Hoda Katebi Wants to Take On Fast Fashion by Taking It Down

The yr we began, one among our members bought a name that her uncle and his eight-year-old son had been killed in bombings in Damascus, Syria. We requested her, “what do you want on this second?” We stopped manufacturing to go on a stroll together with her, and to construct care round her. So we had been very behind on our manufacturing and we misplaced that shopper. On the finish of the day, we dwell in a capitalist world. We are able to’t create a utopia — so the query is, how can we create the perfect of what this may be, even when it’s flawed?

I’ve seen that you just have a tendency to not use the phrase “refugees” when describing the Blue Tin group, although others do.

For me, the category half is extra essential than the identification half as a result of I hate identification politics. And “immigrant” and “refugee” have turn into catchphrases within the style business. Persons are like, “Aw, a cute stitching circle of immigrant girls.”

The group didn’t need to be framed by their trauma. We’re attempting to utterly reimagine the style business and construct garment employee energy, so manufacturers ought to work with us due to these unbelievable ability units and backgrounds, not as a result of they really feel dangerous. Oh, certain, go for the P.R., I don’t care. However actually it’s the attractive garments, and them bringing artwork and craftsmanship again to style the place it belongs.

What’s everybody engaged on now?

Proper now they’re in “panty purgatory,” as they name it. They’ve been making underwear nonstop, for a giant shopper. I feel that’s lastly completed, however we’re mainly panty entrepreneurs now.

How did your consciousness round these points take form?

Numerous my values come from Islamic values of divine compassion and divine mercy. These don’t sound radical, but it surely truly is a radical demand that we as an alternative dwell in a world of compassion and mercy.

So I’m all for an assault on empire and capitalism. However some nurturing is required, too. You must maintain each on the similar time. I suppose you throw your Molotov, however you additionally give somebody a hug.