In the Dearborn community, it is common to find stores and websites that sell trendy but also modest and hijabi-friendly fashion.

Suraimi Collections was founded in 2019 by Safa Suraimi and was officially relaunched in 2024. The business has become one of the most influential modest brands in the world.

At the age of 17, Suraimi began working on her brand in the basement of her home. At the time, Suraimi explains, there were no other major fashion brands for hijabis that would accommodate each individual’s personal taste and their desire for modesty.

“I was used to sewing anyway. I often sewed my own clothes to make pieces for myself that would fit me better. Being really petite, most of my clothes wouldn’t fit my shoulders properly. So I didn’t want to make them tight but fitted, so I didn’t look weird.”

When the idea sparked for Suraimi to begin a business, she was overwhelmed by how expensive the manufacturers were at the time. Having been a student and tutor who was only paid $8 an hour, Suraimi was stressed about funding her dream.

Suraimi began making her own designs by using very simple practices. Suraimi used a hot glue gun and her sewing machine to make her abaya and dress designs come to life. As her sewing progressed over time and became a skill she was far more advanced in than before, Suraimi and her uncle went together to Nice Price and bought $400 worth of fabric. Arriving home, her mother looked at her, eyes wide with horror and confusion.

“At least with this,” Suraimi said, “I asked her to just leave it. Because it was something I was really passionate about, and if it goes horribly, it goes horribly, but I at least want to try.”

It took persistence and hard work as Suraimi would spend hours at night sewing around fifty of each design in different sizes, then bag them, and even design and attach her own tags, which she would put on each piece herself. On the first night her business was launched, Suraimi cried. It was overwhelming and profoundly emotional as Suraimi was scared of putting herself out there and the possibility of public failure. Suraimi went as far as hand-delivering orders and writing thank-you notes to each of her customers.

Next thing she knew, within two days, Suraimi sold out. Her friends and family came together–and spread the word to others she hadn’t even been acquainted with at the time–to help build the Suraimi business from the ground up. When things would sell out, customers would have to wait months for the item to restock because, once again, Suraimi would have to sew each item herself. Suraimi missed out on numerous social gatherings and parties due to being overworked. She grew her business all while working as a part-time tutor, full-time substitute, and full-time student.

Suraimi began to hate sewing and was no longer passionate about it. Suraimi closed her business without any intention–or motivation–to ever come back again. Instead, Suraimi focused on her teaching job.

By 2024, after teaching full-time for a year, Suraimi thought about her fashion business during winter break and felt motivated to restart her brand. With online business development having become much more accessible, and her own personal growth over time, Suraimi took the uncertain leap for the second time. She brought back her old Instagram account and began advertising for her upcoming relaunch.

Once her brand was relaunched, Suraimi felt more confident and passionate about it than before. Equipped with more resources and better skills, she gathered the courage to start up her business once again. Before, she hadn’t been experienced enough in using different resources for her business. Suraimi struggled with shipping and delivery all on her own, but this time she used Shopify to get her items delivered.

Suraimi said, “While some might say I’m a workaholic, I wouldn’t say I am. I’m finally at a place where I can maintain a good balance. So yes, I’m a teacher, and that’s straining within itself because I’m just so passionate about it–it doesn’t even feel like work to me. I also prioritize and make time for my friends and family–I can’t not have time for them. If I didn’t make enough time for my hangouts and spending time with the people I love, I’d lack in my work as a teacher and as a business owner.” Now, Suraimi is planning on opening a new space for her business. “I’ve taken up the entire basement of our house as well as the garage, and it still isn’t enough. So I plan on moving my inventory to a warehouse so I can have a more organized and bigger space.”

The Suraimi brand is now back, stronger and more influential than ever. Each design is more unique and personal to the owner, and her pieces are named after the friends and family who helped her business get where it is today.

Suraimi is an example to all the girls out there with big dreams and aspirations to achieve their goals, regardless of the struggles they encounter. “I want people to look at Suraimi and feel like they belong,” she explains, “even if they don’t love every design, I want them to feel a part of something.”