If you hang out in modest fashion circles online long enough, it won’t be long before you see comments start to crop up that call into question the very validity of the phrase “modest fashion”. The two words seem like a paradox to some people, and they’re not wrong for thinking that. In preparation for my interview in episode 6 with Hafsa Lodi, the author behind “Modesty: A Fashion Paradox”, I was absolutely boggled when I learned that leading economists and investment managers expect the modest fashion industry to reach $311 Billion in value by 2025. Even though fashion consumers are asking for more accountability when it comes to ethical labor and sustainable manufacturing practices, the industry is still rife with abuse and destruction, and for the millions of people who practice modesty, it does beg the questions: Can fashion and value-based modesty co-exist? And at what cost? It turns out I wasn’t alone in asking these questions. Someone else was not only thinking about these things but actively creating change from inside the industry. That was someone I wanted to know. Fresh out of school and looking for opportunity amidst the pandemic, Ariella Immerman founded The Reflective, an online modest marketplace with her friend Liza, who at the time had just been laid off from her job as a buyer for Bloomingdale’s. Liza and Ariella saw a gap in the market for women who practiced modesty to have a rewarding and efficient online shopping experience and snatched it. Now at the helm of a multi-generational and multi-faith brand, Ariella is finding new and compelling ways to create a community around the practice of modesty while deepening her relationship with her own spirit and character.