WHAT started out as free tuition lessons for four Somali refugees in 2008 has turned into a full-fledged school with 170 students and 10 teachers a decade later.

Fugee School, which was founded by Deborah Henry and Shikeen Halibullah in 2009, caters to refugee youth from seven countries from children to young adults.

In their search to be self-sustainable, they hit on the idea to start an accessories brand called Fugeelah in 2017. The socially conscious business works with refugee students and other marginalised communities in the Klang Valley to produce earrings, scarves and more.

Fugeelah recently partnered with Uniqlo to create a line of five t-shirts featuring designs by refugee youth, which are available online in the Malaysian website.

“It’s a way of engaging with the public, the everyday person who may not have met a refugee in their life,” Henry told The Malaysian Insight.

“By buying one t-shirt, that goes a long way.”

Proceeds from the sale will go directly to maintaining the school.

In the long run, Fugeelah plans to use their students’ artwork to create more products for the brand. An upcoming Christmas collection, which will include corporate gifts, will be out in October this year. - August 13, 2018.