Sustainable Fashion
Sustainable social business innovation for SRH Berlin School of Design and communication
By Haya el Khoury
(click on the link to visit the website mockup https://www.canva.com/design/DAEhWtxPNB0/UBsHWnP78ceKZiPpEojWrQ/view )
-
Clothes and garments, textile and fabrics, patch-making and embroidery have been playing a significant role in communication, cultural exchange, and visual representation of beliefs, customs, and cultures.
A jacket may hold more than a body; it is protective gear and armor. A shirt is a shelter from the cold, but it is also characters embodied and personalities exhibited.
Garments are stories lived
Reworn’ are stories Re-told & Re-parched through shared and collective memory
Modern Fashion production has capitalized on our stories and sold them for cheap; it has encouraged modern slavery and abused human labor in certain areas of the world. Moreover, the world has fallen into a deeper crisis because of Fashion Pollution and the significant social role the Fashion industry holds. One cannot talk about sustainability without talking about social innovation and green solutions working hand in hand.
South-East Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East have forever been famous for their renowned cultures and history. Their heritage has been brought down from generation to generation and one common Medium for storytelling was, and still is, Fabric.
Whether it is a Kebaya, a Cheongsam, or a hijab; fabric has been used as a canvas for expression and exchange of cultures within communities.
Today, these countries are facing massive waves of immigration due to poor living conditions, political and economic difficulties, and a lack of decent job opportunities.
Social integration of immigrants and refugees is always challenging. Cultural clash can lead to social shock and exclusion of communities resulting in bigger social injustice and more racism.
What is Reworn’:
Reworn is a nongovernmental organization and Sustainable fashion initiative rallying on 2 parallel pillars;
In an attempt to tackle environmental and social causes, Reworn’ is a holistic approach to social and ecological injustice; Reworn aims to create a link between the consumer and the producer in a holistic, fair trade and ecological bond of collaboration, trust, and support and wishes to promote conscious fashion production by encouraging upcycling previously used garments.
Reworn works on social integration and women empowerment by enabling women with tools that would help them gain independence and carve their way within their community through capacity-building programs and workshops.
Who we are:
Reworn is a fair-trade collaboration between women immigrating from countries affected by the fashion exploitation and pollution (including Thailand, Indonesia, Kenya, Syria, etc.) and design students from SRH school of design (fashion, strategic and social design), in partnership with Bluefish Tunisia (working on social business innovation and cultural heritage), SRH and Katramiz (cultural regeneration and art intervention to artisanal product in Lebanon)
Where?
Reworn is a physical shop/gallery curated and managed by the Makers themselves and an online platform available in Germany.
How it’s Done
Through the social business initiative and shop, women refugees and immigrants are empowered and employed and take the role of the “Makers”.
Inspired by embroidery and textile making, the designers, or Makers, patch together different garments according to color, texture, and material, and create a larger fabric of patchwork made from donated clothes, (and other materials) to which they apply the different products to be designed.
Through the website, the user is invited to donate material and fabric and enjoy a discount through the following easy steps (assisted with Live chat):
1- Upload a picture of the garments
2- Wait for the expert’s suggestions including “Donating”, “Up-cycling” and “Repair”. The user has now the freedom of choice.
3- Donate: if the Garments are in good condition, they will be donated to refugees in near camps in Germany.
4- Up-Cycle: The garments will be added to the archive of material, gathered from all online/in-store donations, organized, and sorted according to different criteria.
5- Repair: in this case, the garments need some repairing, the experts from Reworn’ will fix them and send them back to the user, and the service expenses are added to the user’s cart.
< >Once done with these steps, the user is thanked and offered a discount for participation, which they may claim and continue shopping or check out. A weekly pick-up system gathers the garments from the addresses or the user drops them at the shop.
The attached Video is a Mock-up of the preliminary website design and one example of a user’s journey.
