Shannon O’Hara

Agent Reclaim, Founder
CANADA
agentreclaim.com

Shannon found an interest in upcycling at a young age,  making clothes for her dolls out of her old garments and later re-making her skating costumes. 

She first began designing handbags in 2008 under the label  Agent Honey using virgin materials. In 2010 after seeing the environmental impacts created as a result of the leather industry she switched her business model from sourcing directly from the tanneries to reclaiming damaged leather garments, otherwise destined to landfill.  

She channeled her first fashion love, upcycling, and launched  Agent Reclaim, focusing on making her products entirely out of post-consumer garments.  

Agent Reclaim has now collaborated with large leather retailers in diverting their damaged, returned inventory from becoming textile waste to create capsule collections.  Agent Reclaim is designed and manufactured on a made-to-order model out of its Toronto Atelier. 

Shannon is a member of Fashion Takes Action (FTA)  Canada’s only non-profit fashion industry organization focused on sustainability and is part of their education team,  teaching youth the impacts of fast fashion on the environment and social justice. She is also a Remake  Ambassador and a member of FGI, Fashion Group  International 

She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband,  two kids, and their shaggy dog Maggs.

Kelly Holmes

Falling Out of Love Boutique, Founder
USA
fallingoutofloveboutique.com

Kelly Holmes, Lakota from the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota, calls herself an inspirational storyteller, in hopes to strengthen connections to culture and identity by inspiring and empowering readers while sharing stories with the world.

Kelly is the founder of Falling Out of Love Boutique and President of Native Max New Media, an award-winning global multimedia brand with a constellation of platforms and networks that expands indigenous talent across print, digital, web, mobile, video, events, e-commerce, and partnerships. She is also editor-in-chief of Native Max Magazine, a glossy publication that features the fashion, culture, and lifestyle of Native American and First Nations people.

Kelly is also the founder and CEO of Native Fashion in the City, a global network and platform committed to strengthening the impact and influence of Indigenous Fashion around the world by supporting the next generation of Indigenous fashion talents.

Fozia Endrias Hussen

Theithei & Didier

Magents, Founder
SOUTH AFRICA
magents.com.za

Magents is a premium Streetwear brand, with Theithei & Didier heading up the creative direction. They work out of Cape Town South Africa with a thread of celebration, consciousness, and artistry running through all aspects of the brand. 

Established in 1992 makes them the longest-standing Streetwear brand in Africa. They continuously challenge themselves and those that follow them to be mindful of how their actions influence others and the environment. This goes for where and how they manufacture their collections, right through to the consumer wearing the garments, being keenly aware of the journey and the message behind them.

Tamara Tenreiro

ILE Slow Fashion, Founder
CHILE
ileslowfashion.com

I’m a BA Economics graduate with a degree in Cultural Management & Communications at the University of Chile. I have experience working in startups, foundations, and projects, both with national and international teams. Since November 2018, I’m the co-Founder of the sustainable fashion brand ILE. I’m focusing on conscious communication and outstanding skills in interpersonal relationships. We believe that a business should be based on honesty and trust, this is why we put into practice fair trade policies, we work with noble materials, design zero-waste patterns, in addition to showing our consumers the traceability of their garments before reaching their hands. SFSFWI work for us is crucial because they’re generating networks, connecting emerging businesses, establishing the promotion of collaborations, and developing new opportunities.

Siamanda Chege

Beberavi Collections Inc., Founder
KENYA/USA
beberavi.com

Beberavi was founded by Siamanda Chege; a former high fashion model after returning to her homeland, Kenya, and being overwhelmed by the devastating social and economic condition that left many women without any source of income. Siamanda felt compelled to take action and give back to her community in a sustainable way, thus deciding the best strategy to generate employment through a for-profit social enterprise.  Out of this need arose Beberavi Collections;  a high fashion, luxury brand, and private label manufacturer. Beberavi produces high-end knitted, crocheted, woven clothing and luxury home goods. To name just a few notable clients that Beberavi has worked with are; Kate Quinn, Oscar De Le Renta, LemLem, and Barneys New York.

Over the past 17 years, Beberavi has uplifted hundreds of women out of poverty by providing a supportive, safe, and fair wage work environment.

Beberavi Collections contributes a portion of the profits to support orphaned children in Kenya.

www.beberavi.com
https://www.instagram.com/bebe.ravi/
https://www.facebook.com/Beberavi

Rick Davy

Fashion Week Brooklyn, Founder
USA
fashionweekbrooklyn.com

Rick Davy came to New York from his native Trinidad to learn the ways of the big city and to live out the “American Dream.” 

Mr. Davy also worked as a stylist and fashion director for several national and international magazines, along with producing mini fashion from NYC to Baltimore. Later on, a friend brought Davy on board as a stylist for the CBS Talkshow “Forgive and Forget” with Mother Love. They later became stylists for the Black Entertainment Television (BET) show “106th and Park,” dressing hosts AJ Calloway and Free for several years.

Leveraging his success with the show and the passion he had for fashion, Mr. Davy along with a friend and collaborator started the BK|Style Foundation in May 2006. In the same year (May 2006), the first Fashion Week Brooklyn (Formerly know as BK Fashion Weekend) show was held in DUMBO at the Tobacco Warehouse, to astounding revues and a full-page spread in the NY Times, a first of its kind for a Fashion Week Event in Brooklyn, New York. 

The Brooklyn Magazine name Mr. Davy one of the 100 influencers of Brooklyn, he believes in its 15th year Fashion Week Brooklyn and its status as a top-five show in the world not sponsored by Mercedes Benz is poised for a long stretch of partnerships that is deserving of his creativity and commitment to the world’s most diverse borough.

https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/10/09/the-man-behind-brooklyns-own-fashion-week/ 

https://blackchalkmagazine.com/rick-davy-fashion-week-brooklyn/

Ngwane Liz

Margo’s Mode, Founder
CAMEROON
margosmode.com

Ngwane Liz is an environmental engineer from IUT Ngaoundere. She was certified hygiene security, safety personnel for the oil and gas industries turned fashion designer, founder, and creative director of Margo’s mode. She joined the fashion enterprise in 2017 because she was fascinated by conserving the African culture and maintaining a clean environment.  She perceived that the clothing industry had a major role to play. She creates designs and produces clothes with durable African fabric and/or hand paintings by local artisans and craftsmen portraying the beauty of the African culture which is our heritage. Thus, each piece is art telling a unique story illustrated by the paintings. Her brand is, therefore, a high pop culture brand. As an environmental engineer, her designs are coined with compassion for the people and planet, hence an ethical brand. With her brand, she creates awareness on eco-fashion from the packaging and campaigns during collection lunch her brand also turn left over fabrics to Arts. With her brand, she wants to use fashion as a tool for possible Social and Environmental Change. 

In 2017 she launched a collection change during (Fredash international fashion show) dresses were designed with waste plastic bottles, leaves. She was awarded Cameroon best young fashion designer by Cameroon fashion award in 2018. She was awarded 50 most influential young Cameroonian. In 2018, she was awarded best fashion designer by the Cameroon career women. In 2020, she was awarded best fashion designer by CAMOFest.

Nasser Abo

CyberSpirit77, Founder
FRANCE
facebook.com/nasseraboartgallery77

Nasser ABO is a French digital fashion designer, studied fashion design in Paris. After his graduation he was hired in the film industry as a digital artist, he had the chance to work on big Hollywood productions like Thor, Speed Racer….etc. During his 10 years of experience, he learned a lot about digital art, and the way technology shapes most of the visual arts. In 2012 he founded with his brother HECAT Studio, a French Visual Content studio. In 2020 Nasser created his brand Cyber Spirit 77 / CS77 where he interlaces virtual technology with fashion design. He thinks that his technical solutions can change the way fashion will be approached and make it ready for the next century.

Muhammad Fawad Noori

Fadnoori Couture, Founder
Pakistan
coroflot.com/fadnoori

Fad Noori! Saudi-born, Pakistani International fashion professional, the full name Muhammad Fawad Noori was born on 23rd April 1979 in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. Noori gets the burning desire to become a sportsperson and also for creating beautiful things and an eye on creative thinking from his childhood. After completing his schooling; he decided to do something different from his family profession. His family backgrounds are all in aviation (pilots and Aeronautical engineers) and the field of fashion is always dazzling to him. As Taurus by birth, he is creative and very career-oriented also the wide range of products in the fashion industry demands a fantastic variety of professional roles to choose from. The fashion industry is fast-paced, exciting, and full of creativity and glamour also traveling is one of his hobbies and after getting higher positions in the industry include the opportunity to travel, which is one of the reasons besides a chance to travel, one gets the chance to work with clients from different background and culture.

María Soledad Saint-Phat

Soledad Saint-Phat, Founder
Argentina
instagram.com/soledadsaintphat.design

SOLEDAD SAINT-PHAT is a women’s clothing design brand based in Córdoba, Argentina that differentiates itself by working on textiles, its own prints, artisanal dyeing, embroidery, textures, and finishes made by hand that prioritizes a slow production method and encourages consumers to build a sustainable wardrobe.

The different textile pieces are inspired by the feminine forms and reliefs of nature, seeking to reflect the feelings, relationships with the environment, and challenges of contemporary women.

At SOLEDAD SAINT-PHAT we understand that sustainable textile work is part of a chain where each of the links is an important factor to generate a real impact.

The opportunity to participate in events such as the SFSFWI brings us not only closer to the work that we doers/producers build but also to a wider public interested in joining us in this movement.

Maddi Koteswara Rao

Huntsman, Technical Resource Manager
VIETNAM
huntsman.com/textile_effects

A forward-thinking technical and marketing executive with a career distinguished for driving growth in specialty business through strategy development and execution, technical service, and market differentiation while also building high-performance teams in Asia. A team player with 16 years of career in leading technical team focuses on a sustainable solutions to textile processing   and working closely with brands, mills in the apparel segment.

Gabriela Pais

Mola Voices, Universola Mola
CUBA/USA
gabypaiscopy.com

Gaby Pais is a Copywriter & Digital Marketer with international experience working on social and environmental issues. With a diverse background working in Cuba and the USA, she strengthens brands through their corporate responsibility strategy for the benefit of the company, the people & the environment. Through gabypaiscopy.com, she provides strategic solutions for businesses and non-profit organizations to effectively market and communicate their eco-conscious approach.

Elizabeth Teo

Dr. Shahriare Mahmood

Spinnova Oy, Director of Sustainability
FINLAND
spinnova.com

Shahriare Mahmood is a sustainability enthusiast, researcher, and professional in sustainability in the fashion industry. He has become a sustainability leader in the textile-apparel industry through the relevant technical expertise and vast experience over two decades. The profound knowledge gathered through comprehensive working experience in almost all stages of textile-apparel supply chain operations. Simultaneously, he was involved in researches to contribute further in the academic arena with the intention to enrich with substantive sustainable aspects. He has a deep expertise in process optimization in this industry aiming on environmental sustainability. He is the proponent for product sustainability as a part of total sustainability. The circular economy is of his particular interest and he would like to encash his expertise for integrating the concept in the textile-apparel supply chain. Nevertheless, his enthusiasm towards total sustainability allows him to work beyond his area of responsibility. Besides his direct activities incorporate sustainability in different organizations, he has been engaged in voluntary roles, e.g. member advisory council of amfori, a global organization promoting sustainability in supply chain operations. With the growing concern on environmental pollution and social compliance, the fashion industry remains in focus globally. And therefore, he has the vision to carry on the good work both in industry and in academies

Clementina Martinez-Masarweh

DNA Sustainable Threds, Founder
USA
dnathreds.com

Claire Powers

KINdom, Founder
USA
kindomshop.com

KINDOM is a sustainable and ethical apparel and accessories brand. Because we are all connected with the same building blocks of the universe – humans, flora, and fauna alike – we are KIN. Utmost respect to the environment and humanity is at the forefront of the design and production processes of KINDOM – conscious of the way things are sourced, made, and who makes them, in order to preserve and perpetuate a better world for all.

KINDOM is also the second and improved iteration of another sustainable brand first created in 2007, from the same founder, Claire Powers. From its first buyer, the prominent LA boutique Fred Segal, to major retail partners such as Arden B who carried organic cotton styles, the essence of KINDOM as a sustainable brand remains the same as its predecessor: To be better stewards of the environment, and to achieve a balance between humans and nature, because we are connected. We are KIN.

By using sustainable textiles (organic cotton, hemp, and bamboo), recycled materials (RPET recycled polyester from plastic bottles), reclaimed fabrics (from deadstock), and indigenous handwoven textiles (from indigenous communities all over the world), guided by age and gender inclusivity, which are all produced in ethical facilities, all apparel & accessories created by KINDOM fulfills 4 to 15 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Cassandra McClure

Clean Beauty Con, Founder
USA
cassandramcclure.com

Camilla Barungi

Alliance 4 Development, Founder
UGANDA
linkedin.com/in/camillabarungiDA

Runa Ray

Mojo Design Studios, Founder
USA
runaray.com

Runa Ray is a Fashion Environmentalist and interdisciplinary designer who uses Fashion as Activism to advocate for policy change.
She has worked extensively with the sustainable development goals on various projects with regards to Climate Action and with the United Nations.
She is also an educational member of the IUCN for Fashion and Climate Action
As an innovator, Runa Ray’s designs encompass the reduce, reuse, and recycle model.
By keeping the end in mind, She has helped revive ancient and indigenous techniques of garments that reduce our impact on the earth.
Her expertise lies in the circularity of the Fashion Industry and helping design schools and micro organizations create zero waste initiatives.
As a Fashion environmentalist, Ray writes regularly for leading newspapers in India on Fashion and Climate change.
She hosts The Dialogue which is an interactive platform that focuses on open, honest discussions that promote sustainability and reduce Fashion’s impact on our environment.
Runa Ray believes that there cannot be environmental justice without social justice and campaigns for Peace and the advancement of Science
She has been a featured speaker at the United Nations, The National Institute of Fashion Technology, IUCN Youth, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and Rutgers University.
Her designs have been featured in the Times, Huffingtonpost, Vogue, ID, WWD, Daily Mail, and Harpers Bazaar.

María José Cordovez

MJCM, Founder
Ecuador
mjcordovez.com

Hi! My name is María José Cordovez. I’m a sustainable jewelry designer from Quito, Ecuador, who makes fine jewelry with repurposed precious metals and upcycled repurposed motherboards. I make unique and one of a kind, handmade jewelry, with designs that have the 4 elements of life in each piece. 

My collection is called Our Future. Its name was thought out of the constant transición we are in. And as we move forward to the future, we need to leave a clean path behind for the next generations to come. Everyone can be part of the solution we need by consuming responsibly and with a purpose. I invite you to be the owner of a unique jewelry piece and stand up supporting sustainable fashion.

Maguy Servián

Warany, Founder
Paraguay
instagram.com/_warany

Maguy H. Servián is the founder and designer of Warany.

She is a lawyer and a fashion designer from the Universidad Americana.

Maguy is interested in exploring the traditions of her country, the techniques, and the materials used to create a fusion of craftsmanship and design. She finds the Slow Fashion philosophy very important towards raising awareness from design to production, and seeking a balance with nature, to achieve sustainability.

Luz Barbosa

Stella Lucchi, Inc.
stellalucchi.com

Stella Lucchi resurrects discarded jewelry & clothes by upcycling them in order to keep them out of the landfills; offering fashion-forward & socially conscious clients beautiful & mostly one-of-a-kind handmade pieces.

Laura Añez

Laura Añez Textiles
Colombia
lauranez.com

Laura Añez is an Industrial and Textile designer from Colombia. She returned in 2014 to her home country after studying at the Montreal Center for Contemporary Textiles and specializing in Machine Knitting. The next year she launched her own brand called Laura Añez Textiles whose core purpose is the conscious design, production, and merchandising of knitted textile objects in natural fibers produced responsibly by small producers in South America, and created with artisanal techniques through sustainable and circular practices in the whole life cycle of the product.

Christopher Garcia

Military Veteran & Engineer
USA

Christopher Garcia is Mateo Ray’s father. He is a 17-year military veteran who completed tours in Iraq and the middle east. He was an engineer with Lockheed Martin where he helped build satellites but now spends his days managing Mateo’s busy schedule. He also cares deeply about renewable energy and sustainability and healing the Earth for his children and future generations.

Ashleigh Morgan

Recycle2Riches, Founder
USA
recycle2riches.org

R2R is focused on changing the culture of consumption by educating our community on ways to consume consciously. As a 501(c)(3) we are able to accomplish this in many ways. R2R supports brands that make a difference in protecting the earth and all those that inhabit it! We provide our community with products, solutions, and knowledge that are totally sustainable and ethical. We offer collaboration, communication, and community education on our current linear production system. Through these changes, we believe we can eventually transform the current culture of consumption into a closed-loop, circular economy. 

We have a long-term goal as a non-profit to create off-the-grid, closed-loop communities that will serve as a circular model for others around them. This is an evolving mission as we discover new and innovative solutions. Our founder, Ashleigh Morgan, often discusses the idea that everything can be something and a solution is always out there.

Staying connected and fully transparent is crucial in fostering conscious consumption. Please don’t hesitate to reach out through our contact page with any questions. 

We want to stress that every portion of your dollar counts here at Recycle2Riches. Our marketing team is working on sponsorship levels and we now have a pie chart to show you what percentage of your dollar is going where. The sponsorship levels will be published by quarter four this year (2021).

For now, thank you for any donations or support from all of us at R2R.

If you would like to donate: CLICK HERE

Andra Tashjian

LunaKai Lash, Owner
USA
lunakailash.com

LunaKai Lash was created with a passion for the Oceans. While the lash industry is far from sustainable, LunaKai Lash has created bamboo single-use disposables and eco-friendly packaging, containing no plastic.  With a mission of continuing to look for sustainable ways to improve this service in the beauty industry.

Isabelle Cabrita

Good Gang Paris, Founder and creative director
FRANCE
goodgangparis.com/

After being a lifelong designer and interior architect, she has joined her lifelong passion for yarn and textiles and her values for the environment by creating the Good Gang Paris project (along with her friend and associate Isabelle Caparros).

As the creative director, she develops interventions that allow experimentation and reconnecting with know-how, to anchor changes through creativity, sensations and emotions.

Her purpose is to help the public to understand the issues and impacts, to question themselves while proposing simple and concrete actions such as visible repair.

This form of manual activism, gentle, slow but powerful, is a very effective way to initiate change.

By creatively hijacking traditional sewing and knitting techniques, it allows us to look differently at the clothes we wear, to wear them longer by adding a touch of self, of creativity, and to make them a kind of signal that can intrigue and challenge others.

She likes to do, but above all to train others to do, the gesture feeds the conviction!

Her involvement with the NGO Fashion Revolution, as secretary of Fashion Revolution France, is also part of her need to act and contribute to the promotion of conscious consumption.

Dr. Kate V. Viola, MD, MHS, FAAD

Board-Certified Dermatologist and Research Expert
USA
instagram.com/mamaderm/

I am a board-certified dermatologist with a Master of Health Sciences Research from Yale.  I have published research articles on skin cancer and other chronic skin diseases in several renowned medical journals.  I am also the founder of a sustainable skincare line for  women and children that will  launch later this year. I educate mothers on  eco-conscious skin care practices for their families. (@mamaderm on instagram).

Dale Davis

Sustainable Impact™, founder
USA
daledavispr.com

Y. Dale Davis, Founder of Sustainable Impact™, is a prominent media maven and entrepreneur whose artistic approach to everyday living has solidified her as an identifiable architect of sustainable design.

Valentina Suárez

Universo Mola, Founder
COLOMBIA
universomola.com

Fashion designer focused on sustainability. Colombian raised in Uruguay. Since 2016 she is the co-founder and general director of the Latin American sustainable fashion movement, Universo MOLA, a program of the Foundation Entre Soles y Lunas. She is also the creative mind behind Dolmen, her sustainable fashion clothing brand.
Consciousness, sustainability and design speaker, she has been invited to lecture at several international events. She has also been the president of the sustainable fashion committee at Premios Latinoamérica Verde 2020 and tv host of the Green Carpet 2020.

Valentina Suarez’ social media:
http://instagram.com/vaalensuaa/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/valensuarez/

Sophia Yang

Threading Change
CANADA
threadingchange.org

Threading Change is a youth-led not-for-profit organization envisioning a future where fashion is ethical and circular, rooted in justice with climate, gender, and racial equity at the forefront. We work at the intersections of consumer education and industry transformation through our tri-impact model of education, innovative storytelling, and policy research. Our mission is the 6Fs: A Feminist, Fossil-Fuel Free Fashion Future.

Safietou Seck

Sarayaa
SENEGAL
sarayaa.shop

Safiétou Seck, a fashion designer and entrepreneur from Dakar, Senegal created SARAYAA, a clothing line for women in 2014. She describes her designs as being a mix of traditional African and modern fashion. One of her objectives is to showcase unknown handwoven fabrics from countries such as Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mali and to recognize the women and men who patiently weave these beautiful pieces. Safiétou chose the name SARAYAA to express the idea that women are precious and unique. Saraya (without the second letter A) is a gold mining region in Senegal.
Born in Dakar, Senegal, Safiétou obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Spelman College in Atlanta and her MBA from American University in Washington DC. Safiétou then worked as an economist at the US embassy for 7 years. Despite her background in economics, her love for fashion prevailed – especially when she was commended by a certain beloved First Lady.
Safiétou’s esthetic for SARAYAA evokes her blended background of African and western culture and her love of original associations.

Through SARAYAA, Safiétou’s desire is to highlight understated but elegant African fashion and to celebrate the unique differences that make each and every one of us beautiful!

Monique Ntumngia

Green Girls Organization
CAMEROON
facebook.com/NtumngiaMonique

Monique Ntumngia is a sustainable entrepreneur from Cameroon on a mission to solve Africa’s energy problem. 

A trained legal professional, Monique Ntumngia is globally recognised and known for the impact of her NGO: The GREEN GIRLS ORGANISATION that she founded in 2016, that provides access to clean and affordable energy to women and girls in African rural communities.

An unapologetic feminist who believes that women and girls deserve the same opportunities men are entitled to, she is also the Founder and CEO of Monafrik Energy a clean energy company that carries out solar and biogas installations for major construction projects, individuals who have their homes in either rural or urban settings, schools, hospitals and catering establishments.

Her work in providing access to clean and affordable energy on the African continent portray her values of service to not only Cameroon but Africa and the world at large which have earned her numerous awards such as:

2019- VISA Everywhere Initiative Women’s Global Edition (1st African Female to win this award)
2019- WWF International President’s Award (1st African Female to win this award)
2019- UNLEASH SDG7 Global Prize Winner for The Best Innovative Clean Energy Project
2018- UNESCO Youth Award for Sustainable Education Leader
2017- WWF Africa Youth Award 2017
2017- Africa Youth Connekt Award for Best Project and Best Pitch
2017- Sustainable Development Youth Award from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Cameroon
2017- UNCTAD Award for Best Social Entrepreneur and Project
2016- Cameroon Leadership Award for Best Entrepreneur in Cameroon

Monique Ntumngia sits on the board of AWEEF (African Women Energy Entrepreneurs Framework) and is also the Central African Coordinator for the organisation.

She is also a Board Member for: Women for Sustainable Energy and Climate Action.

Given Monique’s wealth of knowledge and experience about the shortcomings of the clean energy sector on the African continent, Africa’s sustainable infrastructural problems and lack of access to private equity funding for African female entrepreneurs she has severally been invited as a high-profile panelist by:

The World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum for Africa
The African Economic Conference
The African Development Bank
International Finance Corporation
WWF
UN Environment
UNDP
UN WOMEN
The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment
UNESCO
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
The University of Oxford
African Economic Outlook
AU
All the COP Climate Agreement Meetings
VISA and the AU.

In 2020 in the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic she launched an online consulting called: The NGO Expert aimed at training individuals who wish to get into the International Developmental space and enhancing the capacity of those individuals who are already NGO owners but don’t know how to run their NGO’s in order to bring about impact.

With over 35 international media that have interviewed her and featured the impact of the Green Girls Organisation’s work across the African continent, Forbes Editor in Chief Devin Thorpe named her: Africa’s Renewable Energy Queen.

Kim Hou

About a Worker, Founder & Creative Director
aboutaworker.com

Founded in 2017 by Kim Hou and Paul Boulenger, ABOUT A WORKER is a design studio giving manufacturing workers the ability to become designers. Through an introduction to creative expression, workers design products inspired by their vision of the industry and personal stories, using design as a universal language. ABOUT A WORKER’s creations question connect workers, designers, consumers in order to transform their context inclusively.

Michaela Engst

Engst
ETHIOPIA
engstdesign.com

Michaela Engst, fashion designer, trainer and consultant from Berlin, is living and working in Ethiopia.

She is the founder of the fashion brand ENGST – www.engstdesign.com 

The concept of her brand is based on respect for the environment, animals and people and introduces the consumer to a sustainable, reduced and thoughtful way of dressing. The textiles are organic, re- or up-cycled, ethically made and produced locally. 

In January 2019 she took on the role as Country Coordinator for Fashion Revolution Ethiopia – www.fashionrevolution.org/africa/ethiopia a global movement that is campaigning for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry.

She is also working on a workshop brand COLLECTIVE CREATIVE which has been hosting creative and textile design workshops.

Currently she is consulting different Ethiopian brands regarding design and production structure.

Karen Hartman

Astor + Orion
USA
astorandorion.com

Designed in Seattle and produced with an ethically certified factory, Astor + Orion jewelry is sustainably cast from recycled metals and designed to be easily recycled again at the end of its life. Their approach to jewelry design is unique; they hand sculpt each piece in a 3D environment which allows them to create stunning modern designs with handcrafted charm.  

Once a design has been perfected, they send it to their certified manufacturing partner who shares our belief that quality work starts with a fair and safe workplace. The pieces are cast, polished and inspected for the highest quality so that our customers can feel proud of each and every piece they own.

Juan Pablo Martinez

Juan Pablo Martínez
COLOMBIA
jpmecofashion.com

Already bored with fashion I got an invitation to take part in Eco Chic Geneva in 2010. It said Eco Fashion on it. Images of heavy hemp clothes for late hippies came to mind, so at first I was reluctant to participate, but went to Google images and discovered all these new eco fashion designers and their amazing collections and then, something clicked in my mind, just a few seconds, but it would change my life and career. There had to be something else besides designing, producing and selling clothes, but I did not quite know what it was. Suddenly, Sustainable Fashion seemed the right path it opened new possibilities and ways of designing while helping somehow to make this planet a better place for my kids, and for others. So I bought the books, went to all the eco sites, blogs, interviews, videos, etc. to learn and do. Ten years later, I sell my clothes in the USA, expanding and growing. Events like SFSFWI are so important at this point, because with all the greenwashing I am seeing all around, it is getting harder to meet committed organizations to make a definite change.

Ria Ana Sejpal

Lilabare
KENYA
lilabare.com

Lilabare is a Kenyan clothing brand that uses recycled & handcrafted materials to create versatile designs for the mindful individual. Inspired by the heritage from which our fabric is crafted, Lilabare brings traditions of the ancient worlds into today’s conversations of inclusivity, art, gender and body image through its designs… with our speciality being highly adjustable and comfortable clothing. The styles are designed to be worn throughout the day and year, regardless of season or occasion.

The clothes are an ode to fluidity, creating pieces that endure the ups and downs of life. Style & timelessness are key to making things that last through generations, making designs that are inherently sustainable for the wearer as well as the makers. Made for those who appreciate the eccentricities of life, Lilabare brings a modern nostalgic perspective to the table and allows each individual to adapt their piece to their needs.

Sylvia Omina Otsieno

Omina Otsieno, Founder
KENYA
ominaotsieno.com

Sylvia spent her childhood in Elunyiko in Busia County creating dolls from clay and making dresses for them. This creative expression laid the foundation for the birth of her brand years later. In 2017, she founded the fashion brand Omina Otsieno which then specialized in making clothing and yarn crotchet jewellery. In 2019 she launched a capsule collection of her first Banana fiber jewellery through an exhibition that marked the end of a fashion Incubation programme that she was a participant in, which was organized by SITA MITREEKI in Partnership with International Trade Center. She later built on the collection to a full eleven piece collection which was launched in February 2021.

She is passionate about changing the world through safe environmental practices, promoting culture and changing the lives of women in her rural home Elunyiko in Busia County Kenya. She works with these women by training them to create these unique jewellery pieces.

Through the work of her brand, Sylvia is focused on three main areas of sustainable development, which include education, alleviating poverty, and industry, innovation, and infrastructure. She hopes that Omina Otsieno will become the fashion and arts brand of choice in Africa, gaining international recognition. 

Sylvia is acting on the economic inequality that plagues those impoverished living in villages while resources surround them in abundance. Her aim is to leverage fashion businesses and design skills available in the villages to create art and products that will bring economic prosperity to those in need.

Ann McCreath

KikoRomeo, Founder
KENYA
kikoromeo.com

Ann McCreath has lived in Kenya since 1992. She is the founder of fashion heritage brand KikoRomeo, set up in 1996 in Kenya to stimulate employment and promote traditional craft skills. She has an MA Hons from University of Edinburgh, a Diploma in Fashion from KOEFIA in Rome and over three decades of experience in the fashion industry. A pioneer entrepreneur in sustainable fashion, McCreath continues to design, while mentoring young designers and consulting for fashion industry players. She is on the board of the Kenya Fashion Council and an advisor to Fashion Revolution Kenya.

Hortense Mbea

Afropian, Founder
ETHIOPIA
afropian.co

Hortense Mbea is the Founder and Creative Director of Afropian. A Cameroonian national, she was born in Washington, DC, in 1975. A global nomad, Hortense lived and studied in countries around the world before moving to Ethiopia to start a career as an interpreter. After a successful 15 year career, she decided to rekindle her love affair with art and creativity and couple it with her passion for Africa. She took several courses, learned a tremendous amount online and trained with artisans in Côte d’Ivoire.  In 2017, Afropian was born. the foundation of afropian is a continent-wide network of artisans who produce textiles and jewelry elements traditionally and by hand.

Orsola de Castro

Fashion Revolution, Founder
United Kingdom
https://www.fashionrevolution.org/

Orsola de Castro is an internationally recognised opinion leader in sustainable fashion. Her career started as a designer with the pioneering upcycling label From Somewhere, which she launched in 1997 until 2014.

Her designer collaborations include collections for Jigsaw, Tesco, Speedo, and 4 best selling capsule collections for Topshop from 2012 to 2014.In 2006, she co-founded the British Fashion Council initiative Estethica at London Fashion Week, which she curated until 2014.

In 2013, with Carry Somers, she founded Fashion Revolution, a global campaign with participation in over 100 countries around the world. Orsola is a regular key note speaker and mentor, Associate Lecturer at UAL, as well as Central Saint Martins Visiting Fellow.

Marie-Laurence Sapin

Fashion Revolution France, Head of Education
FRANCE
FashionRevolution.org/france

Consultant and expert trainer in textile and fashion, know-how and craftsmanship are at the heart of her professional activity. She focuses on the preservation, transmission and valorisation of these skills and practices through the Living Heritage of companies, the Intangible Cultural Heritage of territories and training in international fashion schools. A long-time activist on the subjects of respect for human rights and active non-violence, she joined the Fashion Revolution France in 2017 where she is in charge of the education commission.

Mathilde Rougier

Samia Larouiche

WA (off) & Team Fashion Revolution France, Founder
fashionrevolution.org/france/

After a few years spent in fashion events, digital strategy consulting, she is now responsible for a creative studio, and transmits her knowledge in communication and sustainable fashion to fashion schools. At the same time, she created WA (off) in 2010, one of the first French media and podcast dealing with eco-responsible fashion. A voice-over that observes, enlightens, alerts, and above all highlights positive initiatives in the field of committed and eco-responsible fashion.

Michael Stanley-Jones

UN Environment Programme Management Officer
KENYA

Michael Stanley-Jones is a Programme Management Officer with UN Environment Programme. He supports knowledge management and digital transformation within the Ecosystems Integration Branch based in Nairobi.  As inaugural Secretary of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion from 2018 to 2020, Michael advocated for engagement with the textile and apparel industries on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Prior to joining the United Nations, Michael was a community organizer in San Francisco, California, where he fought for restoration of the San Francisco Bay Estuary and the public’s right-to-know about toxic pollution. Michael’s passions include comedy, nature and poetry.

Mateo Ray

Doughnut Daily, Actor & Youtuber
USA
instagram.com/mateoray_official

Mateo Ray is an 8 year old child actor based out of Los Angeles. He currently has 17 film and tv show credits to his name and will be working on a new film starting in June. He plays the piano and is learning harmonica and ukulele. He studies karate and plays soccer and baseball. He loves all things Lego and Minecraft. And helps his parents with their extensive garden and mini or hard and caring for his three dogs, cat, 5 chickens and rabbit. He cares deeply about The Earth and Nature and humans being kind to each other.

Mallory Gutierrez

Knight & Day Skin Studio, Founder
USA
instagram.com/knightanddayskinstudio

Mallory Knight is a Licensed Esthetician with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Her biggest passion is being able to help other people rediscover their confidence and transform their lives through skin care.

Grazyna Lallemand

3ec-TV, Founder, Founder
FRANCE
3ec-tv.com

Grazyna Lallemand is a Polish-French pragmatic and resourceful multitalented media visionary and a professional in international commerce who takes ethical values into account whatever her goal.

Grazyna included the environment as a cross-disciplinary theme in the content of 3ec-TV, since 10 years of work on cancer research at the Medical Research Council in the UK as a Clinical Trial Manager reinforced her awareness of the link between humans and the environment.

Grazyna has decided to encourage the industry and consumers to turn to entirely sustainably-produced products when she was responsible for developing international sales of Grand Cru Classé and Champagne for French wine companies.

She founded ‘Caelestis’, a volunteer-based charity dedicated to World Wildlife Fund, to raise funds and public environmental awareness.

She created an ecological luxury brand ‘Caelestis’ (endorsed by celebrities) auctioned for WWF in various countries.

Grazyna holds a Master’s in International Commerce (France) and a Degree in Human Sciences – option Economy (honors),

Specialty: Economics and environmental policy in an international context. Strategic study of the Asia-Pacific region. (Open University, UK)

She also holds a Diploma in Management of Medium-sized Companies (France) and an Advanced Level in Computer Science (UK). Grazyna is trilingual: French, English, and Polish (native), and speaks some Russian

Connie Ulasewitz

CBU Productions, Founder
USA
cbuproductions.com

A global and domestic garment industry consultant & an Emeritus faculty of San Francisco State University, Dr. Ulasewicz has collaborated with many. ​Her research, writing, speaking, and video production aim to define and explore the true value of textile and clothing and the need for a circular clothing economy. ​Beginning her career within the garment industry’s production and sales arena, Connie engaged in the global yet linear approach of design, production, marketing, and sales. As an educator in Apparel Design & Merchandising for 23 years, and through her company, CBU Productions, her teachings, writing, and speaking continue to advocate for understanding our clothing’s actual value and the necessity for a circular clothing economy. Through global events such as SFSWI, people have the opportunity to come together to learn and share their commitment to solving the clothing waste crisis.

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm4q7B-iPYI&t=149s

Cristopher Garcia

Military Veteran & Engineer
USA

Christopher Garcia is Mateo Ray’s father. He is a 17-year military veteran who completed tours in Iraq and the middle east. He was an engineer with Lockheed Martin where he helped build satellites, but now spends his days managing Mateo’s busy schedule. He also cares deeply about renewable energy and sustainability, and healing the Earth for his children and future generations.

Noor Amiri

Noorullah, Founder
USA
noorullahus.com

Noor Amiri is a fashion designer born in Afghanistan. He immigrated to America in 2002 and quickly learned English in school and in church. He was fascinated by learning everything and just wanted to fit in. It was not until high school when he started to embrace being unique. And it was his interest in fashion which gave him the confidence that he needed. Noor wanted to bring the same confidence to other people by starting a streetwear brand. After highschool, he studied Fashion Merchandising at the Academy of Art University. And he successfully launched his men’s ready-to-wear brand in the beginning of 2021. He is passionate about being creative and designing for longevity. He is also passionate about making a difference and putting effort into the right cause. Sustainability is important because we must preserve the planet since it is the only one that we can inhabit. Earth has been suffering from pollution for centuries, and the damage seems irreversible. The best we can do to make a difference is at least preserve it and keep it from becoming worse. SFSFWI is committed to making the world more sustainable through fashion by educating the public.

Md. Fazlul Hoque

Plummy Fashions Ltd, Founder
BANGLADESH
plummyfashions.com

Mr. Md. Fazlul Hoque is one of the most dynamic leader of Apparel sector in Bangladesh.Mr. Hoque has been intensively involved in this industry over twenty five years. He has performed as the President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA) on three consecutive terms (2004-2010). During the presidential period of BKMEA and later (2011-2013) as the President of Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF), Mr. Hoque has taken several pioneering initiatives to facilitate workers benefit and workplace safety. Despite of being a representative of owners, he has been acknowledged as a ‘pro-worker’ leader. He was the first director from Bangladesh in the International Apparel Federation (IAF). Besides he served as director of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI), SAARC CCI, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Bangladesh etc. 'Plummy Fashions Ltd’ the greenest knitwear manufacturing unit in the world, is the recent endeavor of Mr. Hoque which already became a milestone in the local and international knitwear sector. Plummy Fashions Ltd also earned ‘National Award on Environment’ from the Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Miriam Keegan

Sew Sustainable, Founder
IRELAND
www.sustainablefashioneducation.com
www.noclothescommitment.com
instagram.com/sew_sustainable_/

Miriam is a sustainable fashion educator and designer from Ireland. In 2021, Miriam won the Fulbright-EPA Student Award to complete her Masters in Fashion and Apparel Studie, University of Delaware. Miriam is passionate about connecting Education for Sustainable Development with the Visual Art Curriculum in primary education. Miriam provides an online course for Irish primary teachers who wish to learn about sustainability and bring sewing back into the classroom. Approved by the Department of Education and Skill, Ireland, Miriam has taught hundreds of teachers over the last year, teaching children how to mend, upcycle and sew their own clothes. Miriam believes that we have to give children hope in combating climate change and our clothes are the easiest way to connect with every child. Miriam completed an entire year of buying no clothes in 2020 and is inviting everyone to join the No Clothes Commitment Challenge in 2021. During the pandemic, Miriam found herself making face masks for hundreds of people across Ireland, raising much needed funds for Labour Behind The Label and Clean Clothes Campaign.  The SFSFWI is vital for a global connection and collaboration of designers, leaders and innovators. Education is at the core of SFSFWI’s support for sustainability in the fashion industry. 

Youtube Work: https://youtu.be/Rp3axu4ME0I

Mercedes Martinez

Docena, Founder
CHILE
docena.net

Docena is a design studio that works through upcycling, circular economy, design, art and community projects. 

Our work takes multiple formats, production of clothing, workshops and experiences,  audiovisual creations, art and installations, seeking to generate experiences that respond to integral projects that link material upcycling with human transformation and connection. Raised from the transmedial, the artisanal and the collective, generating a hybrid language of actions  focused on the cosmogonic, the intercultural, the contemporary and the recycled. 

Our design is people-oriented, works for and by people, who are looking for more than just the benefit of a product or service transaction.

Collaboration is our starting point and it permits the proliferation of expressions and inclusive actions. During 16 years Docena has worked as an open platform  for practitioners, residents in upcycling. In the last years Docena has cocreated Supra.org , a network of upcyclers from Latin America.

Sustainability is the basis of our work and technology is the wave to surf, we live in a globalized world and the networks are to be made and expanded, this is why it is important for us to share our vision, connect networks, participating in SFSFWI because sustainability is our only future and our conection.

Jonathan Ohayon

F.A.K.E. Movement, Founder
USA
fakemovement.com

Jonathan created (together with his father and his brother) Arsayo, a vegan and ethical city backpack with a secured closing system. The Arsayo backpack won several medals for best invention in France and Europe and was awarded a medal by the French Ministry of the Interior at the “Lepine” contest. He then decided to create the F.A.K.E. Movement (Fashion for Animal Kingdom & Environment), a platform that promotes designers who create ethically made Vegan Fashion. F.A.K.E. tries to educate people on the impact of the fashion industry and available solutions through different events such as pop-up stores, screenings, museums, fashion shows, virtual events & more. Jonathan is an animal rights activist, undertaking many activities for animals including pig vigils and cubes of truth.

Catherine Dauriac

Hummade, Founder
France
https://hummade.fr

Activiste Climat et Slowfashion. Tisseuse de liens. Au service des changements sociétaux  pour un(e) autre mo(n)de. Journaliste d’impact (Hummade magazine), slowfashion,  environnement. Expert textile. Conférencière. Rédactrice storytelling-storyproving,  copywriter. Blogueuse. Social media manager. Photographe. Présidente et Country  coordinator de Fashion Revolution France. Avec la Fabrique Idéale, ateliers de réparation et  d’ornementation des vêtements comme lien social total. 

Après ses études d’Archéologie précolombienne, Catherine Dauriac @cityzenccat a préféré  se consacrer au textile et à la mode. Après 15 ans d’accompagnement de jeunes créateurs  indépendants, elle choisit en 2003 d’entamer une carrière de journaliste pour la défense de  l’Environnement, avec tout naturellement une spécialité autour de l’éthique dans la mode.  Aujourd’hui, elle est rédactrice en chef adjointe aux impacts pour la revue papier Hummade,  dédiée au vêtement dans son aspect politique, social, environnemental, et à la mode libre.  Matières écologiques et responsabilité environnementale et sociétale de l’industrie de la  mode sont ses sujets majeurs, dans ses articles et son livre en cours d’écriture, dans ses  conférences, avec son agence de communication digitale. Très engagée depuis l’adolescence  dans la vie associative, elle a été élue Présidente de Fashion Revolution France en 2020. Elle  a également co-fondé un projet de tiers-lieu, La Fabrique Idéale, avec pour motto  l’Autonomie Vestimentaire par le biais de la Réparation ornementale des vêtements.  Parallèlement à ces activités, elle mène un travail de photographie autour de la beauté des  déchets avec une série de composts photographiés au fil des saisons. 

#whomademyclothes #lovedclotheslast #whatsinmyclothes #autonomievestimentaire @fash_rev_france #fashrevfrance 

After studying Pre-Columbian Archeology, Catherine Dauriac preferred to devote herself to  textiles and fashion. After 15 years of coaching young independent designers, she chose in  2003 to start a career as a journalist for the defense of the Environment. Today, she is  associate editor in chief of impacts for the paper review Hummade, dedicated to clothing in  its political, social, environmental, and free fashion aspects. Environmental and societal  responsibility of the fashion industry are its major subjects, in its articles and its book being  written, in its conferences, with its digital communication agency, in its associative  commitments and in its new third party project/place, La Fabrique Idéale, with the motto of  clothing autonomy through visible mending. In addition to these activities, she is carrying  out photography work around the beauty of waste with a series of composts photographed  throughout the seasons.

Adriana Vela

MarketTecNexus LLC, Founder
USA
https://adrianavela.expert

Known as the GPS to Success, Adriana Vela is an award-winning strategist, serial entrepreneur, and Certified Professional Business Coach. Also, she is a trained Certified Professional Behaviors Analyst, a Certified Professional in Driving Forces, and a Certified Professional in Emotional Intelligence. Currently, Adriana is the founder of MarketTecNexus, whose mission is to “Improve The Human Condition.”

With over three decades focusing on behaviors and market trends, she delivers value through her 15 years in Fortune 100 companies and 16 years of entrepreneurial venture experience.  The power of this combination equips innovative companies with proven systems and tools to help them get ahead of disruptive trends, reclaim their competitive edge, and become future-ready.

Adriana has launched dozens of products, driven industry standards, led million-dollar initiatives, and defining new markets. Her entrepreneurial success yielded quotes or features in journal publications such as The Milken Institute Report: ‘Minds-to-Market’ and the San Diego Business Journal; magazines like PM Networks, PharmaTech Europe, SmallTimes, Hispanic Business, and San Diego Magazine; and interview in the book titled “Work Together Anywhere.”  

She is the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions and has been an invited speaker nationally and abroad on various aspects of innovations. She has also served as an advisor for technology conferences, several independent boards, and decision-making committees.

Sandra Hanns, USA/Chile

Founder, Organizer & Producer
SFSFWI & iGreen Media Group
Experts United Industries