August 15, 2022

Sustainability in SHA

The buzz word sustainability is used and abused by the fashion industry, as by many others, to whitewash products and companies, thus allowing consumers to believe that they are being responsible and in their buying decisions. In a world more and more concerned about acquiring a story or an experience rather than merely a product, the notion that the product bought does not violate the environmental and labour laws or general ethical or legal codes, aims to create a “feel good factor” for the consumer, all while legitimizing the operations of the concerned company.

Perhaps the very notion that “Sewing Hope for Armenia” never set out to be a profit-making fashion entreprise, but rather a social entrepreneurship dedicated to help sustain the very livelihood of widows and displaced families of the 2022 Artsakh war, gives us a different perspective on the definition of the word sustainable entirely. In our case, the fashion is a by-product of sustainability rather than the other round. Where others whitewash their existing products with these fashionable words and phrases, we sell our products as a consequence of having created a programme to aid these women financially, emotionally and in some cases where needed, physically.

Every lady at Sewing Hope for Armenia has been carefully selected on the basis that, following the loss of her husband, brother, or father, and in many cases their homes and belongings, their very sustenance, as well as that of their children, was a stake. Having lost the breadwinner of the family, their outlook for life was precarious at best.

Sewing Hope for Armenia took them in, gave them training in the field of stitching and sewing, offered them dignified and honourable employment, and a new circle of trust, of women, who like them, feared for their lives and that of their families. Together, they formed a sisterhood, in which they sustained each other, exchanging stories and experiences, realizing that they were not alone in their misfortune and that together, they good be strong and provide a sustainable future for themselves, their families, and the sisterhood they had formed.

In situations of wars and displacement, sustainability of lives is usually closely followed by sustainability of culture, of traditions, all of which face the spectre of being erased by the enemy side. Throughout history, as the Armenian people were persecuted, so their culture was slowly being erased. The millennial old tradition of sewing and weaving is no exception to this.

Sustainability, at Sewing Hope for Armenia, does not stop at sustainability of lives, but places a very strong emphasis on the sustainability of cultures and traditions, in particular that of weaving, stitching, and sewing. All of our designs incorporate traditional Armenian weave patterns and designs, thus celebrating and perpetuating an integral part of the Armenian culture. Our collection also sources all of its materials locally and consciously, in the respect of environmental, moral, ethical and legal norms.