Sydney is home to an eclectic collection of businesses owned and operated by our refugee, asylum seeker, and migrant community—and we believe this makes our city a richer, more exciting place to live. In this new series, together with our friends at Welcome Merchant, we’ll be highlighting some of these awesome businesses and the people behind them.
The conversation around the ethics of the fashion industry has grown substantially in recent years. With the spotlight on the worrying practices of the fast fashion giants, many consumers are wanting to vote with their dollar and turn to ethical labels instead.
One such Sydney-based brand that maintains a strong focus on both ethics and sustainability is luxury fashion label Gina Barjeel, the namesake business of the founder. We were fortunate enough to have a chat with Gina about her love for fashion, how her cultural background and ethos influence her work, and the future of the Gina Barjeel label.
Can you tell us about how you began your journey as a fashion designer?
The first time I fell in love with fashion was when I saw my dressmaker Aunt laying the fabrics on the table, cutting the patterns, and sewing on the sewing machine. I was as young as I can remember; I knew from that moment that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After graduating from high school, I started my uni journey and graduated with a business degree. I started working as a banker for almost five years and learned a lot, but my dream still needed to be fulfilled. I decided to continue following my dreams, and I continued to self-teach myself and started taking fashion, sketching, and pattern-making courses in the evening after work.
After moving to Australia in April 2018, I applied for jobs from the first month I arrived but didn’t get anything; at the same time, I also volunteered to support women in the community with their English classes in Wollongong. The women told me they were looking for jobs but couldn’t get anything.
I truly felt a passion for supporting women, and that’s when I successfully initiated the Women’s Fashion Project in August 2018. The project empowers women from diverse backgrounds in the community to enhance and upskill them in fashion and sewing techniques. At the same time that we initiated the project, I was preparing to launch my brand. In December 2018, we launched the brand and started our beautiful journey to support women. This year we expanded the project with different councils in Sydney.
How do your Palestinian heritage and culture connect with the designs you create for the Gina Barjeel brand?
Our modern designs are inspired by different cultures, which I love to learn about the most and is what inspires me. Our signature touch is the Palestinian embroidery (the cross stitch). My heritage and culture fed my family when they fled from Palestine to Jordan in 1948 as refugees, from farming, baking, dressmaking, and embroidery. Our beautiful culture is my identity, it is who I am and what differentiates me to be me.
Sustainability and ethics play a key role in your design and manufacturing process. Can you outline the steps Gina Barjeel takes to be a sustainable and ethical label, and why this is important to you?
Our brand is not only socially responsible but also environmentally responsible. Our brand has zero stock as we are made to order. We use fabrics from suppliers in Australia that have dead stock from other designers and brands to be used and not to be sent to landfill. Ethically, we follow the textile, clothing, and footwear award in Australia to pay the women. As well as creating a safe and supportive environment for women to work.
What are you most proud of so far in your career?
We are proud of everything we achieved so far, but one of our proudest work and heart-warming is meeting the women through the project and supporting them.
We hear you are launching a menswear line soon! Can you tell us more?
Yes! We are super excited about the menswear too. We are launching next year and will be called “Barjeel”. Like the women’s brand, it is Australian-made. We will be using silk fabrics for the accessories and Australian merino wool for the tailored suits.
What else is in store for the future of the Gina Barjeel label?
We will participate in fashion shows, different markets, and support as many women as possible to find jobs in Australia and expanding internationally in the future.
To keep up-to-date with Gina Barjeel, head to their website or Instagram.
To support Welcome Merchant and check out their upcoming events, head to their website.
Image credit: Gina Barjeel Instagram