Emerging fashion brand, Nazeerah, supports a new generation of farmers in Egypt who are restoring the land through the cultivation of regenerative, organic Egyptian cotton. First womenswear line in the United States to offer organic Egyptian cotton.
PORTLAND, Ore., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Nazeerah, an emerging sustainable apparel brand that combines nineties silhouettes with natural and biodegradable materials, such as linen, Tencel™ Lyocell, and regeneratively-grown organic Egyptian cotton, aims to set a new standard in the fashion industry, while working to mitigate the environmental effects of Egypt's Aswan "High Dam" on the country's lifeline: the Nile River. In addition, Nazeerah is the first womenswear line to debut in the United States that features organic Egyptian cotton.
Co-founded by Emily Mikhaiel, a fashion designer with a background in environmental law, Nazeerah is named in honor of Mikhaiel's paternal grandmother, a seamstress who made, repaired, and altered clothing for the people in her village near Sohag in Upper Egypt many years ago. During Nazeerah's time, the Nile River would flood each year dispersing 40 million tons of nutrient-rich silt resulting in plentiful crops.
Since the establishment of the Aswan High Dam, one of the world's largest embankment dams, built across the Nile River, farmers have relied on synthetic means of fertilizing and protecting crops. Currently, the country is dependent on 1 million tons of synthetic fertilizers per year, which is leading to further degradation of the land.
Nazeerah partners directly with family farmers who are enhancing the biodiversity of the Egyptian landscape by farming cotton biodynamically; using only natural compost for fertilizer, neem oil extract to prevent plant disease, and non-invasive methods such as pheromones and beneficial insects, like ladybugs, to control pests.
What makes the brand unique is that its entire collection is made in a regional supply chain in Egypt: from farm to mill, to finished product. Mikhaiel's co-founders, Mahmoud El-Gazzarr and Eissa Mohamed, veterans of the apparel manufacturing world who have helped produce products for Wrangler, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger, are based in Cairo. They maintain direct relationships with all factory and supply partners through weekly visits to ensure quality control and safe and healthy working conditions, without relying on third-party audits.
Growing up in California just West of the Sierra Nevadas, in the late eighties and nineties, Mikhaiel designed the Nazeerah collection inspired by the simplistic silhouettes of that era combined with a love for minimalistic architecture. Highlights from the collection include structured Italian linen/Egyptian cotton blended vests, blazers and trousers; button-fly and high-waisted jeans and kimono-inspired denim jackets made from upcycled organic cotton yarn; a range of long, short, crop and sleeveless tops in luxuriously soft regenerative Egyptian cotton; vintage-inspired drop waist and halter maxi dresses; and flared skirts, and silky button-ups in 100% Tencel™ Lyocell.
ABOUT NAZEERAH
Founded in 2024, Nazeerah is a womenswear brand of consciously made, ethically transparent clothing that prioritizes natural and biodegradable materials. Nazeerah apparel is made in a regional supply chain in Egypt and aims to support the new wave of farmers in Egypt who are growing biodynamic (also known as regenerative) cotton in harmony with nature. For more information, visit www.nazeerah.com or follow Nazeerah on Instagram.
Media Contact
Andrea Olmsted, Sustainable Fashion PR, 1 619-813-5520, [email protected], sustainablefashionpr.com
SOURCE Nazeerah
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