How Ayana Active is rethinking modest activewear through thoughtful proportions, performance, sustainability, and a deeper understanding of the women it serves.
For many modest women, finding activewear that offers the right level of coverage often means compromising somewhere else — on fit, design, performance, or style.
Ayana Active was created to challenge that compromise.
The brand approaches modest activewear as something that should be intentionally designed from the beginning, rather than adapted from conventional sportswear. From longer tunic proportions to size-inclusive silhouettes and a focus on responsible production, Ayana Active is built around the realities of how modest women move through their lives.
Following the launch of Ayana Active on ModestBeauty.com, we spoke with the brand’s founder about the gap she saw in the market, the design details that matter most, and why the fashion industry needs to look beyond modesty as a category and start seeing the whole woman.
What was the moment you realized the modest activewear you wanted simply didn’t exist?
I first recognized the gap when I was a teenager.
As I got older and continued looking at the market, I realized that I still couldn’t find activewear that brought together modesty, fashion, functionality, and modern design in the way I was looking for — especially with sustainability and responsible production in mind.
I wanted clothing that felt intentionally designed for modest women rather than simply adapted for them.
Eventually, I decided to create what I couldn’t find.
What do you want a woman to feel the moment she puts on Ayana Active?
I want her to feel seen, heard, and represented.
Most importantly, I want her to feel powerful.
Whether she is working out, running errands, traveling, or simply moving through her day, I want her clothing to support her rather than limit her.
I want her to put on Ayana Active and feel strong, capable, and ready for whatever is ahead of her.
Which detail in your designs matters most to modest women, but is often overlooked by mainstream activewear brands?
Length — but more specifically, designing the right proportions around that length.
For modest women, having a top that provides coverage below the hips can make an enormous difference. But simply making a conventional activewear top longer isn’t enough.
Once you add that length, the proportions of the entire garment have to be reconsidered so that it still feels balanced, flattering, and intentional rather than oversized or simply elongated.
That is something we pay very close attention to at Ayana Active.
Our tunics are designed from the beginning with modest coverage in mind, and we carefully balance the length, silhouette, and proportions so they move well and flatter a range of body types.
Because we are size inclusive, that balance is especially important. The garment needs to maintain its design integrity and intended coverage across our entire size range.
That is the difference between simply adding coverage and actually designing for the modest woman.
Why did you choose to partner with ModestBeauty.com, and what made the collaboration feel like a good fit for Ayana Active?
I met Nikiara, the founder of ModestBeauty.com, at Modest Fashion Week in Abu Dhabi, and I was immediately drawn to the vision behind the platform.
I loved the idea of creating one destination where modest women can discover thoughtfully selected pieces for the many different parts of their lives — from activewear and everyday dressing to special occasions.
Ayana Active is positioned as a premium brand with a strong focus on craftsmanship, intentional design, and quality, so it felt natural to tell our story alongside other brands with similar values.
If you could change one thing about the way the fashion industry serves modest women, what would it be?
I would encourage the industry to see modest women simply as women who dress modestly.
Sometimes modest consumers are treated as a separate category rather than as multidimensional women with the same range of needs, interests, and lifestyles as anyone else.
Modesty is part of how she dresses; it isn’t the entirety of who she is.
I would love to see the industry move beyond serving modest women primarily around seasons or special occasions and instead think about her complete life — what she wears to exercise, travel, work, run errands, relax, celebrate, and everything in between.
The opportunity is not simply to make more modest clothing.
It is to understand the woman wearing it and design thoughtfully around her life.
Modest activewear designed around real life
Ayana Active’s approach reflects a broader shift in modest fashion: away from simply adding coverage and toward designing products specifically around the needs, movement, proportions, and lifestyles of modest women.
That philosophy is also what makes the brand a natural addition to ModestBeauty.com — a platform built to help women discover thoughtfully selected modest fashion for different parts of their lives.
Discover Ayana Active now on ModestBeauty.com and explore modest activewear designed for movement, coverage, and modern life.