Abaya

The abaya (colloquially and more commonly, Arabic: عباية ʿabāyah, especially in Literary Arabic: عباءة ʿabā'ah; plural عبايات ʿabāyāt, عباءات ʿabā'āt), sometimes also called an aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in the Muslim world including most of the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of the Horn of Africa.

The rationale for the abaya is often attributed to the Quranic quote, "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, to cover themselves with a loose garment.

Outside some states such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, UAE, Qatar and Pakistan[2] the abaya is not widely worn by Muslim women.

[9][10] Also in 2002, the U.S. Congress passed legislation prohibiting anyone in the military from "requiring or encouraging servicewomen to put on abayas in Saudi Arabia or to use taxpayers' money to buy them.

In August 2023, French education minister Gabriel Attal said that abayas would be banned in state schools as they breached the "principle of secularism".

Designers began experimenting with colors, patterns, cuts, and styles, blending traditional elements with contemporary fashion trends.