Physical in-the-mall shopping; people, crowds, lines, screaming kids. Blurgh. It's an bloody nightmare! Hooray for whomever invented online shopping! Boo to the guy that decided to hike up Oceania region shipping fees!
When I purchase anything online one of the things I hate is the massive shipping fees that are automatically accrued thanks to living in Australia. Don't get me wrong, my country is the best in the world and I would never want to live anywhere else but it's annoying that we pay a lot in postage merely due to the fact that we are situated so far away from every other continent.
When buying online, if the retailer has massive shipping fees, no matter how good the product is, I do not get it. It puts me off instantly. Buying a top for $40 and paying $25 on shipping? Forget about it. That's why companies like ASOS always get my money - free shipping every single time.
Take into consideration the Islamic fashion market and you will find most of the actual fashionable Islamic brands are based in either the US, UK or the UAE. For Aussies that means big bucks just getting the stuff delivered here, even more so if you are buying separate pieces from separate companies. And the more you buy, the bigger the shipping costs get.
Enter Sora. Based in Brisbane, this brand new Aussie company that just launched a couple of weeks ago, is taking the major cost of shipping out of Islamic online shopping in two fantastic ways: They are bringing top Muslim owned stylish brands like Inayah and Abaya Addict direct to your door (and adding Annah Hariri soon as well) and you don't have to pay for the privilege as they offer free shipping for all Australian orders over $50. A pretty good deal in my books. It's about time we had something like this in the Australian market. We have so many Muslims here and are only now starting to branch out into our own fashion sphere. Took us a while.
To test out their services, Sora sent me a Turban from Azura Azwa (which will be shown on a later post), one of their vibrantly hued pashminas and the blush batwing cardigan from Inayah.
The richness of colour in the scarf is gorgeous. I usually go for patterned hijabs myself but this one is a keeper. It has a nice little sheen to it as well as being probably the best quality pashmina I have had my hands on in quite a while as some I have received in the past have been quite flimsy, made of thin material and low quality in comparison.
The cardigan is almost a cape to me. I enjoy the extra loose drape to it and the little flutter in the winter breeze that it did today as I took pics. It's made of excellent lightweight, soft crepe - perfect for a hot summer and for layering in winter without getting bulky. I easily wore my Abaya Addict hi-low top underneath it (they sell them too!). I'm thinking an abaya underneath wouldn't go astray either.
Definitely check them out - not only do they offer free shipping for Aussies, but they also have a special Worldwide shipping condition for large international orders. Visit them on their website, Facebook and Instagram accounts and while you are there snag a bargain at their opening Eid Sale.
Details & Links
Heels ~ Steve Madden
Top ~ Abaya Addict
Necklace ~ Collette
Bangle ~ Kenya
Belt ~ ASOS
Scarf ~ Sora