POPSUGAR Australia is dedicating the month of September to featuring the next generation of inspired thinkers and courageous individuals who are building and manifesting a brighter future — because the next gen is unstoppable. We will deliver personal essays from young Australians who are making a name for themselves, as well as inspiring thought pieces and interviews with rising talent across different industries throughout the month. Find all of our pieces here, and if there’s someone you think is missing, email our editor so we can share their story — abardas@valmorgan.com.au.
While these days, sustainability is a buzzword in the fashion industry, back in 2009, it was a different story entirely, says Natalie Shehata, Australian eco-stylist extraordinaire.
“When I started out as a young fashion stylist, I’d email magazines about publishing my styled editorials that featured all second-hand, vintage and op-shop pieces and I would receive rejection after rejection because they didn’t want to promote items they couldn’t monetise,” says Shehata.
“Back then, here in Australia, there weren’t ambassadors, media outlets and magazines promoting second-hand clothing — personal style wasn’t as celebrated as it is now, and there wasn’t as much awareness around the makers behind our clothes.”
Frustrated that preloved and second-hand clothing wasn’t being embraced by mainstream fashion, not to mention that dressing as a way to communicate our identity wasn’t being valued, Shehata decided to launch digital publication and platform tommie Magazine in 2017.
She says the fashion industry’s oppression and elitism at the time also played a role in driving her to create the publication. “I was often one of the only people of colour on photoshoots, at events, in PR showings, at fashion shows or industry events, in marketing meetings or at panel discussions,” she says.
“I experienced first-hand the prejudice and bias of the industry. There were no conversations around representation and inclusivity at this time, and I knew I had to be one of the people to change this, and that’s how tommie was born.”
Since launching the digital publication, Shehata says she’s been on a mission to challenge the mainstream fashion agenda in Australia and abroad and to create awareness and education around sustainable fashion and its multi-dimensional layers.
“We’ve hosted an ethical fashion market celebrating Australian-made fashion brands and held community gatherings, panel discussions, op-shopping tours, film screenings,” she says. “We have our online ‘tommie Shop’ where we sell vintage pieces and we’ve appeared at festivals, trade events and on podcasts.”
As part of her revolutionising of the fashion industry, Shehata also works as a retail trainer and resident eco-stylist at The Social Outfit, a social enterprise and charity-based ethical fashion brand that exists to provide Australian jobs and training opportunities in clothing production, retail, design and marketing to refugee and new migrant communities of women.
The fashion label produces clothing using mostly (90 percent) donated materials from other Australian fashion brands that otherwise would’ve ended up in landfill. All clothing is locally-made in the brands’ own sewing workroom, located above its retail shop on King Street in Newtown. The workroom and shop are staffed by female refugees and women from migrant communities.
Shehata works to teach them everything they need to know about working in retail. “With refugee women being one of the most under-employed group of people in Australia, the first job is often the hardest to get,” she says. “Our retail training program provides paid on-the-job experience — it’s not volunteer work.”
Shehata describes the women she’s worked within her role at The Social Outfit as resilient, kind, determined and empathetic young people who have experienced situations and circumstances that no person should have to go through.
“These women are wise beyond their years and have street smarts and life skills that take people a whole lifetime to learn, if they ever do at all,” she says. “They teach me that hope is always worth fighting for and how tenacious we can be as individuals. Their struggle is their strength.”
With all that Shehata’s already accomplished, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that she’s only getting started. “A bright future to me looks like a world where we celebrate our differences. This is why I get up every day — for change,” she says.
“For a more hopeful tomorrow. We need people in all areas disrupting the status quo and I hope you’ll join me in being a curious citizen of the world who gets comfortable with the discomfort and stands in solidarity with those who need to be heard. Change starts with you.”
You can follow Natalie Shehata on Instagram.
