"As a Muslim woman wearing hijab, I do stand out. But I want to stand out in a nice and representative way," says Hadi, 24. "I want to wear clothes that match the society but with a personal twist. But it takes me longer to find appropriate and beautiful clothes."

Her friend Sadiya Shaikh shares the frustration. But, Shaikh was inspired by the frustrations and identified a niche that has been underserved: Muslim women like her who want to be both trendy and modest.

"This is a great service to the community," Hadi says.

Together with her mother, Kwon, and her friend Reshma Farooqui, Shaikh started a new clothing line that features peasant-style siphon tops with long, bell sleeves, stretch bootleg denim jeans with elaborate embroidery and beading and flowery broom skirts. Each ensemble has a matching hijab or veil.

The three women have named their company Flippant, an edgy and non-Islamic name. "Although our target customers are Muslim women in their 20s, our clothes are suitable for any woman who wants to maintain a sense of style and uniqueness without showing her arms and legs," Shaikh, 26, says.

Flippant is symbolic at many levels. The stylish yet religion-conforming clothes show Muslim American women's attempts to strike a balance between their religion and their Western upbringing. The splashy and colorful outfits subvert the popular misconception that Muslim women are repressed. The fledgling company also illustrates Muslim women's economic aspirations.

Mother and daughter met Farooqui at the Muslim Community Association, Santa Clara County's largest mosque. They began their business plan this spring and have made a good team. Shaikh, outgoing and sociable, acts as the company's marketing director. Kwon, a professional financial consultant, oversees the company's finances. Farooqui, who used to own a boutique in Mumbai, India, is the head designer. Their headquarters is Shaikh's home in Cupertino, and they have all their clothes made in India.

Although Islamic clothing may be a new fashion category, Muslim women are no strangers to the business world. Prophet Muhammad's first wife, Khadija bint Khawalayd, was a wealthy businesswoman. They met when Muhammad worked for her as a caravan agent. They married after Khadija proposed to Muhammad.

"The Quran encourages men and women to live a productive life and become entrepreneurs," says Hamid Mavani, religious director of the Oakland-based Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California. "Doing business is a good thing because it supports a lot of people. Having their own property also gives women more autonomy."

Despite the Quran's encouragement, Shaikh and Farooqui never thought about starting a fashion business. Before she was laid off in September, Shaikh had been an office manager at the nonprofit American Leadership Forum­Silicon Valley. Farooqui has a bachelor's degree in chemistry and is a stay-at-home mother of a 4-year-old son. Their business was born out of their shared agony over clothes shopping and women's desire to look beautiful.

The three Muslim Americans' marketing strategies, like their clothing, are a hybrid of Western and Islamic styles. Like almost every Silicon Valley company, Flippant will launch a website to market its products. But most of the models on the website will be Shaikh's non-Muslim friends, since her Muslim friends don't feel comfortable about having their pictures on the website, even with the veils covering their faces.

The three women also held a fashion show at Santa Clara Marriott on Sept. 7. It was a women's-only party, where Shaikh and her friends showcased 80 outfits Farooqui had designed. To the quick tempo of Latin music, the Muslim women strutted across the catwalk, swung their hips and flung their veils. Although they only received a few months of training, they looked professional and confident.

The fashion show also featured poetry reading and singing as well as flamenco and belly dancing. "It was basically a women's night out," Shaikh said.

Some older Muslim women giggled and shook their heads when they saw the young girls walk down the catwalk.

Fatima Ansari, 55, went to the fashion show with her daughter Amine. Ansari said she would consider buying only some of the clothes for her daughter. "She can wear some of them but not the tight ones," she said.

But for young women who hunger for something more than floor-length robes, Flippant is a blessing from Allah.

"Shopping is a pain," says Aziza Hill, 28. "You don't want to highlight your body parts, but you also want to look pretty."

Shaikh says although there are about 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and about 8 million of them live in North America, she won't try to sell her clothes to everyone.

"You cannot satisfy everybody," Shaikh. "We will have more clothes of dark colors for customers at my mom's age. But we won't sacrifice the originality of our design. If people don't like our clothes, they can start their own companies. The market is big enough to accommodate different needs."

For more information, call Sadiya Shaikh at 408.857.7004.