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Azraq

fashion

AMANDA x By M.A.R.Y Sustainable Capsule Collection

Posted on June 7, 2024

Sustainable fashion is about three key elements; material, production and community. I believe whole-heartedly that we need to use our consumer choices to help implement actual change. Being a conscious consumer goes past the immediate pat-on-the-back to ensuring the data focused analytics that retailers use to produce en-masse aren’t adding to the problem of over 21 billion tonnes of clothing ending up in landfill every year, with our singular trend-led transactions.

I collaborated with local slow-fashion designer By.M.A.R.Y. to create a capsule collection of linen, silk and organic cotton based timeless pieces that are season-less and sustainable. These pieces also allowed us to profit share with the initiatives that we believed in, both locally and internationally.

As we both had causes close to our hearts… we decided to give back to both. ⁠ ⁠⁠

By M.A.R.Y is an ode to the women we admire, it’s our vision to mix African style with a twist of modern rock and a bang up-to-date contemporary attitude.

For Marie it’s the people.⁠ ⁠ “I believe in the importance of giving back to the continent where I grew up and want to share the success of By Mary. That is why we support the Grand Bassam Orphanage for girls in the Ivory-Coast by giving the girls a chance at an education after they leave the orphanage. In the last 2 years we have helped support 60 young girls.

For Amanda it’s the planet.⁠ ⁠ “Azraq’s mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect the marine ecosystem and species.”⁠

💙🌊 For The Oceans – Cigarette Butts with Amanda Rushforth and Azraq 🌊💙

Posted on July 7, 2020

Every year 4.5 Trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide, with a significant percentage finding their way into our oceans and onto our shores. In fact, 30-40% of all items collected in coastal and urban clean ups are butts. Azraq highlights that most people do not realise that cigarette filters within cigarette butts are made from a type of plastic called cellulose acetate which doesn’t biodegrade.

In 2003, The Dubai Municipality introduced a 500 AED fine for littering them. This fine has doubled to 1000 AED with six black points for drivers flicking cigarette butts onto UAE roads. Not only being unpleasant aesthetically, cigarette filters are comprised of thousands of chemical ingredients, including arsenic, lead, nicotine and ethyl phenol, all of which leak into aquatic environments.

As well as smoking being bad for the environment, smoking killed more than 2,900 people in the UAE in 2016 and cost the country $569 million in lost productivity and health care costs, according to the latest report on global smoking. In 2016 it was reported that, 748 cigarettes were smoked per person aged over 15 years, per year in the United Arab Emirates.

Here’s my third video highlighting marine conservation with Azraq ME 💙🌊 I’d love to hear what you think! #marinedebris #fortheoceans #oceanconservation

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💙🌊 For The Oceans – Useless Utensils with Amanda Rushforth and Azraq 🌊💙

Posted on June 18, 2020

Azraq highlights that it’s no secret that the hospitality sector is one of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution globally, and they think all of those plastic utensils that they give away (you know, the ones that end up among the most common items found during costal clean ups) are pretty useless!

In 2016, Worldcentric.org estimated that 40 billion plastic utensils were used every year in the United States alone. The majority of these were thrown out after just one use and ended up in landfills and waterways… something must be done. In order to highlight this problem, and hopefully get people to think twice about their usage, AZRAQ launched its #uselessutensils campaign in mid-2019 in partnership with Freedom Pizza, Lush Middle East, Carluccio’s and Beitfann Studio (Sustainable City). With your help, they collected approximately 60kg and over 30,000 plastic utensils in six weeks!

Here’s my second video highlighting marine conservation with Azraq ME 💙🌊 I’d love to hear what you think! #marinedebris #fortheoceans #oceanconservation

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💙🌊 For The Oceans – Marine Conservation with Amanda Rushforth and Azraq 🌊💙

Posted on June 7, 2020

Azraq is a non-profit marine conservation organisation registered with the Community Development Authority in the UAE. The mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. The aim is to EDUCATE through awareness programs and community presentations, MOTIVATE individuals, organisations and communities at large to make a difference and ACTIVATE them by offering a range of activities on, in and around the ocean.

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.

The marine environment needs help. Why not you? Whether you volunteer at a stall, help keep our shores clean and safe or can encourage others to care about the oceans through art, there are many ways you can become a marine warrior helping Azraq conserve and protect our precious oceans.

I’ve been working on a few videos during lockdown for my new role as a director at Azraq – to highlight marine conservation 💙🌊 I’d love to hear what you think!