"Ar-retaj means "the great door" or commonly referred to as the door of the Holy Kaaba." - Arretaj
Arretaj is ran by two best friends Mona and Sherine in Michigan, U.S. When FedEx rang my doorbell and the FedEx man was standing there with a box after disrupting my cat nap. I was sure he had the wrong door. Surely, he didn't! The big box was for me. The box was labeled from Arretaj. I opened it right away and seen all this nicely picked items. Two thoughts came to my head "Work" and a big "Giveaway" I did a quick quality check and did some picture taking. But, as the day went on, I started feeling a bit guilty on not being fair with the giveaway. Normally vendors don't send this amount of items for a review or a giveaway. After some emailing back and forth with one of the generous owners of the shop, it was clearly their intention that they were not interested in money and just wanted the rewards of sisters who would wear their items in prayer. Being this said, I still thought we should help each other and I decided without Arretaj to put half of the items up for sale(I also decided the price) which only 2 sold. Thank you to the buyer.
REVIEW:
I have been to Egypt and got a taste on where scarves are sold and bought along with their market price. On my most recent trip this past March, I bought some to sell on my page as part of a Hijab Fashion Show I had earlier this year. Generally, I felt the items were a bit overpriced in comparison to its quality, source and market price here in the U.S. and Egypt. So there must be some overhead cost that probably is being covered. I found that all the scarves were imported from China to different distributors in Egypt with the exception of the Arabic calligraphy ones. I'm not sure if those were made in Egypt or else where. All scarves must be hand-wash in cold water and lay flat to dry for best care.
The first one up is the 'crinkled w/wood' It is is a light very soft weaved type. Most likely made of a mixed polyester. Ideal for summer. The wood doesn't move.
The 'Bi/Tri-Layer' is a pretty unique one. The material is a mixed polyester. It is airy and light. It has three layer triangles. The middle layer has a mesh layer with some hanging leaf-like accessory made out of plastic.
The "Arabic Calligraphy" is a soft weaved mixed-polyester that that has glitter golden arabic letters painted in an artistic way. I am assuming the painting is machine-made.
"Crinkled Print' is a light weaved scarf made from mixed polyester. I found this one a nice size for wrapping and layering.
'Unique' This is a weaved scarf. A bit more on the stiffy side. Polyester mix. I found a few threads hanging around.
A very soft weaved polyester mix with fringes with machine print.
I found this one to be the most interesting one of all. It is a knit with a weave. The ends on both sides of the scarf are shaped as the angle of a triangle. It has this rope design across on one side. It is approximately 17in wide. This would make a nice addition to another scarf.
"Crinkled Print' is a light weaved scarf made from mixed polyester and fringe edges on its ends. I found this once a nice size for wrapping and layering.
This one is my second favorite! It is a square weave scarf made from a polyester mix. The beads are made out of wood. It is very light and airy.
A triangle scarf. This one is also a weave made out of a very soft polyester mix. I describe this one very delicate because it has fringes all throughout the scarf. Makes a very nice addition to another scarf.
This is size small polyester and spandex shirt. I found it to be on the thick side, but very soft. It has a slight collar about an inch high.
The harem pants! These are super soft jersey type made from polyester, elastane, rayon and maybe cotton too. They seem very light and on the thinner side. I found the strings to be a bit on the longer side, but since its jersey you can cut off to your liking without having to hem them.
Ah! Another one of my favorite one! I used to make jersey scarves. I can tell you this one was hand cut. It is made out of elastane and rayon. The elastane helps keep it in place without pins. It is very soft and good for those early fall days.
This one is a triangle scarf with Arabic calligraphy painted on most likely by a machine. It is made out of cotton mix and has a slight stretch. Also a good addition to another scarf.
A good square size scarf. It is weave made out of a polyester mix. The coins dangling on the scarf state "Queen Elizabeth" with an image that resembles her. You can definitely wear this scarf on its own.
This is a 100% polyester rectangle scarf. It is soft and not very sheen. I probably would wear this in the fall or cool day as polyester traps heat and sweat.
This one is also 100% Polyester. It is rectangular, transparent and has a gorgeous red hue. My third favorite.
Now, for some more yummy stuff! The people picked to take home the reviewed items are below. Please email me(sadeelallam@sweetmodesty.com) your shipping address. Thank you for your participation and I pray we all accomplish our Ramadan goals. InshaAllah:
Nadia Ali
Sara Khalid
Bilkis Malek
Tameka Grant
Hoodie Girl
Maryam Iqbal
Pepper Cat
Zainab Ismael
Hanan Selim
Melanie Mae
Umm Mahasin
Shawn Williams Edmiston
Maria Islam
Autumn Dahy
Reian Abdin
Again, thank you for being part of this and thank you readers for following along on this amazing inspiring giveaway!
Innovation: N/A
True Colors: Excellent
Design: Excellent
Workmanship:Good
Customer Service: Excellent
Shipping: Excellent
Product Quality: Good
Price: Pricey
Based on the scale of: Poor - Ok - Fair - Good - Excellent
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