Meet UAE-based designer Shehna Hussain bringing personalised modest fashion to Paris Fashion Week 2026

Dubai: She sat in an exam hall, paper in front of her, pen in hand, and did not write a single answer. Her mind was already made up. Fashion was the only path she was willing to take.

This defiance is the thread that runs through everything Shehna Hussain does. When her parents pushed her towards STEM, she showed up to the exam and walked away with a blank sheet. When the industry said linen and silk could not work together, she combined them anyway. And now, when modest fashion is still fighting for its place on the world's biggest stages, she is taking it to Paris.

Shehna, an Indian expat based in the UAE who studied fashion at Manipal University, will be representing the country at Paris Modest Fashion Week 2026 by Think Fashion, running from 16 to 18 April at Hotel Le Marois. It is not her first time on this stage. She previously showcased at the Istanbul edition, and her return speaks to how far the brand has come.

What is Paris Modest Fashion Week?

Now in its 11th global edition, Modest Fashion Weeks by Think Fashion is one of the most respected platforms for modest fashion designers in the world. Since 2015, the series has travelled through Istanbul, London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and this year it arrives in Paris.

Over three days, the event will host 30 runway shows featuring designers from across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, alongside panel discussions on the future of modest fashion. Each show at Hotel Le Marois welcomes 200 invited guests, with slots at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm each evening.

A collection rooted in meaning

Shehna's work is built around intention. Her Paris collection, Sukoon, meaning peace in Arabic, is the final chapter of a deeply personal trilogy.

It began with Qalb, meaning heart, presented in Istanbul in 2024, inspired by the poetry of Rumi and built from a combination of linen and silk that many said would not work together. Yet, it did. Then came Nafs, meaning soul and Nabad meaning heartbeat. Now, Sukoon brings all of it together.

"I take inspiration from my personal journeys," she says. "I believe that we women have a lot to speak because of our personal journeys. What matters is how you feel about it. That is actually what my collections speak about."

The Sukoon collection up close

Subtitled The Rise of the Quiet Woman, Sukoon is a celebration of womanhood rooted in authenticity and inner authority. It tells the story of a woman who rises without noise, without performance and without the need for approval. A woman born between cultures, returning to her roots not out of nostalgia, but because those roots are where her strength lives.

The fabrics chosen for this collection feel as considered as the concept behind them. Muslin drapes with an almost weightless softness against the skin. Khadi and handloom cotton carry a slight, honest texture, warm and earthy to the touch. Chanderi, delicate and slightly sheer, adds a quiet lightness, while Jamdani, with its intricate woven patterns, brings a sense of craftsmanship that reveals itself slowly the longer you look. Silk-linen blends tie it all together, fluid enough to move with the body but structured enough to hold their shape with quiet confidence.

Nothing here is decorative for the sake of it. Every stitch, every seam, every layer is designed to serve the woman wearing it rather than draw attention to itself.

The colour palette reads like an emotional landscape. Ivory, bone and sand anchor the collection in beginnings and quiet clarity. Olive, sage and moss speak to growth. Taupe, charcoal and soft black bring grounded resilience. And muted gold and champagne appear only as the gentlest of accents, the kind of shimmer that suggests a life well lived rather than a need to shine.

Modest fashion on her own terms

Shehna is also thoughtful about what modest fashion actually means, and she is not willing to reduce it to a single definition.

"Modest is a broad term," she says. "The word means something different based on the country and it shifts based on where you are. In Australia, modesty might mean shorter dresses with no sleeves. Here in the UAE, there is a more defined meaning. But at the end of the day, it is something inherently personal."

Her designs reflect that openness. Her athletics collection features Hoodie Abayas for sportier women, and everything from the hijab to the sleeves to the hemline is fully customisable. As someone with Indian roots, she layers her pieces with sarees, waistcoats and jackets, making each garment feel like it belongs to whoever is wearing it.

"Depending on your style, or how you want to stylise, we can make it so personal," she says. "That is what is so beautiful about modest fashion because you can make a statement and make it personal."

For Shehna, Paris is not just a showcase. It is proof that modest fashion, when done with this much care and conviction, belongs anywhere in the world.

Paris, it seems, is just the next chapter.