Q&A: Heba Serag Eldin, Founder of the Fashion Garage

Winter will soon be a mere memory (remember when it snowed?) and, as the seasons change, now is the perfect time to revitalize your closet. Take the time to gather up all your unwanted clothing items and, this Friday, Feb. 28, head to Zamalek.

Heba Serag Eldin’s Fashion Garage is back and offers the perfect opportunity for you to re-sell that dress you bought but never wore, the shoes that don’t fit and the bag you tried out a couple of times but haven’t used since. Better yet, a percentage of re-sell sales will be donated to charity.

Local and international designers will also be on hand at the “garage sale”, so you’ll be able to restock your closet for the spring.

We chatted with Heba for a preview of Friday’s event. It will be held at American City Schools on 6 Sakeb St. next to the AUC dorms.

Tell us a bit about your fashion background and how the idea for the Fashion Garage was born.

I am an artist, a painter and a photographer. I’ve done a lot of fashion shoots for a lot of prominent magazines. Being a a fashion photographer allows you to appreciate and understand beauty and fashion by default. I was recently chosen as a socialite and owner of Fashion Garage to appear as a judge on a fashion-related TV program on Al-Hayah Channel.

I have always been obsessed with dresses and I am constantly purchasing more and more, even if I don’t wear them or just wear them once and never wear them again. So as any other mother who wants to get rid of the endless piles of clothes scattered around your bedroom, my mother suggested that I host a garage sale solely to sell my things, so the idea of Fashion Garage was born.

What is the Fashion Garage all about? What is its philosophy and what makes it special?

www.FashionGarage.org is a an online store where individuals like yourself and I can re-sell any item or product of our choice. Not only is it a re-sell service, but we also have a department specialized in showcasing products and designs from prestigious high-end stores and designers.

What makes us special is that we have something for everyone. If you want to shop, you visit Fashion Garage. If you want to sell, you visit Fashion Garage. Whether you are male or female, we will always have something to offer you.

Tell us more about the charity aspect. Where will the 5% of re-sell sales go? What causes will it support?

Fashion Garage’s 5% are donated to Lions Club Garden City (a non-profitable organization). They are currently open to receiving funds for Ashmoun Hospital in Kalioubeya for the children’s department. I would just like to add that by hosting our next event on the 28th of Feb., we wish to amass a good number of profit as Fashion Garage will be donating 15% from all its proceedings to charity.

As a result of our means of contribution, we have been given an award medal by the international president of the Lions Club.

Which vendors at the Fashion Garage are you most excited about?

We are focusing on giving a chance to a lot of young designers to showcase their designs and sell them at the event along with a lot of well-known and established high-end stores and international names.

I must say, I am excited about them all, but mainly excited about Hany El Behairy, as he is a good friend of mine, J.lo by Jennifer Lopez and Italian Fashion Academy will be show casing a number of their designers and I can’t wait to see.

Are there any other special details about the event that we should know about?

We have a bundle of surprises planned up for you all at the day of the event, so I urge you to come and see for yourself.

WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss our Q&A with model and filmmaker Elisa Sednaoui.