Materials & Packaging
MATERIALS
In collaboration with our valued farmers, mills, and suppliers, we have worked tirelessly to develop a material mix that pushes the boundaries of the industry toward regenerative stewardship and circular means of production.
FABRICS
Egypt is world-renowned for cultivating some of the finest cotton breeds known to civilization. With its long staple, Egyptian cotton provides a durability that, paired with its soft and sumptuous nature, creates high quality, luxurious fabrics that are made to be treasured.
We have partnered with SEKEM, an organization that works directly with family farms, to source the finest organic Egyptian cotton of a regenerative standard. These cottons are biodynamically heritage-grown and harvested with respect to the cycles of nature, sequestering carbon from our atmosphere and enhancing the biodiversity of the land.
All of our regenerative Egyptian cotton fabrics are GOTS certified organic, Demeter certified biodynamic, OEKO-Tex 100 Certified, and Fair Trade.
Derived from the fibers of flax plants that are grown and harvested in Tuscany, Italian linen is naturally hypoallergenic and luxuriously breathable.
To combine the best of both worlds we use a blend of Italian linen with Egyptian Cotton. This fabric meets OEKO-Tex 100 standards, and because of its composition it has biodegradable potential as well as it can be recycled at the end of its use.
Tencel™ Lyocell is a light, breathable fiber, derived from wood pulp that is sourced from sustainably managed forests. In addition to Lyocell’s temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking properties, it creates a beautiful drape. Harvested from eucalyptus trees in Australia, Tencel™, a naturally renewable resource, is certified to meet FSC® and PEFC standards and is produced in a closed-loop process that utilizes renewable energy.
All of the Tencel™ Lyocell yarns used in our products meet OEKO-Tex 100 standards and are certified for biodegradability and compostability.
All of our denim is woven from organic cotton deadstock yarn that was sourced from Sudan and Benin. By utilizing these deadstock materials, which were either returned or discontinued by other brands, we can keep these materials from being discarded.
Our denim is GOTS certified organic and OEKO-Tex 100 Certified.
We source high quality deadstock fabrics, primarily made from Egyptian cotton. Deadstock means fabric that was left over from another brand. On occasion, we may decide to use a fabric containing a small amount of polyester or elastane content. We do not take these decisions lightly, but ultimately prefer that the valuable resources that went into the making of the fabric do not go to waste.
All of our deadstock fabric meets OEKO-Tex 100 standards.
TRIMS
8 million metric tons of plastic make its way into our oceans every year. Instead of using conventional plastic buttons, we use responsibly-sourced shell and horn for their compostable nature.
We work closely with an Egyptian button manufacturer that uses responsible cattle and buffalo horn, a locally sourced byproduct of the meat and dairy industry in Sudan, in a holistic approach without waste.
Some of our styles feature pearlescent oyster and trochus (aquatic sea snail) shells that are sustainably sourced from Europe and Taiwan.
These raw materials, which are procured from ethical sources, are made into buttons only 30 miles away from our cut and sew factory in Cairo.
If your clothing has stretch there is a likelihood that it was obtained by synthetic means. The majority of elastics on the market include an elastane core and polyester fibers.
We have taken great lengths to make sure all of our elastics are 100% compostable, made from a 100% natural latex core, derived from tree sap, and surrounded by 100% organic cotton fibers.
Our elastics are sourced just across the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey.
We source our zippers and the metal buttons and rivets for our denim from YKK. These metals are finished with an eco-friendly alternative that contains no hazardous chemicals, and uses less water and energy than conventional plating processes.
The zipper tape on our YKK zippers includes recycled polyester that contains more than 99% post-consumer recycled material. We plan to replace this with a biodegradable option moving forward.
For most fashion brands, sewing thread is a detail overlooked. To us, we see it as an industry hurdle we are destined to challenge.
All of the thread used to sew our garments is made from recycled polyester. As we scale to meet higher minimum order quantities, we will replace recycled polyester thread with that of 100% biodegradable sewing thread for all garments.
HANG TAGS AND PACKAGING
All of our hangtags are packaging are 100% plastic-free, recyclable, and naturally biodegradable.
While we are mindful to avoid plastic in our clothing, it is equally important to us to avoid plastics in the packaging we use to ship our garments.
When unable to find a biodegradable alternative in Egypt, we refused to settle for the standard polyurethane garment bags. Instead we worked with a local paper supplier in Cairo and developed our own paper garment bags made from 100% renewable FSC certified paper fibers.
In addition, our mailers are 100% recycled content (70% post-consumer waste) and made in the USA.
All Nazeerah hang tags are made from FSC certified paper and affixed to the garments with regenerative organic Egyptian cotton cord.
When we use cardboard boxes, they are sealed with paper tape, to make them effortlessly recyclable. You can simply toss the entire lot in your curbside recycling bin, or use them as compost to prep your garden beds.