Announcement
Muska Haseeb, a refugee from Afghanistan, fashion designer, and new US citizen, poses with models wearing her designs at HOPE Couture.
Photo: Colette Roark, Make Your Memory Photo
Opportunities
Hope Couture was all about opportunities.
For the IRC, the event was a opportunity to celebrate 25 years in Phoenix and the 17,000 refugees and thousands of immigrants that the organization has helped in that time.
For the refugee fashion designers, it was an opportunity to participate in a professional fashion show, to have their work displayed to an appreciative audience, and to acknowledge the support they have recieved from the IRC. The designers were refugees and an asylee from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
For models, the opportunity was to show what they can do on a runway, add some experience to a resume, and help out in a good cause.
The fashion show, held in downtown Phoenix on February 23, in partnership with LagosPHX, was a success in creating these opportunities.
Designers
Nada Al-Rubaye addresses the crowd at HOPE Couture with her models.
Photo: Colette Roark, Make Your Memory Photography
Nada Alrubaye had party dresses and abayas displayed on the runway. She also had handmade jewelry on sale. Nada came to the United States five years ago from Baghdad, Iraq. She studied fine arts in her home country, earning a college degree.
Now she is furthering her education at Phoenix College. She is also preparing for an exhibition of her paintings.
She has been preparing for a long time: she sewed her first dress when she was 13. But this was her first fashion show. “The IRC gave me a chance to do this,” she said.
Noreen Amir walks the runway alongside models at HOPE Couture.
Photo: Colette Roark, Make Your Memory Photography
Noreen Amir was also presenting for the first time at a fashion show. She showed 12 pieces that she described as casual wear.
“The IRC helped us a lot by giving us this platform,” Noreen said. “Without them I couldn’t have managed.”
Noreen, a refugee from Pakistan, has been in the United States for less than a year. This was her first fashion show as a designer, but it won’t be her last if things go her way. Her goal is to set up her own design business.
Speaking to the audience after her designs were shown, Noreen said, “Please support our small businesses. We want you to find a new culture and a new design.”
25 Years of HOPE
HOPE Couture featured fashion created by refugees from around the world, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Photo: Colette Roark, Make Your Memory Photography
HOPE Couture marked the 25th anniversary of the IRC in Phoenix. Founded in 1994, the IRC in Phoenix has resettled over 17,000 refugees and has provided services to thousands of other immigrants.
When refugees arrive in Phoenix, the IRC helps them access affordable housing, quality jobs, healthcare, and schools. Beyond that, the IRC provides services to refugees to aid them in starting their own businesses, purchasing a home, and applying for citizenship.
Both Nada and Noreen are clients of the IRC’s Microenterprise Development (MED) program. Through the MED program, IRC in Phoenix clients have started over 200 new small businesses, contributing to the Arizona economy and adding to the vibrancy of the community. Through it’s economic empowerment programs, the IRC has provided over $800,000 in low-interest loans to help clients purchase cars and start businesses.
In 2001, Sen. John McCain described the importance of the IRC’s work, in words that were shared again at HOPE Couture:
“It is the IRC’s moral leadership and its enduring commitment to the cause of human dignity that we celebrate tonight. The IRC transforms the nightmare of displacement into a new chance in a new land where no one comes for you in the night, where your children are safe, and where hope is contagious. A single act of love can save a life and build a future. This is what the IRC does every day.”
25 years in, the IRC continues leading the way from harm to home for refugees and other immigrants. IRC's programs continue to be comprehensive and effective. They have been expanded to work with new populations, including programs for asylum-seekers, providing emergency services and support to navigate the US asylum system.
Join us in aiding refugees, asylum-seekers, and other immigrants right here in Phoenix by supporting the IRC in Phoenix today!
Story by Dennis Godfrey. Photos by Colette Roark, Make Your Memory Photography.
