A nonprofit clothing company, allsorts hopes to help girls and women gain financial independence through a sewing training program. With new skills and a new sense of empowerment, our women aspire to create modest fashionable clothing for teen girls while incorporating a business model dedicated to fair trade and sustainable practices.
The idea started with Nurayn Khan, a Chicago high school student who noticed how difficult it was to find modest and trendy clothing when out shopping with friends at her local mall. Nurayn enlisted a friend, Jannah Ahmed, to help her with a new project: designing a line of clothing that the two girls would not only love to wear, but also feel good about purchasing. The girls were eager to develop a line of clothing that was not only focused on environmental sustainability and a minimal carbon footprint, but also ethically sewn. Nurayn and Jannah were able to connect with local organizations in Chicago that focused on helping refugee women gain independence and work experience. Through allsorts, they set up training sessions, complete with sewing machines and an experienced instructor. Once proficient in their sewing skills, refugee women were given an opportunity to produce clothing for Nurayn and Jannah’s line, with all profits being reinvested in teaching refugees sewing skills so that they might land long term employment in the Chicagoland area.
Allsorts was created in January 2020 and is currently working with refugee women through ICNA Relief Chicago. We hope to branch out and work with other organizations in the future.
Our mission:
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Empower refugee women towards financial independence
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Develop modest and eco friendly clothing for teens
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Create an outlet for teens to explore the modest fashion industry
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Promote environmentally sustainable, ethically sourced clothing options
