INTERVIEW #27 AHMED AL-QASSAM

“I believe the future fashion industry is more about the micro-designers, I don’t think the big chains are going to survive. With micro-creators we can also present a higher diversity in style and we dare to be more bold in how we dress and express ourselves. ”

Occupation: 

Head of Advocacy at Friluftsfrämjandet (Swedish Outdoor Association)

What’s your relationship with clothes?

What a difficult question! It’s a hate-love relationship. I love clothes and fashion but I hate consumption. The last five years I’ve been really good at not buying new clothes. Maybe some underwear and some basic T-shirts that last for long. If I buy something new, quality and how it’s been produced, is very important. 

How would you describe your style?

My style is Hip Hop-influenced second hand. Some kind of hybrid between second hand, hiphop and clothes I find in my girlfriend’s closet. I try to be creative and I want to express my love for hiphop, which I consider a lifestyle. My girlfriend is very good at finding things that suits both of us, so we share a lot of our clothes between us. I also love shoes! I like to invest in quality shoes once in a while but I’m aware that I’m a product of my society, hence I have a lot of sneakers. During the last year tho, my girlfriend has inspired me to sell around 10 pairs of shoes that I never used. Even though, there is no excuse anymore. All information is out there on the internet. It’s a choice how we spend our money and what information we seek. And all of us can start asking ourselves why we make the choices we do? We make choices based on what we know. So I can start asking myself, why do I want to buy those shoes? I’m unconsciously affected by all commercials and marketing, as everyone else. But one can be more conscious about it by paying more attention to what the underlying purpose of these adds are. It’s a journey within to start questioning ones choices. 

“ I like to break norms and surprise people.”

How would you describe your closet?

Extremly organised. Hanging clothes is used more carefully. Then I have four boxes with T-shirts and other clothes, folded and organised in colours. Majority of my clothes are dark, mainly black. I have a few exceptions that are very colourful. Not only one colour! Like plenty of colours. Like a painting! My style is a lot like that, black or white, not literally but symbolically, one way or the other. 

I have a lot of tops but not many pants. One reason is that jeans comes with a high climate impact and pants can be combined with different tops, so the variety is not needed. I do dress according to what I’m doing during the day and who I’m supposed to meet, for example if it is a politician through my work. But I aim to always have the same style whether it is in a professional situation or in my spare time. 

Speaking of clothes, it’s a way to express identity. 

I come from Malmö and I love hiphop so when I came to Stockholm and started to work professionally with sustainability I felt that I have to wear a suit or more formal clothing. But today I feel more comfortable in wearing what I want. I also realize you can combine styles, such as a blazer over my hiphop clothing. I like to break norms and surprise people. I don’t only do that in the official nice salons but also with my Arabic background. When people say I can’t wear this or that, it provokes me to actually wear it. But I would say my generation doesn’t judge that hard, rather it’s the other way around, people truly like when you express yourself according to your own style. People find it brave. 

“It’s really about start asking oneself, what do I like?”

It’s really about start asking oneself, what do I like? Move away from what people said when you grew up or what conditioned you during high school. 

What is a sustainable closet for you?

A Sustainable Closet is a closet that’s very creative! When you’re creative, you use your soul, mind and passion to create something that wasn’t there before. How can I create something that represents who I am as an individual? A Sustainable Closet it’s a combination of environmental, social and economic aspects. It’s about the individual and it’s possibilities and interests. I can define sustainability, but people have to seek their way of doing it. 

Economic sustainability is about being conscious of how your consumption affects the planet but also your economy. I good tip is that I sometimes put things away or lend them to friends and I forget that I’m the owner of those clothes and when I bring them back I get so happy! So surprised of the wonderful clothes I own.

What do you think about the fashion industry? 

“Reflect upon your needs and desires. It can be a very hard thing to do but ask yourself what choices you want to do and how you can change your behaviour?”

I think the fashion industry tries to be creative, especially when H&M launched their 2030 vision. In principle they want to create a circular fashion industry but that requires a monopoly. That’s why they also create concepts stores so that they grow their shares of the market. That’s very creative. When they change the industry change. This also means that high fashion designers and others has to become more sustainably creative. 

I can also see that more micro-creators are starting to become more influential. That’s very good, that the younger generation are more open for minor influencers and so on. Second hand has become trendy. I believe the future fashion industry is more about the micro-designers, I don’t think the big chains are going to survive. With micro-creators we can also present a higher diversity in style and we dare to be more bold in how we dress and express ourselves. 

What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?

·     Go through your closet and categorise your clothes according to situation on when you use them. Do you have enough clothes according to how you live and would like to dress? If I go to a party, what clothes do I wear? Can I mix and match my clothes and create several outfits with them?

·     Reflect upon your needs and desires. It can be a very hard thing to do but ask yourself what choices you want to do and how you can change your behaviour? 

·     Set a budget, can you stop consuming for 6 months or maybe 3 months? Start practicing and start somewhere and then challenge yourself even more. 

·     If you need another item to your closet, then you should ask yourself these questions; 

-      Is there anything you have that you can change? Remake, sew or repair?

-      Buy second hand or get it second handed from a friend or someone you know. 

-      Last option is to buy something new. But if it costs 199 SEK, you should ask yourself what is included in that price? What material is it made of and how is it produced? Search for better quality! If you can’t afford better quality, maybe it’s something you don’t really need?

Final note;

In the end it’s about all the circumstances that shapes us as individuals. I love shoes and bought too many shoes and I love sneakers from the hiphop culture. So I started a Facebook-group with people loving hiphop, now buying and selling from each other. That’s creative! 

We all need to collect information ourselves and ask on what foundations we are standing on to make decisions?

The universe is not circulating around you and most people need a push to get more conscious. When you start to break norms and behave differently people will start to ask you why and they start caring too. If you reduce your climate impact and dress nicely or inspiring, you are influencing people with your style. 

Be bold and try different styles until you find what suits you!

“A sustainable closet is a closet that’s very creative! When you’re creative, you use your soul, mind and passion to create something that wasn’t there before.”