Istanbul , Turkey ( CNN ) -- Hair driers blast air and racks of clothing clatter past as organizers make their final preparations for a fashion show . Some of the backstage bustle is downright comical . Short Turkish women , carefully wrapped up in trench-coats and brightly-colored Muslim headscarves , struggle to help towering , leggy models from Slavic and Latin countries change in and out of outfits . This is not your typical fashion show . The show is highlighting Islamic women 's clothing -- even though very few of the models working here are Muslim . `` Listen , I 'm coming from Venezuela [ where ] we are always walking in shorts , t-shirts , flip-flops . Not afraid to show it . But here it 's totally different , '' said Cristina Buderacky , a model who stood more then six feet tall in a peach-colored lycra outfit that resembled a pair of long-sleeved pyjamas with blousy trousers . She later made a half-serious plea for help as a Turkish woman slipped a two-piece `` bonnet '' over her head . The headpiece tightly covered Buderacky 's hair , leaving only her neck and face exposed . Nearby , a Russian-speaking model dressed in a sky-blue version of the same outfit whispered to a friend , `` I look like a clown . '' Moments later , to the soundtrack of throbbing dance music , the women strutted across the stage dressed in an array of these pastel-colored costumes . The costumes are part of a swimsuit collection . Known as Hasema after the Turkish company that manufactures them , the full-body suits are designed to let conservative women swim and exercise at the beach or pool without being too revealing . Turan Kisa , an export marketer for Hasema , said the suits are exported to 35 countries . `` Muslim women are choosing these models , '' he said holding up a sequin-embroidered lilac-colored full-body bathing suit . `` Especially the last five years , Muslim women [ are ] really following fashion . '' According to the manufacturers at this trade show , the Islamic women 's fashion industry is growing and evolving . It also seems to be co-opting sales and marketing methods perfected in the secular fashion world . `` Ten years ago , most of the colors were black or grey , '' says Halim Ozahi of the Turkish manufacturer Buketex . `` Now you can see everywhere pink , yellow , blue . '' Ozahi said during the same time period his company had gone from manufacturing 10 different dress designs to more then 150 . The designs on display here are a far cry from the black robes and all-concealing burqas many Westerners associate with the Islamic world . `` The younger generation of Muslims coming up , they want something stylish , '' said Hamza Ali , a visiting American who works with the South Carolina-based company Muslimclothing.com . `` There 's nothing wrong with being beautiful , there 's nothing wrong with being classy , nothing wrong with being fashionable , nothing wrong with wearing the latest thing out there . As long as it 's modest , '' Ali added . This relatively new industry may be growing , but it still appears to be dominated by men . Most of the sales representatives manning booths at the trade show are male . Nur Yamankaradeniz is one exception . She designs high-priced gowns studded with Swarovski crystals for conservative Muslim women as well as their secular counterparts . `` A covered person should not be scary , she should look nice , '' Yamankaradeniz said . `` We are trying very hard to get them to accept this . '' Yamankaradeniz herself was dressed in a black trench-coat , with a lavender blouse , a brown paisley-patterned headscarf , and a gold watch studded with diamonds . One of the few Muslim models hired to stride the catwalk here is Alfina Nasyrova , a woman who wore a midriff revealing t-shirt as she did her make-up backstage . `` In these clothes , you are feeling so clean , so pure , '' she said , after changing into a blue-and-white striped full body Hasema swim suit . Asked whether she would wear a Hasema to the beach this summer , she answered , with a laugh , `` Normally , I wear a bikini . ''
Islamic fashion shows off designs for socially conscious , conservative Muslim women . The Hasema is a full - body suit designed to help women swim and without being too revealing . Designer Nur Said : A covered woman should not be scary , she should look nice . Manufacturer Halim Ozahi says the industry has transformed over the last 10 years .