Local Green Fair Snapshot Campaign: Meet Ninawa Zero Waste.
Ninawa Zero-Waste is a minority-owned business that upcycles clothes and home goods (curtains, sheets, leftover fabric, and dead stocks). The owner of Ninawa Zero-Waste is Aelen Unan, a low-income woman of color entrepreneur, who is passionate about sustainable fashion and redirecting waste away from landfills.
Aelen’s journey as an entrepreneur began in 2019 while living at a women’s shelter. From her conversations with the women in the shelter, Aelen learned that many of these women could not afford to buy new clothes for their babies. She began sewing baby dresses from leftover fabric that she had purchased from thrift stores, and donating these upcycled clothing as Christmas gifts to women who needed them. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Aelen took the initiative of sewing 500 masks from upcycling unwanted tablecloths and sheets, and donating them to people living and working in the shelter, as well as to others in the community. It was under these circumstances that she realized her hobby could be turned into a business. While she was initially hesitant about becoming a small business owner because of the stigma that surrounds women who live in shelters, she ultimately saw this as an opportunity to prove that these women are equally capable of doing wonderful things for their community and the environment. Through her business, she was passionate about making a change, while giving life to old pieces of clothing.
Pictured: Owner of Ninawa Zero Waste, Aelen Unan
Aelen faced many obstacles when she first began her business. She lived in a very small room where she found it difficult to store fabrics and produce clothing. As a small business owner she managed everything on her own, from manufacturing and marketing, to selling her upcycled items with very limited resources. But, by far, the most difficult hurdle she faced was to find a way to fit in among retailers and vendors in Cambridge, Boston, Somerville and other cities in MA. Because the sustainable fashion industry is in its early stages in the area, Aelen finds it challenging to place her business into any of the existing categories as she applies for funding and open markets. Despite these challenges, Aelen perseveres and continues to make it her mission to spread awareness about the environmental benefits of upcycling fabrics.
It’s been almost 4 years since Aelen took up upcycling and sewing in Cambridge and Boston as well, and she has already gained a following and developed real connections with her customers. She hopes to open up her own store or small factory someday, where people who share her same values for sustainability can come together to learn how to upcycle , practice and create their own pieces. Aelen’s dream is to provide job opportunities for more women, inspire people to upcycle, and establish a sustainable fashion industry in Massachusetts. She thanks all her customers for inspiring and supporting her.
Aelen, unfortunately, has no social media presence as her accounts were recently hacked, which makes it difficult for her to communicate her message. We want to help spread Aelen’s message which calls on everyone to make a small gesture to help our planet and donate their old clothes for upcycling. Through Ninawa Zero Waste, Aelen hopes to raise awareness about the importance of establishing sustainable fashion and upcycling in our community and beyond. This would help empower vendors like Aelen, who don’t fit the traditional categories of fast fashion, to have a voice and a place in Cambridge and other communities.
Check out Aelen’s interview with New England Weekend’s Nichole Davis on WBZ (posted on 5/13/23): https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/featured/new-england-weekend/