Trees & functional

A couple of shots from our tree planting on Sunday, November 15th 2009 in Vredehoek, Cape Town. Two evergreen yellowwoods were planted, thanks to our enthusiastic participants. Many participating women came wearing their Monasib gear, including visors, head coverings, shirts and tracksuits. And the garments stood the test of shovel and dirt and proved to be super functional! Ongoing thanks to all for partaking. To find out why we were planting trees, see: green line & more.

6 months and a tracksuit: paying tribute to a process and many people

Today marks the sixth month since our launch and just a couple days past the sixth year since the company was first conceptualized. We have much for which to be grateful, as always. Since the tracksuit seems to be our signature garment, we wanted to unpack the garment just a bit and give you some insights into the making of it, and the makers (and some of the early wearers).

2005, Mitchell’s Plain, Abdulrahman: The first tracksuit dates to 2005 when Abdulrahman and his very able wife helped us stitch together the first edition, working from their home in Mitchell’s Plain. The garment was sky blue with navy contrast and lasted until just last year, when, due to excessive wearing, we finally retired it. It had been through over 300 washes, up and down mountains, through Pakistan, the USA and all around RSA. The garment had two large pockets on the top, which were used to their fullest. And at retirement, there were patches on the knee and the elbows (but no holes in the pockets). In 2006, a similar garment came to life, albeit this time in a slightly thicker cotton. It too fared well, however, the thickness made it less desirable than its predecessor.

2008, Athelone: In the spring of 2008, two less successful versions were tried. The dressmakers (this time in Athelone) assumed we had washed the fabric and we assumed they were going to wash the fabric before commencing to stitch. Something was lost in our very broken Guajarati, resulting in 2 tracksuits that were virtually un-wearable due to the mis-fitting post-washing. Also, the side slits had not been carefully communicated at the outset and when they finally were the unpicking led to lots of little holes. Yes, these 2 tracksuits had a very short life.

2008-9, Hartfield Village, Fran & Sharon: Next stop would be Fran of Hartfield Village, who helped realize our inside pockets and early complimentary tracksuit headgear; she worked tirelessly to bring two different versions to completion, one with ‘princess lines’ and a second with a big ‘v’ in front. Her work was assessed by sewing instructor Sharon, also of Hartfield Village. We are still wearing many of these garments.

2008-9, Walmer Estates, Sumaya: Sumaya helped to construct several garments, including a 100% microactive/polyester tracksuit. Although she cautioned us against the material, she enthusiastically took up the charge, once it was commissioned and produced a lovely bright blue suit, which she said was perfect for the rain! This was the predecessor to our Soccer Sisters series, which we released in September 2009.

2009, Athlone, Kathy: Kathy, pattern maker par excellence, assisted in perfecting designs and proportions, and is still hard at work assisting us in this area.

2009, Belville/TSCT, Zurina and crew: towards the end of 2008 and early 2009, TSCT took up the charge of helping to transform the tracksuit into a garment ready for production. Daniel, Ishmael, Zurina and Tania worked and worked and worked, under the guidance of Shamil, to make the first pre-production tracksuit.

2009, Athelone Industrial, Shanaaz: under the supervision of the very competent Shanaaz, more than 200 tracksuits would be stitched and packaged in our first production run during the month of April. Due to fabric minimums, the tracksuit would be made in grey (only) albeit with contrast stripes of hugo pink and sports blue. There was no shrinkage per se but there was a fabric reaction which meant the sleeves were 5cm too short (later to be rectified by Melanie and Elizabeth and their able crew in the Industrial Hive in Mitchell’s Plain).

2009, Vredehoek, photoshoot: in our first photoshoot, Amanda and Samantha would model the blue and pink contrasts, long and regular length, respectively.

2009, Sea Point, launch and afterwards: Finally, at our Sea Point, Mother’s Day, launch (May 10th), Gamieda would showcase the long length grey, hugo pink version. And the rest is (more) history...a second version of tracksuit came off the line in September, and a third is in the planning stages. Many a women are out and about wearing these garments and giving us great feedback. We’re getting ready to exhibit some tracksuits at our gentle jog on Sunday (November 15th) and give one away to the winner of our essay contest (after November 20th).

Thanks to all for making this happen. Looking forward to the next 6 months, hopefully.

The Night Day Suit

How it all started? The origins of Monasib date back to October of 2003, in Washington DC. Modest clothing seemed scarce, along with companies dedicated to a 'triple bottom line'. The url was subsequently registered. www.monasib.net (with monasib.com already taken by what looked like a Saudi road and trucking company). It would take five years, however, for serious work to begin and nearly 6 before company launch. The first garment on the drawing boards: the Night Day Suit. Why and how the Night Day Suit came about? The first threads of the story unfold below...

Do women not work round the clock? Are their days not busy from morning to night? With this in mind, Monasib started its first design, termed the Night Day Suit, with the idea of a garment, which could go anywhere and do anything. The woman sporting a Night/Day could go to school/the office, she could go to a place of prayer, she could even go for a gentle jog. The colour black was decided, albeit accented with some contrast, as is not black one of the most versatile colours? An optional head covering was added for extra modesty (for those who desired it). Of course this was the thinking behind the garment, but the actual making of it was quite a different story.

With the founder of the company on maternity leave and hard pressed to get out, she started calling fabric agents to help her decide. One man named ‘C’ responded to her query and came bearing a range of fabrics. Finally after two weeks of fabric testing, ‘C’ called to say that he had found the solution to our fabric conundrum: viscose lycra! But it would cost us. Borderline extortion followed as Monasib paid the funds it would take to get the first sample of viscose lycra.

Many a tailor and dressmaker were involved in the first creations of the Night Day Suit. Most grew frustrated by the fabric, which promised more drape-ability than cotton and a warmer touch than polyester. Late night calls followed with dressmakers hard pressed to make the deadlines, with the excuse being that threads were catching in the machines.

We wore the first version for a week, tweaking the arms and the bust. The second and third versions were worn by students and staff at the Technology Station in Clothing and Textiles, in Belville; by version four, we were nearing production. Somehow, despite repeated tweaks, the neckline and the length of the pants were not rectified, making this particular garment a little bigger at the neck and a little longer at the leg. The learnings continue, always.

We’ve received a lot of feedback from women who are (happily) wearing this garment, however, by far the biggest boon for our small company came a little closer to home. A month ago, the founder’s 69 year old mother in law arrived from Pakistan via the USA fully decked out in the Night Day Suit. The suit had survived the 24 plus hour flight with the woman in good form. The garment had become a staple of her wardrobe. During the month, the long length adjustable head covering was almost always on, a garment we have since termed ‘sanctuary’ for all the modesty it provides. Yes, a boon, for all.




Next up...we look at how the first track suit came about, with a lot of sweat and tears....