WITTEN, Germany -- T-shirts and hoodies declare "Terrorism has no religion." A head-covering tunic bears the message: "Hijab. My right. My choice. My life."
A German fashion label is out to tell the world that Islam isn't just compatible with Western values of tolerance and free expression -- it can be hip, too.
The project was born in 2006 as Muslim mobs rampaged across Europe against Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Designer Melih Kesmen became fed up with the anti-Muslim stereotypes that sprang up over the protests as well as the rioters' attempts to stifle free speech.
So Kesmen, a practicing Muslim born and raised in Germany to Turkish parents, decided to express his feelings through fashion.
"I first created a sweater just for myself with the slogan 'I love my Prophet' to take a stand as a peace-loving, tolerant Muslim," said the 34-year-old designer, sporting designer glasses and a black goatee.
The reaction was huge: People kept stopping him in the street to ask where he had found the top.
Kesmen quickly realized he'd found a market gap.
Together with his wife, Yeliz, he set out to create Style Islam, a brand of hip, casual clothing with Islamic-themed sayings as its focus.
More than three years on, Style Islam offers 35 different motifs that playfully merge Islam and pop culture. Besides clothing, their collection also features bags and posters.
"Women love buying rompers with the writing 'Mini Muslim' across their chest,'" said Yeliz Kesmen, 30, who wears a brown hijab, or headscarf, and silver nose stud.
On its Web site, Style Islam's creators explain every motif they sell.
For hijabs they write: "In today's society, it is not easy for a woman to wear a headscarf. Often she is exposed to discrimination and prejudice ... even though from an Islamic point of view, the headscarf is a symbol for women's liberation from society's constraints."
Above all, the brand strives to spread a message of tolerance.
One design reads: "Jesus & Muhammad/ Brothers in Faith."
Cotton T-shirts sell for just under ¬20 ($27), laptop bags and hooded long-sleeve shirts go for around ¬35 ($47). Style Islam also offers key chains featuring praying, covered-up Muslim girls.
Through the Internet, the company sells its clothes across western Europe, the U.S., Canada and Turkey. The next target market is the Middle East.
"We're ... getting a lot of requests from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates or Morocco," Kesmen said in his sleek white office in Witten, a town nestled in a western region known more for its steel mills than avant-garde fashion.
"They all want to buy our products, but we simply haven't built up the infrastructure yet to ship to the Arab world."
Currently the label sells thousands of items each month and has a team of seven designers, according to Kesmen.
Adele's revealing "60 Minutes" interview
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Bobby Brown on Houston's Death
Exclusive Video: Bobbi Kristina Leaving Hospital
Raw Video: Obama Budget Goes to Capitol Hill
Lusetich: AT&T Recap
Grammys 2012: Highlights
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
2.12: Pebble Beach Pro-Am -- Phil Mickelson
2012 Grammys: Rihanna
2012 Grammys: Taylor Swift
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Exclusive Video - Whitney's Bodybag
FUEL TV: Punk Payback Gym tips
Whitney's Final Days - EXCLUSIVE
Romney Tops Santorum in CPAC Straw Poll
First glimpse of Blue Ivy Carter
Angry Dad Shoots Teens Laptop
Peek inside Barbie's closet
Absolute Lin-sanity
