International Women’s Day 2025 was honoured with a special presentation about the social enterprise,
https://thesocialoutfit.org/pages/what-we-do. It’s an extraordinary entity founded by Camilla Schippa, who joined NIAWA guests at the Canada Bay Club on 8 March 2025.
The Social Outfit is “fashion that empowers women” according to Camilla Schippa. It’s designed to skill-up refugee women to help them kick-start their Australian careers. Hundreds of women have participated in their programs to learn all aspects of the fashion industry from design and manufacture to marketing, distribution, and retailing.
Two participants in the Social Outfit training, mother and daughter, Fezeh and Nazanin Jebeli, joined Schippa on stage and talked about the life-changing impact of the program. Both now run their own business, making hand-made leather goods. Their journey to Australia as refugees from Iran had many difficulties but the Social Outfit had changed their lives forever and their gratitude was palpable.
Camilla Schippa has stepped down from the role as CEO after almost 6 years and is now a brand ambassador. She has had an extensive career in advocacy, partnerships and policy including at the United Nations Secretariat in New York.
The moving presentation highlighted challenges and successes of the enterprise which operates from Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west. About one hundred people attended the event.
