The Palestyle Clutch (Source: Fashion Compassion)
When was the last time you looked down at your trendy-but-questionable harem pants and asked yourself, “Where did these come from?” No, they did not claw its way out of the ’90s, fresh from an MC Hammer video, as much as your friends might like to tell you (don’t worry, they’re just jealous). Aladdin didn’t call, asking for his pants back (honestly, you might need new friends). No, harem-pants person. Those pants were the result of a long and complex value chain, and in some instances, players (often the people making the garments in countries like Bangladesh or Pakistan), were exploited in the process. The ethical fashion movement aims to address and remedy some of these issues – many labels using fair trade or ethical practices or producing eco-friendly products. Ayesha Mustafa is the Pakistani founder of Fashion ComPassion, a UK-based ethical online retailer that markets socially responsible luxury brands. In the eight months since Fashion ComPassion was established, she has worked with companies like Polly & Me (with Chitrali women in Pakistan), Palestyle (with Palestinian refugee women), and Beshtar (Afghanistan). Below, she tell us more about her organization:
Q: What inspired you to establish Fashion ComPassion? How did your past interests or background converge for the creation of this innovative organization?
Fashion and giving back to society have been my two biggest passions and Fashion ComPassion is a combination of the two. I had been toying with the idea of creating my own fashion company for awhile, and just decided I needed to make that call and switch careers.
Growing up in Pakistan and the Middle East where one sees discrepancies in wealth, poverty, and a lack of opportunities for girls and women, I wanted to create a platform that could directly support the most marginalized. I also interned at Grameen Bank when I was 17 and saw the transformational impact it had on women, their families and society. This stayed with me and throughout my life, I have worked and volunteered with organizations that supported women causes/rights.
Q: Fashion ComPassion currently supports four labels with four different influences – Polly & Me from Pakistan, Palestyle that empowers Palestinian refugee women, Beshtar from Afghanistan, and Savannah Chic, which is designed by African artists. How did you go about forming these partnerships and did you initially want Fashion ComPassion to be global in scope?
The mandate of the company is to create a platform for women artisans in the developing world, i.e Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, so from the onset I wanted it to be global but focus on countries that are war-torn and where there is a real need to help and empower women. I started with a vision document about the company and first i approached Polly & Me, and the rest just fell into place with research and referrals from friends and family.
Currently, I have added new brands in the portfolio: (1) Bhalo is a limited edition clothing and accessories label that works with women in Bangladesh. The products are made from ethically hand woven and naturally dyed cottons and silks. Bhalo works with two fair trade organizations, and provides employment, healthcare, child care to women who otherwise would not be employed due to mass production. Bhalo works with the same fair trade organization as People Tree. (2) Lost City is a NY label that works with artisans in Lucknow, India to revive their traditional craftsmanship with contemporary style.
I am no longer working with Polly & Me and Savannah Chic at the moment and in the midst of creating a new online website for the garments and goods.
Q: According to your philosophy, “Not only do we source responsibly from brands that contribute to society and empower women, our aim is to also donate a percentage of our sales to charities that support marginalized women in various communities around the world…” How does Fashion ComPassion do the due diligence in ensuring their brands empower women? What charities do you currently support?
We have strict criteria when we look at brands to partner with and support. Some of the things we look at are:
- Why was the company formed? Was it created to address a social problem, and what is the mission or mandate of the company?
- Does it have a strong social development ethos?
- How is fashion and social development combined to form the label?
- Does the brand work or partner with any local fair trade or women right organizations?
- How are the artisans paid?
- What are their working conditions?
- Are the artisans trained and given creative guidance?
- Are they given any other assistance in terms of health care or child care?
- Does the label support the community and give a certain percentage back?
- Can the label provide evidence and documents to support how they are helping and empowering the women they work with?
Fashion ComPassion is also committed to give back 2% of its annual profits to various women organizations that are fostering positive change and impact on women. I am looking at three at the moment, but since I am part of Women for Women International’s Junior Leadership circle, I would like to help with one of the countries they are setting up a Country Office in or a project they are focusing on.
Q: Where do you see Fashion ComPassion in the next year? In the next five years?
In the coming year, I would like to build greater awareness of Fashion ComPassion and its brands by focusing on various events and collaborations with organizations that have a similar mandate. The new website will be launched with an online shop which will allow customers to buy products directly. I am also looking at pop up stores to sell some of the brands.
In the long term, because my biggest industry inspiration is Joan Burstein, the founder of Browns, I want to make Fashion ComPassion follow Brown’s footsteps and be the one-stop shop for high-end and unique ethical fashion.
Q: The convergence of fashion and social impact is a really fascinating marriage right now with organizations like Elvis & Kresse and Goodone, which supply ethical and eco-friendly clothing to fashion stores. In the value chain, how does Fashion ComPassion market these brands to the larger or more mainstream markets?
Fashion ComPassion’s purpose is to bring together high-end socially responsible brands from the developing world and create a market for it in the UK and other countries like the US. We are starting with an online website that will sell to customers globally, we also organize events at galleries, boutiques, and form partnerships with other ethical fashion brands and women organizations. We have also taken part in fashion shows and plan to be part of trade shows for ethical fashion. With time, we plan to supply our brands to other online fashion sites in the U.S. and ethical fashion boutiques there.
Q: What has been the reaction so far to Fashion ComPassion? What has been your biggest success and failure so far?
The reaction so far has been phenomenal. I honestly didn’t except such a positive response from customers, press, retailers and other individuals. I think I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have had it not been for the help and support of numerous people that have believed in me and the company.
The Beshtar Burqa Dress (Source: Fashion ComPassion)
My biggest success was when Beshtar’s Burqa Dress was one of the pieces of Vogue’s Green Carpet Challenge. In less than three months since I started the company, the dress was included in this prestigious selection which included some of the most well-known designers that are working on their ethical lines.
I wouldn’t call it a failure but not being able to find the right socially responsible brand from Pakistan that I can work with and make a name for in the UK. This is something that I am researching and have talked to various individuals in Pakistan both in social development and fashion. I hope that very soon, I can get a brand from my own country and create a positive image of Pakistan through fashion.
You can become a learn more about Fashion ComPassion by visiting their website or joining their Facebook page.
[...] article was cross-posted with CHUP) When was the last time you looked down at your trendy-but-questionable harem pants and asked [...]
Seems good, but I do wonder–isn’t there enough (trendy) attention to Afghanistan, Africa, Palestine? What about helping poor people in Sindh and Punjab? Why is that not in vogue?
Thanks Javed – as Ayesha mentioned in her interview – she is currently trying to find the right partner in Pakistan, and has previously worked with Polly & Me, which is a label that works with women in Chitral. I’d rather her find a good partner that fulfills the checklist she mentioned!
Also, she’s in talks with one social enterprise in Pakistan – stay tuned!
[...] Redefining “Good” Fashion: Q&A with Fashion ComPassion’s Ayesha Mustafa [...]
giving 2% of your profits away doesn’t qualify this as social entrepreneurship. i know businesses which give away upto 10% of their profits to charitable causes without claiming the now fashionable “socent” tag.
while a good start, do think about the fact that the brand is based on the work of artisans and workers who are disenfranchised and the USP is that the work being sold benefits them hence you can charge higher prices by tapping into the compassionate vein of consumers of a certain segment. How does 2% do justice to the folks creating the work? How is this different from any other clothing brand pushing the same model?
Shakir-
First thanks for your comments, both here and on Twitter. First, I don’t think Ayesha claims to be a social enterprise (I could be wrong on this), but the 2% isn’t the profit going back to the workers, it’s the additional add-on reinvestment that Fashion ComPassion is giving to other charities, different from the orgs she works with (I edited her answer but she mentioned Mukhtar Mai’s org, and Women for Women as the 2 she was considering supporting).
Remember that Fashion ComPassion isn’t an ethical fashion label itself – it provides a platform and helps bring those goods to market. They likely have a % they take out in the process that goes back to FC, (Ayesha please feel free to add to this), but the money ultimately goes back to the ethical or eco-friendly label that supports women workers etc. It’s basically the last step in the value chain, so while not the label itself, it is the component of the chain that brings the goods to the mainstream, a major problem for fashion social enterprises.
Hi Shakir, thanks for your comment above. Just to clarify a few things.. Fashion ComPassion is an ethical fashion brand by that i mean we focus on fair trade and environmentally friendly businesses practices. Fashion ComPassion works with social enterprises like Beshtar etc that are created to help the people of the community they are working with. Some are for profit and some are just in existence to give back.
You mentioned how 2% of profits going back doesnt qualify a company as a social enterprise. Fashion ComPassion was created to provide a platform to creative artisans in the developing world, who are disenfranchised as you stated so. But the brands we work with not only provide them with employment, fair pay, good working conditions, design guidance, but also share a percentage of their sales with the artisans. These brands pay for health care, child care , education etc. Hence Fashion ComPassion is creating a market and awareness for such brands which are mainly operating in their home countries. By opening markets, these artisans can do more work and hence get more profits in the company. Also unlike other fashion brands which operate on a 3 times margin, we dont work like that, since we pay the artisans fairly the margin isn’t huge at all.
Further to all this, Fashion ComPassion will give 2% of its profits to organizations and causes that foster women rights, education, health care etc. The company is for profit, but it is all about doing good and doing well at the same time.
well done keep going!
Interesting stuff..i would love to interview her for my tv channel:)