movie theaters
refused to admit patrons who wore blue jeans. During the
1960s the wearing of blue jeans became more acceptable and
by the 1970s had become a general fashion in the United
States, at least for informal wear. Acceptance of jeans
continued through the 1980s and 1990s to the point where
jeans are now a wardrobe staple, with the average American
owning 7 pairs.
Levi's are known for their rugged construction, personal
"shrink-to-fit", and versatility. Originally worn by miners,
farmers, and cowboys, Levis are worn and seen in all walks
of life. Levis were originally produced in only three sizes,
and the wearer would jump into a body of water -- from a
creek to a pond to a horse trough, to shrink them to fit.
Today, Levis are available in a variety of styles, from
tight to loose fit, and are sold either pre-washed or
shrink-to-fit. Outside of the United States, particularly in
Russian popular culture, blue jeans were and are
fashionable, symbolizing American culture and the good life.
Being imported American products, especially in the case of
the Soviet Union which restricted hard currency imports,
they were somewhat expensive. In Chinese, jeans are known as
niuzaiku, literally, "cowboy pants" (trousers), indicating
their association with the American West, cowboy culture,
and outdoors work.
Trivia: On 10 February
1999 the Italian Supreme Court of Appeal in Rome overturned
a rape conviction, stating that jeans are unable to be
removed without the wearer's consent. Therefore, they ruled,
the supposed victim must have been an active participant in
the act. [2] This last verdict, however, was also
overturned, on 28 November 2001 by the Italian Supreme Court
of Cassation, which finally established that wearing jeans
does not exclude rape.
A related jeans website:
http://www.nudiejeans.com/campaign/fitguide/fitguide.php