Modest fashion: an idea whose time has come

Hi fashion friend,

When I walk into stores, or shop online, I seem to leave empty handed each time.

It's not that I can't find anything beautiful. It's that nothing beautiful meets the levels of coverage I want.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I strive to follow certain standards of modesty and coverage that are very core beliefs to who I am. The problem is that the fashion industry as a whole seems to be completely aloof from this "modest" demographic. So we've been left with few options that are mostly bland and frankly, ugly. It's like we have to choose between following our faith or being stylish.

I have never felt this frustration more than when I got engaged and started wedding dress shopping. I was so excited to find a beautiful dress that made me feel amazing, only to be told that it would have to be remade from scratch in order to fit my standards, incurring thousands of dollars in additional costs.

Shortly after that experience, I met several other women from different backgrounds, including those of the Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim faiths, who had very similar frustrations. I also met women who weren't even necessarily religious, but were still frustrated by the lack of classic, elegant looks that met their personal preferences for coverage.

One day, I woke up and decided to finally do something about it.

My education first began with learning how to sew with my grandmother Varo Hutchinson, a small-town seamstress in Utah. I then enrolled at Salt Lake Community College, the only school in my area at the time that offered a fashion program, and begin learning all I could about the art of fashion design.

Shortly after, with the support of my husband, we made a bold decision. We moved across the country, to a place where we did not know a single person, so I could attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), a charming art university in Coastal Georgia that bodes one of the top fashion design programs in the world.

SCAD was a dream, full of days never to be forgotten. In May 2026, I graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Fashion Design, and a minor in bridal and eveningwear—feeling much more equipped to solve the problem that has been personal to me for so long.

All of this led me to officially launch my fashion brand—Samantha Covey—just outside the historic city of Philadelphia. I've begun by focusing on custom bridal and eveningwear gowns, but have big goals to expand into many other areas in the future.

My ultimate vision is that one day, a woman like you or I, seeking something modest and beautiful, will not end up empty handed.

I love the words of Victor Hugo, who wrote: "there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."

Modest fashion is truly one whose time has come.