Student pushes for better careers, labor practices in apparel industry

Maryam Shehata saw factory employees crowded into poorly lit rooms, working even through their breaks, when she walked through a manufacturing company in Hong Kong.

“In general, there was an atmosphere of disconnect,” said Shehata, a third-year gender studies student. “There was no eye contact (between supervisors and employees) as we toured the factory, which I felt was dehumanizing.”

Shehata said her experiences at the manufacturing companies taught her about the politics behind clothing and motivated her to work toward preventing sweatshop labor in clothing companies. After transferring from the Fashion Institute of Design and Manufacturing, Shehata started two clubs to help students find careers in the fashion industry and to raise money for countries in need.

Last fall, Shehata was accepted into the International Manufacturing and Product Development program at FIDM. Shehata went to parts of Europe and China as part of the program to learn about fashion trends and mass production.

Shehata visited manufacturing factories in China that claimed to be ethical, but had bad lighting that she thought could pose health threats to workers.

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However, Shehata said some clothing companies she has visited have good ethical practices, which she hopes to model her own businesses on in the future.

For example, Shehata visited Carrera Jeans, an Italian clothing company in Europe. Carrera Jeans has a manufacturing factory in Tajikistan that only requires its employees to work one shift per day and treats its workers well, she said.

Shehata also visited William E. Connor & Associates in China, a company that regulates the way factories conduct business to ensure ethical practices. She said the company taught her about how to fix labor issues.

She started the Apparel Industry Careers Club this fall to share career opportunities in the fashion industry like the ones she learned about abroad, Shehata said. The club aims to help students find careers in the apparel industry apart from just fashion design.

Shehata hopes to invite speakers to the club’s meetings to talk to students about developing their business skills. She also hopes to hold a career fair with clothing companies such as American Apparel.

Noor Jabaieh, a 2016 alumna and Shehata’s friend, said she thinks there is no other club on campus that that focuses on careers in the apparel industry.

Shabnam Habib, Shehata’s friend and a fourth-year anthropology student, said she thinks the Apparel Industry Careers Club is necessary because it will help students with noncreative majors find the careers they want in creative fields.

“There is a vacancy and (Shehata) wants to fill it,” Jabaieh said.

When she graduates from UCLA, Shehata hopes to start her own fashion company that follows ethical practices.

Though starting a fashion company is a long-term goal, she has put her business skills to practice with Snack N’ Give Back, a foundation she founded before being admitted to UCLA. Snack N’ Give Back sells snacks and donates all of its profit to countries who have financial need, such as Syria, India and Pakistan.

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Though she hadn’t been admitted yet, Shehata would come to campus to sell pastries to Muslim Student Association members after their Friday prayer. After transferring to UCLA this fall, she applied for Snack N’ Give Back to become an official student organization.

Habnam said she thinks Shehata’s work with Snack N’ Give Back shows that she is a talented businesswoman.

“I can’t emphasize how much of a doer she is,” Habnam said. “She doesn’t wait for time to pass for her to do it.”

MSA faculty advisor Jake Gildea said that though MSA supported Snack N’ Give Back, it was Shehata’s own motivation that helped the program grow. He added he thought her initiative to make a difference on campus as a nonstudent at the time was admirable.

Jabaieh said she thinks the fashion industry lacks companies with adequate ethics and labor regulations. However, she added she believes Shehata will create the first ethical company of its kind.

Shehata said she hopes to join initiatives to improve labor practices in the clothing production industry in the future.

“In general, making a change or at least a ripple in the regulations of the international production industry is my goal and doing any humanitarian work along the way is what drives my passion,” Shehata said.