By: Angela Luna
Since the end of March, we had been brainstorming as to what other items we could develop that would be responsive and useful during the time of covid. We introduced our face masks when access to facial covers and hand sanitizer was limited, but understood and identified other key moments of fear and potential exposure while going outside and wanted to develop solutions. It really brought us back to the reason ADIFF was founded: designing solutions for global crises through the fashion industry.
After donating masks to the frontlines, we wanted to create additional responsive items on…
The Current State of the Refugee Crisis
The cameras have gone, but the crisis is far from over.
By: Denalia Zhi
Five years ago, images of families making the daunting journey across the Mediterranean gained widespread media coverage and sparked an international response to the plight of refugees across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The UNHCR distributed thousands of shelter kits to displaced families, and companies pledged millions of dollars in financial support. Although the media’s focus has turned elsewhere, the refugee crisis is far from over. …
Are face masks the new fashion accessory?
By: Loulwa Al Saad
As coronavirus hit — slowly at first, then all at once, the sight of people wearing a face mask has become more common. There has also been confusion and misinformation around the need to wear a medical mask, and so, we’ve been seeing a shortage of surgical masks in the U.S. The Center for Disease and Control recommended that “a surgical N95 is recommended only for use by healthcare personnel, and should not be used or needed outside of healthcare settings.” …
How to define sustainable living & the necessary actions to take
By: Denalia Zhi
At ADIFF, we believe that fashion has the power to achieve positive social change with a minimal environmental impact. By creating versatile pieces for everyday wear from discarded UNHCR tent and life jacket material, we not only provide jobs to resettled refugees in our manufacturing facilities but also grant a second life to the byproducts of an ongoing humanitarian crisis. These actions reflect our commitment to conserving Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
Unfortunately, not all businesses recognize this responsibility. …
Conversations with our tailors
By: Loulwa Al Saad
Our customers have expressed interest in learning more about our social impact as a brand and how we accurately measure it. The most effective way to do this was to have a discussion with our three refugee tailors from Afghanistan: Ahmad, Shafik and Zaher, to properly evaluate the impact ADIFF has on their lives. I’d like to start with a brief background on how ADIFF has been taking actions to create this impact, then follow with the discussion we had with our tailors.
Why have we decided to embed social impact into…
What you need to know
By: Angela Luna
We did the research and compiled information from various sources into this blog post for you, so you can best understand if our “emergency mask” is a preventative solution for you during this pandemic.
Do you even need a mask?
Officials have gone back and forth whether or not face masks are helpful. According to the Guardian:
“Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick — viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which…
The effect of coronavirus on refugee communities
By: Angela Luna
Coronavirus is an equal-opportunist: affecting people of all races, income levels, genders, religions, etc. Even celebrities aren’t immune, as A-listers such as Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Idris Elba, Arielle Charnas, and The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood, among others, have reported that they tested positive for COVID-19. In a pandemic, viruses do not discriminate when it comes to whom it infects, but a large percent of the population already has a leg up in the fight to stay healthy.
Within the United States, we’ve already started to see how access to testing…
By: Angela Luna
The UN’s work and reports often feed into our business practices, and actually were the guiding force for our latest impact strategy and supply chain pivot.
When I learned that the deadline of climate change’s effects on our world wasn’t some far off date, and that we would actually start to see detrimental impacts by 2030, it woke me up. Since I first heard about global warming and climate change, I was one of the many people who naively thought the consequences wouldn’t be visible during my lifetime — that it was something my great-grandchildren would be…
By: Loulwa Al Saad
Cultural appropriation in fashion is a controversial topic that has been discussed for years but still exists till this day. As an Arab and co-founder of ADIFF, I found myself reading a lot on the relationship between colonialism, sustainability, and fashion. I was most intrigued by how cultural appropriation in design relates to colonialism. Colonialism goes beyond access to territory for the motive of offering a “helping hand”, but also includes access to a vast amount of resources, assuming ownership of ideas, and gaining access to land-based cultural designs for fashion.
The fashion industry has been…
By: Angela Luna
Most people (admittedly, myself included) don’t always think about where the clothing from last season that they drop off at a donation bin is actually going. They feel good about giving away their hardly-worn clothing to someone who may have a better use for it, without thinking of the actual impact that donated piece has, where it ends up, and who is wearing it.
In this past week’s research on sustainability, garment manufacturing, used clothing, colonialism, and waste imperialism, I was fascinated to learn that more than 70% of donated clothing from Western nations ends up in…
