Meet Hadeel Mahammed of Noor Fashion and Anaheim Alterations

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hadeel Mahammed.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started sewing when I was 11 years old. My mom would make me pajamas and teach me how to sew, step by step. When I was in school, they would make us take a vocational study, so I would always choose sewing. By the time I was 14 years old, I was really good at sewing. I would take old or second hand clothes, pull them apart and make new designs for me and my sisters. By the time I was 19 years old, my aunt told me she knows a man in Iraq that owned a store and wanted me to sew some shirts and skirts for him. About 6 months into the job, my father bought me a really advanced sewing machine to encourage me to design my own clothes. At that time, I got an order from a man for 1k pieces! I told him that was far too large of an order and I couldn’t do it- but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I gathered all my little cousins and put them to work to complete the order. When I would go to his shop to send him bulks of his order, other women would see me and ask me if I made the clothes and then place order for me. One time, a very large trader saw me drop off the order and offered me a job. I thought he was going to offer me something like 1,000 for the year, but he offered me 10K! So long as I did excellent work. I started working in gowns at first. I made sure that all our designs were on trend. I stayed there for two years. After that, I decided to branch out on my own. So I went and rented a spot, hired two helpers and got two contracts. This was in 1995. By 2000, I owned my own factory and employed 16 people. I had people who only sewed, people who put on buttons and people who did quality control. We would produce around 600 pieces of clothing a day. In 2003, the Iraq war started and we lost some of our employees. We paused work for about 2 months and when we returned I bought a 140kg generator to keep the power on and get back to work since the war affected all our electricity. Orders were much smaller after the war. We tried to stay very positive and persistent. By 2006, the country had practically fallen apart. There was no infrastructure left or safety. At that point, each person had to look out for what’s best for them, and most of the time that meant fleeing the country. I decided what was best for me and my son was to flee to Jordan. I went to Jordan on April 29th, 2006, I still remember that day. I remember even the minutes of that day. I left my factory and all that I had built. I did take my scissors, they were the only memory I had left of my factory. I took them everywhere I went just in case I needed to make anything. When I reached Jordan, I had $3800 with me from my business. I went and rented a studio, bought a sewing machine and a table to work on. I went around to some neighborhoods and let them know I can sew and said I can do alterations for anyone who would like. The first two months were really hard and then God blessed me with many women who would come to my house and request alterations. About 6 months in, someone told me that the UN wanted someone to teach the refugees how to sew. I took that job for a while when a friend told me there is a Lebanese singer and TV personality that wanted someone to make her beautiful custom clothes. I met the woman and showed her my work. She asked me to make her a number of items and she loved my work- like really really loved my work. So she promised me that she would give me order everyday and she stayed true to that promise. I had maybe 12-15 items make a day for her and she would sell them to other women. We decided to write a contract together and she paid me 1k denars a month for my work. All the while, I was desperately trying to get my son and myself residency in Jordan so I can enroll him in school. But Jordan kept denying me and him passports and I could not get him an education. I decided to try my luck and apply for a VISA to the USA. I was shocked when my application was accepted. When I came to the USA, I got help from an organization here and they linked me with a man who was going to open his own clothing store. I told him I could help him with the shop and making clothes. I worked there for about 4 months before I realized I was working for almost nothing (.15cents an item!). I left that place and worked at another tailor’s place. My new employer bought me a new and faster machine and picked up some work as a tailor here and there. I continued to rebuild my name and grow the trust of people and that’s where I am today.

Noor Fashion and Anaheim Alterations – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in women’s clothing. I am really good at helping someone imagine an outfit all by looking at a piece of fabric. I am really excellent at creating dresses. I am known for making dresses that women request and also alterations.

I am most proud of my work in dresses. I am really good at both casual dresses and gowns for parties.

What sets me apart is my experience- when I say I started at 11, I mean it! I have been doing this all my life, it makes sense to me, the way a musician see’s notes in colors, that’s how I feel about sewing. I have an eye for it and an eye for what is beautiful, I’m proud of that talent.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
About 3 months ago, I had a girl come to me and tell me that she was getting married and needed help with her dress. She had a dress from NYC, and she hated it. She was Moroccan and her husband was Pakistani and wanted a fusion of both cultures. The dress she had was far too simple and looked like it was for a grandmother, not for a bride. She begged me to work on it but I told her I had no time. She kept begging for my help. I felt bad for her and told her okay, I would work on it for her. I transformed it into a beautiful dress, fit for a bride. When she saw it, she started crying and thank me a thousand times. She gave me huge tip. This moment really touched my heart.

Pricing:

• For a casual / simple custom dress $80-$120
• For a fancy dress or a wedding gown $500-$5000
• For alterations of all sorts $35-$60
• For shortening of jeans and simple items $8-20

Contact Info:

• Address: 520 North Brookhurst Suite 100 Anaheim, CA 92801
• Website: https://anaheimalterations.wordpress.com/
• Phone: 714-561-8013
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: anaheim_alterations
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/noor-fashion-anaheim-alterations-anaheim

Image Credit:
Woman in the golden dress: https://www.instagram.com/noor/?hl=en
Woman in elephant outfit: https://www.instagram.com/monamourcollection/
Model with gray background is a customer and has a fashion IG
Blue and white regal dress (and a customer of mine): https://www.instagram.com/festoun/

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.