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After a natural disaster, rescue activities eventually give way to relief efforts. And during this time, shattered communities still require food rations, and ongoing access to water, shelter and medicine. But it's also a critical phase when, according to a Ryerson student, one necessity is overlooked: suitable clothing.

Nabeela Ahsan is a student in the master of arts program in fashion. Supervised by fashion professor Sandra Tullio-Pow, Ahsan will graduate this June after completing a one-of-a-kind major research paper on functional clothing for natural disaster survivors.

A former instructor at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (which is affiliated with one of the oldest and most famous fashion schools in the world, L'Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne), Ahsan moved to Canada in 2008 with her husband and three children. Today, she is making a difference by combining her technical expertise with her understanding of how fashion affects quality of life.

"When a disaster happens, we think 'I must donate clothing,' but we don't think about what happens once it gets to the other side of the world," says Ahsan. In fact, during a call to Pakistan, her sister - an architect and volunteer with Architects Without Borders - spoke about the country's growing clothing-related problems following the devastating floods of 2010.

Specifically, donated clothing was being stored in areas that were better used as shelters. Transported by relief organizations, the clothes - which consisted largely of winter apparel - weren't appropriate for the country's 50 C weather. Additionally, since the clothing had not been pre-sorted by gender and size, and there weren't enough volunteers to assume that responsibility, the items often ended up in the street. There, they would mix with debris, causing people and animals to trip and become injured.

Furthermore, as Ahsan discovered later through her own research, clothing challenges weren't limited to logistics. For example, while reading about the 2004 tsunami in South Asia - which has a predominately Muslim population - she learned that culturally inappropriate clothing (e.g., tank tops, shorts and other garments that don't cover the arms and legs) had made up the majority of donations. Consequently, many local women had not sought medical assistance because they lacked the proper attire and headwear to be seen in public.

"Culturally appropriate clothing matters a great deal. It's tied to social identity," says Ahsan. On that note, she wanted to create a functional garment that wouldn't compromise cultural values.

So, she travelled to Pakistan to create contacts and see the clothing problems in person. From there, she conducted Skype-based interviews with flood survivors and those who lived through a massive earthquake in 2005. Next, she interviewed relief workers and aid administrators by phone. The resulting data illustrated the many requirements that a survivor's garment would have to satisfy, among them, high visibility and versatility.

After two months of designing, Ahsan developed a final prototype. Made of Dintex, a breathable, water- and wind-proof textile, the red, one-size-fits-all poncho fits in a small, lightweight satchel. Featuring reflective strips, removable pockets, a hood, whistle and flashlight, the garment can also be used as a blanket, shawl or matt. Finally, Ahsan estimates each item will cost about $22 to manufacture, making it a cost-effective option for governments and relief agencies.

In November, Ahsan will present her research paper at the annual conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association in Hawaii. And down the road, Ahsan hopes to present her design to government emergency preparedness programs. In the meantime, though, she has launched Tailors Without Borders (TWB). A charity that aims to reduce the need for donated clothing, TWB will one day enable volunteers to sew bespoke garments for survivors of natural disasters.

Nabeela Ahsan's work has benefitted from gift-in-kind support from 3M and YKK Canada.