Altmuslimah’s Asma Uddin talks with Jomana Siddiqui of ModernEid, a party decoration company that promises “nothing gilded or tacky.” With designs covering the spectrum from Ziggy and Sparkle to Arabesque and Casablanca, ModernEid is a unique and fun byproduct of American Islam.
  What is it that you’ve set out to do with ModernEid? What inspired the idea?
As a graphic designer doing mostly custom stationery design, some of my regular clients would ask me to design Eid stickers and Eid photo-cards. After a few times of doing this I realized there really isn’t anywhere for people to go to buy items for Eid parties or gift giving, particularly nothing fresh that matched the taste of buyers who are interested in more than typical cliché graphics. The tipping point came one Eid when a family member gave me an Eid gift in Christmas wrap…in September. I thought, “we can do better than this people.”
  Why “modern” Eid? Does the name seek to create a contrast with more traditional designs?
The “modern” part of modernEID, really plays those whose tastes go beyond the graphics and designs that have become associated with Muslim holidays, i.e. camels, palm trees and moons. While these have a place, there are many who may not relate to a Middle East centric aesthetic. In addition it focuses on the ability to offer modern designs with a nod to whatever may be trending in the design world. Our first year featured a chevron pattern (Arabesque line), and a graphic pattern in Teal (Mod line) that are still popular among designers. The Pantone color of the year, Tangerine Tango, influenced our Arabesque and Ziggy lines.
  To me, ModernEid is another wonderful reflection of the way American Muslims are creating an authentic American Muslim culture. Can you reflect on that a bit?
It really comes down to the marketplace void. Have you noticed how Christmas decor seems to be hitting the store shelves earlier and earlier each year? Yet many Muslims only think about Eid about a week or less before. The whole month of Ramadan leading up to Eid is of course about the spiritual fast, but there’s also an excitement and anticipation missing from the lead-up to Eid as a celebration. The kind of anticipation leading to “Christmas morning” from prior weeks is something I’d like my young children to feel. I think kids would be more excited and proud about their own holidays if a bigger deal were made about them.
It’s pretty commonplace for your Christian and Jewish neighbors to share their holidays with you whether at school, neighborhood block party, or the workplace with a friendly greeting card. We think modernEID is another step forward in that sharing process. People get to know each other through their respective holidays, and we realize that a young generation of Muslims would like to create their own traditions that go past giving their boss a greeting card with a picture of a camel and palm tree wrapped in lights on the cover.
  How has the Muslim community responded to your efforts?
We have had such a great response to our products. Basically many of the comments that come in to us say “finally, something for us!”. I think the fact that you can now throw a party or buy goods for Eid that are made specifically for Eid and not just repurposed from a different holiday is welcome. The international response was also a bit surprising, with a large following from Australia, Great Britain and the UAE, it shows that this void wasn’t exclusive to Americans. We’ve had many find us on Facebook and Twitter, which enables us to keep communicating with our followers and get their feedback on current and new products.
  You offer designs beyond those for Eid and Ramadan – designs that can be used by anyone, for any occasion. Are you aiming for clientele beyond the Muslim community?
Absolutely! Out of respect and appreciation, it isn’t uncommon for Muslims to buy cards or presents for friends and neighbors during Hannukah or Christmas. I wanted to create products that non-Muslims would buy for their Muslim friends and neighbors. Aside from its designation to Muslim holidays, “Eid” is simply the Arabic word for “celebration” or “festivity” used for anything from birthdays to Mother’s Day. So just as we’re thrilled to modernize Muslim Eid holidays, we also hope people think of modernEID as that fun design company that can help them celebrate special moments throughout the year. This year alone, we added 6 new designs. Our neutral designs are inspired by their fluidity, so they can be used not only for Eid, but also birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, etc.
Today more than ever, you see a surge in DIY crafts, styled dessert tables, and parties- so there is definitely a demand for products that help make throwing celebrations easier. Regardless of religious affiliation, everyone has a birthday and many of our design lines offer an alternative for those hosts/hostesses with modern tastes. The obstacle is in that fine line between expressing the original motivation to fill a missing void and make Muslim holidays less “mysterious”, while still being able to thrive as any other business by relating to a diverse audience.
  Tell us about the ModernEid team.
I do all the graphic design for modernEID products. I have aligned myself with some very talented creatives who help me take my vision to reality getting our products produced and to marketplace including Hasan, who is in charge of production and Lana, our marketing coordinator. I’m very proud to say that almost everything we carry is an exclusive modernEID design and made in America. From design to production, everything stays local to our Southern California location.
  Where is ModernEid headed? Any new designs, or plans to move into new markets?
New designs will always keep coming, especially as trends change in the design world. We have some new products we are working on for next Eid as well. Currently we are carried in a handful of stores and are focusing on getting our products onto more store shelves to make it more accessible nationwide.
