Haute Hijab Receives Investment From Lightship Capital

Tehran (IQNA)- Haute Hijab, a rising e-commerce brand, has received an investment from Lightship Capital, an early-stage investment firm that targets women- and minority-led startups.

The news, announced Tuesday, will allow Haute Hijab, founded in 2010 by Melanie Elturk, a hijab-wearing woman and civil rights attorney from Detroit, Michigan, and her partner Ahmed Zedan, to continue its growth.

The direct-to-consumer company aims to elevate the hijab experience – a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women – with its innovative designs and a platform that celebrates and supports the hijab-wearing community.

“There are 1.8 billion Muslims in the world with no single, global hijab brand to represent them,” Elturk said in a release. “It's important more women who choose to wear hijab have access to our brand. Working with Lightship Capital to grow this business is honestly the best-case scenario. Lightship Capital is focused on investing in minority founders. We're focused on creating wealth for minority communities – it was the perfect union.”

By the year 2030, Haute Hijab estimates that one-quarter of the world’s women will be Muslim. Of these women, many will require the volume and variety to support up to three different hijab looks per day, Elturk said.
 
Retail giants like H&M and legacy luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana have expanded their lines to include limited hijab offerings, giving Muslim women "unprecedented visibility in American consumer culture," Haute Hijab said in the release. Haute Hijab focuses "exclusively on this market." The company “grossed millions” in 2019, per the release, with significant reorder rates and more than 600,000 week-on-week followers across its social media platforms.

“The opportunity in this space is significant," Alexis Alston, senior associate at Lightship Capital, said. "We consider Melanie an absolute visionary. We're honored to be a part of this journey.”