Having spent her life in Tunisia, going on to study in France, and spending the last 6 years in London developing Save Your Wardrobe, Hasna states her vision, “Our aim is to change the way we approach fashion, while also increasing sustainability.” So what does Save Your Wardobe do? The concept is a virtual form of your wardrobe, with a system created around it that has service actions including customization, styling, and even dry cleaning, determined by your API. Save Your Wardrobe then refers you to their local service partner, in your locality, whilst they learn about your consumer behaviors.
Speaking about her beginnings and the conception of Save Your Wardrobe, Kourda says, “My passion for fashion started when I was in primary school. I was always drawing and I tried designing clothes but it’s not my strength. I don’t do well designing clothes. I decided to focus on the business side so when I studied in France, I went to Université Paris-Dauphine to study trade and finance, but I also learned about the importance of technology. When I arrived in London, I realized how different the lifestyle was from Tunisia. Tunisia is all about zero waste and in Europe, people were consuming in a mindless way, throwing away things that still had use. It was from this moment that a more sustainable way of living was birthed in me and I came up with this idea of using technology to optimize fashion. That’s how the company was born.”
In recent times, the fashion scene has put tech and AI at its forefront, as designers are looking to use it to enhance their sales and marketing objectives. Hasna Kourda isn’t working alone on her visionary business, as she and co-founder, Mehdi Doghri, wanted to disrupt the fashion scene and encourage sustainability.
“I saw a need in the market, having observed how people shopped in a previous job. I saw how shoppers were disconnected from what they already have in their wardrobes, buying the items they already had in their closets, or buying things they would never wear, only to leave the item in their closets with the tag still stuck on,” she says.
Not only is the Tunisian visionary being mindful about fashion, she also speaks about why Save Your Wardrobe and its concept resonates with Arab women. She says, “Arab women are amazing with their styles and this is mainly coming from the religion [Islam] that teaches us to be clean, to take care of our looks, to be mindful of our hygiene, and to wear perfumes. It’s embedded in our culture and lifestyle, which is different from the Western way. Arab women are now learning to balance family and work, so Save Your Wardrobe can help Arab women balance their wardrobes, along with the personalized services we provide, as they lead hectic lives.”
So how does the app work? You can upload your wardrobe to it in a matter of minutes as soon as you connect to it using your email address. The Save Your Wardrobe app allows for users to simply take a picture of a garment as it then automatically tags the item’s features, for eg, the length of the sleeves, or the colour. Not just targeting women, Hasna adds, “It’s for men and children too. How many of us are styling our husbands? My dream is to have an impact on the environment, to reduce waste, especially in countries that are importing second hand textiles that are sold in Western flea markets, and there is a lot of waste there with clothes and fabrics that are not sold, they end up in landfills or are incinerated. The goal is to divert as much clothing away from landfills, and to encourage people to buy items that will last as long as possible.”
