For a fashion business, keeping up with trends is a necessity. Fashion can by nature be trendy and flashy, so it may seem almost contradictory for a brand like Alkam to pursue the goal of ‘lasting long and wasting less’.

But Massaad recognised her designs had to be timeless, not transitory.

She also believes fast and trendy fashion is a major driver of environmental pollution. Sustainable fashion brands, such as Alkam, can demonstrate to the fashion industry how to reduce waste, by using appropriate designs and materials designed for longevity — or recycling once garments cannot be worn anymore.

In the midst of a pandemic, Australian office worker Jade Massaad found herself facing a quandary. On one hand, she was disturbed by the devastating environmental and social impact of the fashion industry. On the other, she was unable to find affordable, good-quality, and timeless garments that seamlessly fitted into her lifestyle.

Realising her challenge was not unique, Massaad founded the sustainable lifestyle fashion brand Alkam in 2020, setting out to create a conscious wardrobe that met women’s expectations of stylish design and comfort in equal measure, transforming sustainably created raw materials into something special.

For years, she had been growing increasingly concerned about the wastefulness fuelled by the fast-fashion industry and the impact on landfills from clothing designed for short lifecycles.

“Our mission is to drive a movement of conscious consumption — everything we create is designed to last, so you can buy less, and throw away less,” she said.