LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER
Salaam, and welcome to RUUQ.
My name is Alizar. I never set out to build a clothing brand.
In the summer of 2019, after ten years of wearing the hijab, I stood in front of the mirror looking at my outfit and thought: this isn’t me. A mid-hijab crisis.
As a Muslim revert raised in the West, modestwear came with a learning curve. Hijabs, abayas and jilbabs were not familiar to me growing up. My style was rooted in streetwear, especially Japanese street style. Expressive, layered, and when styled intentionally, beautifully modest.
When I chose to wear the hijab, I tried to merge those two worlds. Sometimes it worked. Often it did not. My options felt limited, and somewhere in the compromise a part of my personality had gone missing.
My workaround was layering. Every look needed the same five things: a long sleeve shirt, a turtleneck, an underscarf to stop the hijab slipping, the scarf itself, and pins to hold it all together.
It worked. It also took a long time. Every morning.
I would sketch outfits just for fun, and over time I noticed a pattern. Every look began with the same base: a clean, high neck layer connected seamlessly to an undercap.
Then one day it hit me.
What if one piece could do the job of all five, and make any outfit instantly modest?
Because life is complicated enough. Getting dressed shouldn’t be.
What we made
That question became the RUUQ bodysuit. The head piece attached, full coverage from wrist to hip, nothing riding up, no pins to check. Made in two versions, long sleeve and sleeveless, and patented.
One piece replaced five. The morning got shorter.
And then the other half
The streetwear never went away. Oversized cuts, dropped shoulders, pieces with enough structure to hold their own shape. What I was drawn to before hijab turned out to be what covers best, because something cut generously does not need anything layered over it to work.
So we make that too. Tops, outerwear and trousers, designed to be worn as they are.
What I actually wanted
Modest dressing has usually meant shopping from modest wear retailers. A smaller pool, fewer choices, and a wardrobe built from what was available rather than what you wanted.
Once the coverage is handled underneath, that limit disappears. You can shop anywhere, from anyone, and know you are covered.
That is the part that matters to me. Not the garment. The freedom it gives you to dress like yourself again.
If you ever want help picking a size, write to us. It comes straight to the team.
Yours sincerely,
Alizar Tawil
Founder, RUUQ
Ruuq means chill, or relax, in Arabic. That is exactly what we want for you.
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