Fashion Revolution Week in Sudan for the First Time

Fashion Revolution Week is an annual global event surrounding 24 April, which commemorates the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, which killed 1,134 people in Dhaka District, Bangladesh. The factory housed a number of garment factories with around 5,000 people manufacturing clothing for many of the biggest global fashion brands. Over 1,100 people died, most of which were women, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history. As a result, this has led to the birth of the nonprofit organisation – Fashion Revolution.

Fashion Revolution is a global movement which runs all year round, campaigning for change in the model, material and mindset of the global fashion industry. Its mission is to unite people and organisations from all over the world to work together for positive change in the industry from start to finish. The movement acknowledges that fashion needs to become a force for good, an industry that values people, the environment, creativity and profit in equal measure.

Since Fashion Revolution Week (20 – 26 April 2020) is occurring during the current global pandemic, most events will be held entirely online, tackling four key areas this year — consumption, composition, conditions and collective action. This global movement is meant to shed light on the people making our clothes, who are very vulnerable and lacking basic rights such as sick pay, paid leave and adequate health care. Therefore, it is imperative for the citizens of the world to use their voices to hold big corporations accountable and be a part of the force to uproot an entire system and make the world a fairer, transparent place.

Hadeel Osman, founder and creative director of DAVU Studio, a multidisciplinary creative studio based in Khartoum is launching the very first Fashion Revolution Week in Sudan via the DAVU Studio Facebook and Instagram pages. The Fashion Revolution Week programme includes educational posts, short film screenings and Instagram Live videos with Sudanese women and men actively working in the environmental, design, industrial, educational and creative fields to contribute to the growth of a fully functioning Sudanese fashion industry. 

The educational posts were presented in a visually pleasing manner and included factual information regarding statistics in the global fashion industry, alternatives to common practices and quotes from industry leaders who are spearheading this much needed movement.

DAVU Studio has curated a programme of eight specific topics, by hosting Instagram Live sessions with eight different Sudanese speakers covering the following:

1. “A Sustainable Sudan” with Reem ElHussien, Environmental Specialist (April, 21st)

2. “Upcycling Workshop” with Sahar Arrayeh, Visual Artist (22 April 2020)

3. “Secondhand Markets” with Thowiba Alhaj, Thrifting Advocate (23 April 2020)

4. “Fashion Industry Education” with Nafiza Hafiz, Fashion Designer (23 April 2020)

5. “The Role of E-Platforms” with Mutaman Younis, Founder of Verandh Hub (24 April 2020)

6. “Fix, Make, Customize” with Abdelrahman Osman, Founder & CEO of DIY Sudan (25 April 2020)

7. “The Visuals of Fashion” with Noory Taha, Fashion Photographer (26 April 2020)

8. “Fashion & Individuality” with Walaa Mamoum, Fashion Designer (26 April 2020)

Alongside the Instagram Live sessions, DAVU Studio also recommended, on 24 April, the 7th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, a list of five short films, which are available online and for free. The films discuss the complicated, dark reality of the fashion industry to give viewers a deeper sense of understanding of the issues in the overall supply chain and to start an active discussion in order to make changes happen.

In recent years, Sudan has been witnessing a boom in the arts and culture field and the fashion scene has been steadily formulating since. It is essential to recognise the potential of job creation, industry development, artisan expertise and creative entrepreneurship in a post-revolution Sudan. Through Fashion Revolution Week, the aim is to not only showcase diverse experiences and encouragement for collaborations for a brighter future, it is also to position Sudan as an upcoming arena for industrial growth.

Seeing that Sudan is essentially a raw land for this new revolutionary concept of fashion, the present is the best time to birth a whole new identity of fashion. The idea that fashion is selective, classist, discriminatory, expensive and wasteful are all terms which need to be reversed and that is done through a fashion revolution for everyone to participate in. Through Sudan’s Fashion Revolution Week, we also hope to instil the ideologies of secondhand fashion and upcycling all while pushing the narrative to begin embracing a sustainable lifestyle that cares for the future of our motherland.

Hadeel Osman is a creative director, stylist and graphic designer. She is amongst the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 List for 2020 and is the founder of multidisciplinary creative studio DAVU Studio, which provides an array of services including creative and art direction, concept development, branding, styling, marketing and fashion consultancy as well as training in the form of practical workshops. Osman is an advocate for change and development in Sudan and across Africa and is heavily involved in pursuit of evolving the local contemporary fashion scene into a fully functioning industry. She is currently working on having an official Sudan chapter of the Fashion Revolution organisation.