What is your minimum order per colour?

It depends on the base fabric and whether the shade is from our stock range or a custom lab dip. Stock shades start considerably lower than custom ones. Send the fabric and shade you have in mind and we will quote the exact minimum rather than a marketing number.

Can you match a colour I already sell?

Yes. Send a physical swatch, a hex value, or a colour reference from your existing supplier. We produce three lab dips against it and you approve the closest one on real fabric before bulk dyeing starts.

What does GSM actually change?

GSM is grams per square metre — the fabric's weight. Lower weights are lighter and more sheer with a fluid fall; higher weights are more opaque, warmer and hold their shape. Every base fabric in our range runs across a band rather than a single fixed weight, so you choose where in that band your product sits.

How long does production take?

Around 15 days from approved sample to finished goods for a standard order. Full sampling takes around 10 days and lab dips happen before that clock starts. If your deadline is tighter, tell us the date up front — we would rather say no than miss it.

What volume can you handle?

Our capacity is about 500,000 pieces per month, so repeat programmes and seasonal peaks do not push your next order down the queue. Small first orders are welcome too — capacity is there for when you scale.

Which countries do you ship to?

We currently export to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. If your market is not on that list, ask — it usually just means we have not shipped there yet, not that we cannot.

Do you supply roll goods or finished hijabs?

Both. We can ship fabric by the roll for your own cutting and sewing, or deliver finished pieces cut, hemmed, labelled and retail-packed under your brand.

Can you produce our labels and packaging?

Yes — woven labels, care labels, hang tags, thank-you cards, retail sleeves and rigid gift boxes are all finished in-house. Upload your logo in the customization studio to see it placed on each one.

Which certifications can you provide?

The mill holds OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and BSCI. Certification availability for a specific order still depends on the fabric and dye route, so tell us which standard your market requires and we will confirm in writing what we can supply for that order.

Uniqlo's AIRism Hijab: What Wholesale Buyers Should Learn

Uniqlo's first standalone hijab range launched in Malaysia and Indonesia in August 2026 with three styles — AIRism UV Protection, satin and georgette — and it landed in the middle of a conversation. The AIRism piece, a one-size triangle hijab in nylon, modal and stretch fibre, was sold at RM59.90 with UPF50+ protection, a cool-to-the-touch feel and sweat-wicking claims. Within days it had both reviews praising the fabric and critics arguing it was not really a hijab. For a wholesale buyer, the question is not whether the product is good. It is why a mass-market retailer with no heritage in modest wear could enter the category so quickly — and which parts of that playbook translate into fabric sourcing decisions.

Why the Launch Landed

Four things carried it, and only one of them is marketing.

The category had a functional gap. In tropical Southeast Asia, most hijabs are sold on drape, colour and price rather than performance. A hijab marketed on staying cool and dry addresses the daily reality of wearing a head covering in high heat and humidity — a problem customers recognise instantly and do not need to be educated about.

The claims were testable. The UV claim is stated against a standard — UPF50+ under JIS L 1925:2019 — rather than vague sun protection. Cooling and sweat-wicking are described in specific terms rather than adjectives. Buyers notice the difference, because a tested claim travels through retail, marketplaces and returns departments without being challenged.

The price and channel were accessible. At RM59.90 the piece sits inside mass-market reach, and it was available through ordinary stores and e-commerce rather than a specialist modest-wear channel. Functional fabric at a mainstream price is the combination most boutique hijab brands cannot match.

The format reduced effort. A semi-instant triangle design cuts the time spent folding and pinning — the same benefit convenience-led hijab products have been selling for years.

The Fabric Behind the Hype

The specification is worth reading closely, because it explains the marketing. The build combines nylon for strength and quick drying, modal for a soft hand and drape, and stretch fibre for recovery — a knit engineered for hot, humid conditions rather than a woven chosen for drape alone.

Three performance features are claimed: UPF50+ tested to JIS L 1925:2019, contact cooling, and sweat-wicking with quick-dry performance. Each one maps to a different sourcing question.

UPF is governed by fabric construction, colour and finishing. Denser constructions and darker shades generally rate higher, and light, thin knits need more engineering to reach a high rating. A UPF claim is only worth what its test report and post-wash performance say.

Contact cooling is a measurable property, usually expressed as a Q-max value. It depends on fibre type, surface structure and finishing — and it can fade through washing if it is applied as a topical finish rather than built into the fibre.

Wicking and quick-dry performance come from fibre choice and knit structure, and they are the features customers actually feel in humid heat. They are also the easiest to overstate, because a fabric can wick well and still dry slowly.

What the Debate Reveals

The range also drew criticism. Part of the modest-wear audience argued the styling did not meet their definition of hijab — a reminder that functionality does not substitute for cultural fit.

For a buyer, the lesson is a check on how a product brief is written: performance claims, coverage style, dimensions and drape all have to satisfy the same customer. A fabric can be technically excellent and still fail if the cut, opacity or coverage does not match what the wearer expects from a hijab.

It is also a reminder that a new entrant can win a functional gap without winning the category. The gap this launch exposed — tested performance claims at an accessible price — remains open to brands that already understand their own customers' requirements.

Factory Perspective: What Functional Knits Demand in Production

Performance claims change what a fabric order has to specify. In a functional programme the specification is not simply modal jersey at a given weight — it is a construction that still holds its claims after washing.

Three production realities matter. First, UV performance is not uniform across a colour range: the same base in white and in navy will not rate the same, so a range-wide UPF claim usually means either a backup treatment route or a colour-specific rating. That is a sampling-stage decision, not a marketing one. Second, cooling and wicking finishes behave differently when they are built into the fibre rather than applied on top; buyers should ask which one they are buying, because the difference shows up after ten washes. Third, functional knits tend to be lighter and more technical, so opacity and the balance between comfort and coverage have to be tested on the body, not judged on a swatch card.

We do not sell a UPF-rated fabric, and nothing here claims that we do. What a mill can do is produce to a specification you define and confirm in writing what the base fabric, colour range and finishing route can actually support before the claim goes on a label. That written confirmation is the part buyers most often skip — and the part that protects them later.

What Buyers Should Confirm Before Developing a Functional Hijab

The test standard behind any UV claim, and whether the rating applies to the whole colour range or only the tested shade.
Post-wash performance: whether UPF, cooling or wicking is re-tested after a defined number of washes, and by which lab.
The cooling metric: a Q-max value or equivalent, measured on the finished fabric rather than the yarn.
Wicking and dry time: measured how, and on which fabric face, since the inner surface is the one against the skin.
Fabric weight and opacity at that weight — the lighter the knit, the more the coverage question matters.
Stretch and recovery, especially for semi-instant or pull-on formats that rely on give rather than pins.
Who holds the test reports — mill or brand — and whether they can be shared with retailers and marketplaces on request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the AIRism hijab get so much attention? It combined three things that rarely appear together in the category — a tested UV claim, cooling and wicking performance, and a mass-market price with mainstream distribution. It also arrived as a permanent line rather than a seasonal drop, and the styling debate kept it in the conversation.

What fabric is it made from? Public product information describes a smooth knit combining nylon, modal and stretch fibre, with UPF50+ tested to JIS L 1925:2019, contact cooling and sweat-wicking performance.

What does UPF50+ mean? UPF is the UV protection rating for fabric, tested under defined standards. A UPF50+ rating indicates the fabric blocks the large majority of UV radiation under the tested conditions. For buyers, the practical questions are which standard was used and whether the rating holds after washing.

Does colour affect UV protection? Yes. Denser and darker fabrics generally rate higher than light, thin ones, which is why a single UPF claim across a multi-colour range should be verified shade by shade.

Is a functional hijab more expensive to produce? The fabric usually is, because performance comes from fibre choice, construction and finishing rather than marketing. Whether the cost is justified depends on the market — in hot, humid climates the benefit is felt daily, which is why the category grew there first.

Could this work in Europe or North America? The UV and cooling story is less central in those markets, where buying triggers differ. The transferable lesson is the method: a testable claim, a specific use case, and a price the market can actually reach.

Sourcing the Fabric Behind the Claim

If you are developing a performance-led hijab range, define the claim first and the fabric second — the test method decides what the construction has to be. Our GSM guide explains how weight changes hand, opacity and drape — hijabsourcing.com/blog/how-to-choose-hijab-fabric-gsm. The jersey comparison shows how cotton, bamboo, liquid and premium jersey behave against each other — hijabsourcing.com/blog/cotton-bamboo-liquid-premium-jersey-hijab-comparison. And the instant hijab guide covers construction choices for no-pin formats — hijabsourcing.com/blog/instant-hijab-sourcing-fabric-gsm-sizes.

To discuss a functional programme against a specification you define, send the target claims, market and quantities to susin@wennuanfactory.com or use the inquiry form at hijabsourcing.com/contact.

References

UNIQLO Malaysia. "Women's AIRism UV Protection Hijab." uniqlo.com/my/en/products/E488682-000/00. Accessed 19 September 2026.

Complex. "Uniqlo Launches First Standalone Hijab Collection in Malaysia and Indonesia." complex.com/style/a/jaelaniturnerwilliams/uniqlo-hijab-collection-malaysia-indonesia. Published 6 August 2026. Accessed 19 September 2026.

Fact Magazine. "Japanese Clothing Label Uniqlo Is Launching a New Hijab Collection." factmagazines.com/london/uniqlo-launches-new-hijab-collection. Published 5 August 2026. Accessed 19 September 2026.

South China Morning Post. "'This is not hijab': Uniqlo Malaysia's line leaves modest fashion fans hot under the collar." scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3363162/not-hijab-uniqlo-malaysias-line-leaves-modest-fashion-fans-hot-under-collar. Published 6 August 2026. Accessed 19 September 2026.

Retail Management Middle East. "Uniqlo expands modest fashion with permanent hijab collection." retailmanagementmiddleeast.com/news/uniqlo-expands-modest-fashion-with-permanent-hijab-collection. Published 6 August 2026. Accessed 19 September 2026.

Alibaba.com Seller Center. "Functional Scarf Features: A Neutral Guide for Southeast Asian Buyers." seller.alibaba.com/blogs/2026/southeast-asia/textiles/functional-scarf-features-guide-alibaba-b2b. Published 2026. Accessed 19 September 2026.

Market Research Future. "Fabrics for Sun Protection Market Size, Share & Report 2035." marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fabrics-for-sun-protection-market-25810. Published August 2026. Accessed 19 September 2026.