Dina Tokio

Dina and her twin sister, Toosy, were born on June 6, 1989, in Cairo, Egypt. Her real name is Donia Torkia, and she is half-English and half-Egyptian. She has two brothers, Hassan and Yoosuf. Dina was initially named “Noor.” She went to the same primary school where her mother taught English. Dina and her family moved to London when she was 7 years old. Her father worked at a company in Egypt and later became an entrepreneur in London. He started a trading business there, selling Egyptian products to the people of London who were fascinated by the exotic appeal of Egypt. Dina went to 'Horsenden Primary School' in Greenford, UK. She played football and rugby until she began wearing the 'hijab.' Dina then attended 'The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls.' Following the birth of her brother, Hassan, Dina moved back to Cairo. Dina and her sister could not adjust with the environment at their school there and moved to London again. Her family could not afford their home rent in London and they moved to Cardiff soon. There, Dina attended 'Cathays High School.' Her favorite subjects were history and textile. She also created her own clothing brand named 'Unleaded.' After school, Dina opted for the sixth form and chose English literature, business studies, and product design as her A-level subjects. She later studied psychology, too.

After college, Dina got her first job at a mobile network call-center. Within a year and a half, she switched multiple call-center jobs. Simultaneously, Dina started writing fashion blogs, which later helped her shape her career as a fashion blogger.

Dina then attended 'Cardiff University' and studied Hebrew and Islamic studies there. She dropped out after a year. Soon, she went back to call-center jobs. Dina began attending university again and joined the English teaching module (teaching English to foreigners). She left her course midway.

Dina met her husband, Sid Kaan, at the university. He would help Dina with her projects. Sid is a graphic designer. Later, Dina moved back to Egypt where she bagged a teaching job and simultaneously worked as a fashion designer. A few months later, she moved to the UK again and got engaged to Sid. They married in 2013. Dina gave birth to her daughter, Hana, in October 2015. In July 2018, Dina had a son.

Dina began her career as a fashion blogger after dropping out of college in 2011. However, she had already begun writing fashions blogs a year earlier. She felt the need to upgrade the fashion statement of “hijabi” women. This triggered the idea to work on fashion for Muslim women who wear the “hijab” and want to look stylish without showing much skin.

Dina launched her first 'YouTube' channel, ‘Dina Tokio,’ in April 2011. The channel primarily hosts makeup tutorials and fashion vlogs exclusively for “hijabi” women. With this channel, Dina became the first successful "hijabi" fashion vlogger in the UK. She also advocates women empowerment through her vlogs. Some of her popular videos are 'THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LIPSTICK IN THE WORLD,' 'TURBAN TUTORIAL WITH LIBERTY LONDON | OOTD!,' and 'AIRPORT SECURITY DON'T BELIEVE I'M BRITISH.' The channel now has over 813 thousand subscribers. Dina also has a collaborative channel with her husband. The channel has gained more than 374 thousand subscribers. Dina’s daily vlogs can be found on her vlog channel, ‘Dina Tokio Vlogs.’ The vlog channel has over 115 thousand subscribers. Dina’s 'Instagram' posts have earned her over a million followers on the platform.

In 2015, Dina launched her debut clothing line, ‘Dina Torkia.’ She and her husband worked for a year to launch the clothing line. They had to travel to Indonesia to monitor the manufacturing process. The launch was a huge success, and Dina’s first-ever collection was sold out almost instantly. Her collection can be found on her blogging website.

Dina launched her debut book, 'Modestly,' in September 2018. The book is largely based on Dina’s life experiences as a “hijabi” woman. The book also emphasizes on the lives of British Muslim and their struggles.

Dina’s efforts to bring the issues of Muslim women on a visible platform have earned her several rewards. She was chosen as the subject of a 'BBC' documentary titled 'Muslim Miss World.’ In 2017, she was named a 'Creator for Change’ by 'YouTube.' She was also featured in a series of her 'YouTube' videos under the hashtag '#YourAverageMuslim.' In January 2018, Dina earned a spot on ‘Vogue’s “New Suffragettes” list for being one of the most influential and successful “hijabi” women and for her contribution to modernize Muslim women. Dina has collaborated with many brands such as 'Liberty London,' 'Tom Ford,' 'ASOS,' 'Revlon,' 'Glossier,' and 'H&M.'