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Writer's pictureAreef Shaik

Project AMAL: A wearable shelter for Syrian refugees


Hope, Prospect, Expectancy, Trust

Project AMAL (my master's thesis) involved creating ‘convertible multi-purpose clothing for Syrian refugees’ in collaboration with Vogue Velocity Apparelz, an apparel manufacturing company in Egypt. This study investigated the essential needs of homeless refugees residing at camps set up by humanitarian organizations and proposes a CSR initiative for an apparel manufacturing company to donate wearable shelters. As suggested by Valerie Rangel’s (2014) article, the fashion industry may be persuaded to take responsibility for clothing aid funding as part of their corporate social responsibility. Hence, the eventual aim of this project is to propose a CSR initiative for the sponsor company “Velocity Apparelz” to promote a ‘buy-one and donate-one’ marketing model for its in-house manufactured apparel brands ‘MAGGIE’ and ‘WEB’ which cater European and Indian markets respectively.


The study generated information based on the needs expressed by the refugees currently residing in towns of Egypt to determine clothing requirements of refugees and also to utilize the best suitable resources available at an apparel manufacturing company in an economical way.

Secondary research about refugees' needs

“We lost everything, possessions and belongings, because of the war; we don’t like to lose our identity too”. - Nasreen, A syrian refugee


The Product: 3-in-1 Wearable shelter for Syrian refugees

3-in-1 Wearable shelter for Syrian refugees

This abaya like dress doubles as a Shelter for homeless refugees. It is an affordable, all-in-one coat, backpack and sleeping bag to cope with Syria's humanitarian crisis. The dress is made out of Polyester fleece, the same material used for winter jackets and hoodies. The inner side of the fabric is brushed which gives a comfy feel to the wearer. The design and materials to make the Syrian refugee wearable shelter are affordable enough to produce on a large scale and donate freely to refugees by the manufacturing company.


The wearer shelter folded and worn as a backpack



Folded as a backpack, the wearable shelter operates like a uni-sex and uni-size abaya. With draw stings at the neck and draw cords around the waist the dress fits a wide range of size group. Also the dress is length adjustable with the help of Velcro Hook N Loop fastener stitched on to the garment at selected places. Undress the abaya, and it can be used as either a sleeping bag, or a tent (as a further suggestion) through the use of accompanying kite rods and strings.


The abaya being used as a sleepping bag

Since the abaya is a loose garment, drawstrings are incorporated to secure the waist allowing for ease of movement without the excess fabric getting in the way. Size adjustable straps are stitched on to the back of the garment, which help in carrying the backpack on the shoulders. A reflective tape is stitched on the underside of the edge of the shawl, which can be can reflect light when the shawl is worn as a hood. This was included in the design as the refugees do have issues with needing to be seen and needing to hide at other times. Velcro Hook N Loop fasteners are attached at multiple places on the garment to make it length adjustable as required by the wearer and to keep the excess fabric in place when folded into a backpack.


Shawl (with reflective tape around the edges) used to cover the head



To summarize, the final output of this project incorporates several safety and visibility features; is multipurpose providing shelter, protection, and improved carrying capacity; is unisex, one-size-fits-all and flat-packed, thereby easy to handle, store, and distribute. The design is sustainable compared to used clothing donations as it reduces the carbon footprint by eliminating the need to transport large bales of redundant clothing that ultimately contribute to waste and also because only as many units are distributed as are needed.

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Akram Shaik
28 เม.ย. 2563

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