OUR STORY
SUSTAINABLE FASHION


SOCIAL INCLUSION
Our female tailors originate from disadvantaged families. They used to make a living by making small repairs in an improvised shop deep in the city center. After intense training and coaching, these ladies have become an indispensable part of our supply chain. Nowadays their income has increased almost 3 fold which enables them to assure their kids attend school and have a better future.

ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE REDUCTION
Every day tons of second hand clothing are dumped onto the African continent. They end up in the most rural places where villagers replace their cultural wear with cheap foreign pieces. The negative impact of this practice on the local economy is highly underestimated. For every piece of item dumped, a local tailor has one day less income. As Elijah Mcquinn we decided to make a statement against this unsustainable practice by recycling the attributes of this original clothing. We select buttons, laces, linings and cutouts and reintegrate them into new designs. We are proud to be one of the first fashion brands in Uganda to contribute to a sustainable circular economy through up-scaling of materials. As such environmental waste reduction is a major component within achieving sustainable fashion in Africa.

OUTREACH TRAININGS
Next to our higher end fashion niche, the company provides entrepreneurial trainings to disadvantaged youth in Northern Uganda. Since the return of peace, majority of the school going youth enjoy secondary education resulting in thousands graduating every year in search of jobs. There is an imminent need to transfer practical skills to this lost generation. Elijah Mcquinn cooperates with Paicho Secondary school and Paboo Secondary School in Gulu district, Northern Uganda by empowering pupils with artisan skills as soap making and tailoring.

APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME
Uganda has a youth unemployment rate of 64-70%. Technical jobs appear less attractive because of a perceived outlook of unreliable compensation in a largely informal economic sector.
As Elijah Mcquinn we wish to see that potential candidate tailors can acquire the most relevant quality and practical skills and are exposed to the latest essentials of an ever changing fashion sector.
That is why we offer a six week training programme to prepare our apprentices with all the required skills to jump-start a career as a fashion sensitive tailor.
Contact us for more details about the tailoring curriculum.