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Three hijabi women walking across a sand dune
Three hijabi women walking across a sand dune
Photo by Cottonbro Studio from Pexels
Style > Fashion

The Vela Craze: How Wearing Vela Scarves Revived My Intentionality In Wearing Hijab

Aia Jaber
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Toronto MU chapter.

Watercolour floral, navy marble, and truffle mushroom. Ombre olive, remembrance blue, and denim ripple. The list continues, and yet I, like many other young women, can easily remember these names and spot these beautiful hijabs while walking in the street.

“Ombre olive looks so good on you,” said a girl as I walked down the steps to the subway at Yonge and Eglinton. 

A smile etched on my face as I descended underground, feeling more beautiful than before. Vela has transformed and renewed my intentions to wear hijab alongside many other women globally, and its growing support is well-deserved.

Vela Scarves — an online shop booming in popularity — frequently sells out, restocks, and markets its hijabs and clothing for a global community. Its success in e-commerce has made buying hijabs accessible, but its online presence has paved a sense of belonging and sisterhood.

In 2009, sisters and co-founders Marwa and Tasneem Atik created Vela to fill “a gap in the market,” according to their website. The company prioritizes sustainability by ensuring the all-women team is “compensated with wages that exceed local living standards, providing a fair and dignified livelihood.” 

The hijab can most definitely be difficult. As flag-bearers of Islam, it can be challenging to wear it in a Western society that dictates long, luscious hair as the beauty standard. It can be easy to compare ourselves to women wearing Lululemon leggings in the gym and mini skirts on a night out. 

There is no doubt that wearing a cute outfit can give you confidence, and Vela has provided women with that boost of confidence by using premium fabrics, unique designs, and renewed love for the hijab. But, more importantly than the beautiful colours and fun patterns, there exists a story to be shared and a sisterhood to be known. 

I began wearing Vela in April 2024 after my friend gave me an e-gift card. Braving the expensive shipping cost and the question of, “Is this worth the price?” I received my first package and took a picture of the encased scarves, savouring the sight. 

Social media and influencers have spoken magnitudes of the quality and beauty of the infamous watercolour floral — a hijab that continues to sell out within minutes. A TikTok video by @freespiritrida pokes fun at the difficulty of obtaining watercolour floral while wearing it. 

My heart beat rapidly as I quickly checked out my first two Vela scarves at 12:02 p.m. — storm gray and navy marble. A wave of satisfaction rushed over me. I spent the next 10 days tracking shipping updates for my package. 

Despite the internal and external pressures of wearing a hijab, it’s the greatest act I’ve ever performed. It’s a symbol of perseverance to me, even when I am struggling to maintain my “ideal” self. 

Above all, it’s a reminder of the unspoken connection between me and other veiled and modest women. The bonds and friendships I have created as a result of a shared relationship with the hijab are a motivator to wear it. 

Through Vela, I’ve begun friendships, gotten outfit inspiration, and continue to feel excited to wake up in the morning. Because of Vela, my outfit planning is more intentional and sustainable. The patterns and colours have encouraged me to use forgotten and under-used clothing items in my own wardrobe. 

This last semester, I’ve forced a selfie in the Rogers Communication Centres’s first-floor bathroom with each Vela in my possession to encourage me to find fun in an otherwise mundane routine. A folder of these pictures sits in my camera app, unseen to the world but special to me. 

Here are my top five favourite woven scarves from Vela:

  1. Navy marble
  2. Ombre olive
  3. Storm gray
  4. Deep berry
  5. Maroon

I’ve definitely had to pace myself because acquiring a Vela collection can be rather pricey, but I see it as investing in my self-identity and confidence.

Finding this renewed motivation doesn’t have to come from a physical object, and it most certainly doesn’t have to be Vela. It could include a new hijab style, re-using your mom’s old animal print scarves, or even experimenting with your outfit. 

Hijab is a personal journey that may look differently for everyone, and how one feels isn’t linear or constant but always changing. 

Aia Jaber

Toronto MU '26

Aia Jaber is a first-year Master of Journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is currently Junior Editor for HerCampus TMU, as well as Staff Writer at Muslim Girl—an online publication with over 600k Instagram followers. Prior to starting her MJ, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Science at UofT in Psychology, and an accompanying degree in Philosophy. She was Managing Editor at The Medium—UTM's student paper, as well as Editing Lead and Writer at The Muslim Voice Magazine at UofT. She spends most of her time at the gym in her matching sweats, or drinking an iced chai while scrolling TikTok.