This month, we invited Tiffanie Darke, Editor and Co-Founder of Agora Ibiza, a sustainable fashion boutique located in the luxury, eco-friendly resort Six Senses to share her inspiring story. Find out more about her career switch for sustainability, her projects and inspiration behind them.
The most exciting has definitely been discovering all the different ways brands are striving to come up with more sustainable solutions. There are brands like AERA who have built themselves to be best in class from the ground up, and then some that are only just beginning that journey. The most challenging part has been communicating those stories. Daniela (my Co-Founder) and I are both storytellers - we are magazine editors by trade, so telling the stories behind brands is what we love to do. In store, that was a whole new experience for us. We have used signage, exhibitions, merchandising, events, interviews and some absolutely brilliant storytelling shop staff to help us. But what we love is when customers come in and ask questions. Then we can really get going!
I was working on the news features desk at the Sunday Times around the time of 9/11. It was a thrilling time to be in news, and particularly features as there was so much hunger for information. Then the editor of the paper asked me to launch a glossy Style magazine for women (I think this was because I was the only person in the office wearing fashion!). I said no, I was having too much fun on the news. He said, 'Don't be a fool - it's an incredible opportunity.' He was right.
I was working at Harrods as the editor in chief during the pandemic. With everything going on in the world around me at that time, the excessive luxury at Harrods was hard to square. I decided the world was sick and I needed to learn about it, so I took a course at the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership. I had no idea how game changing it was going to be until I started. Once you become aware of the facts and trajectory of climate change, you really cannot work on anything else. I saw a way to marry what I had been doing with change. I wanted to make sustainability principles desirable. That's where the idea of Agora was born. We then produced a magazine, the Xarraca Journal (Xarraca Bay is where our shop is located) themed around luxury and sustainability. And now, because there are so many stories to cover, I run a weekly substack newsletter, It's Not Sustainable. Off the back of this and some of my journalism, I have now been asked to write a book for Broadleaf publishers about how to build a sustainable wardrobe.
Overproduction. It's the biggest barrier to us achieving our 1.5C warming targets by 2030.
The stories, innovation and people behind the change. Everything from material science, to social sustainability projects, to circularity, to all the amazing heroes and heroines of the new sustainable fashion revolution are too exciting not to cover. And I also wanted to do something positive. If we scare people into changing their consumer choices it's never going to work. If we inspire them with great stories - well, it just might.
Definitely: number one on the rocks of Xarraca Bay. The sunsets are the best on the island. Take a paddle board and head west, you will find so many beautiful coves and caves swimming in the turquoise blue sea. Posidonia is the name of the seagrass that grows natively in the waters and there is a very high concentration in Xarraca Bay: the oxygen the grass produces is what makes the water so blue.
Stop for lunch at Cala Xuclà. There is an incredible fish restaurant under a shack. It's outstanding food all produced in the tiniest kitchen by a brother and sister. Have the tomato salad, and DO NOT miss the prawns!
Visit Chai Shop: it's a by appointment shop in the north run by great friends of ours whose interior design projects are out of this world. This is an Aladdin's Cave of things they have picked up on their travels.
Dance. Ibiza is all about dancing. There is so much amazing music on the island, make sure you follow the noise.
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This month, we invited Verde Camilla Parmigiani, Founder and CEO of Vegan Set, a luxury hotel consultancy based in Italy, focused on implementing environmentally-conscious and vegan options within the hospitality sector. Find out more about her path and what is coming next, discover the projects she curated for renowned hotels and restaurants.
Vegan Set was born in 2016 as a blog; the first blog about Vegan Fine Dining. I was posting about hotels and restaurants that were able to offer gourmet vegan options. This is not so rare today, but at the time (even if it was only a few years ago) the situation was quite different. Four years after launching the blog, I realized that hotels needed help with this; they needed skills and expertise to offer a true vegan experience to their guests. Food, drink, lifestyle and staff awareness. All these elements must be at the top if a hotel wants its vegan or flexitarian guests to enjoy their experience like other guests. So today Vegan Set is mainly a luxury hotel consultancy. But it is still an online platform that tells stories about the best restaurants, hotels and fashion brands. Showing the world what the amazing vegan community is up to is a great way to inspire.
Well, definitely yes. Many hotels don’t see the importance of such an integration of their experiences while others think they can do it without help. This brings them a lack of truly enjoyable moments of pleasure for their vegan and flexitarian guests. In the second case, they fall into many mistakes and are not able to adequately match the expectations of their guests. But there is also a growing selection of hotels, thanks to the initiative of forward-looking professionals, who are really excited about the projects and the process of integration. They love being able to stun their clients and to be the promoters of such an important message and behavior.
Il San Pietro di Positano on the Amalfi Coast is definitely the most exciting project that I have realized thus far. The hotel itself is a true paradise. The most genuine Italian charme and hospitality, awarded with a Michelin star and positioned with stunning views of the Positano sea. Today, it is also the most vegan friendly hotel of the area with some of the most exclusive experiences you can imagine. I am also very proud of the organization of ‘Plant Kitchen’ , an incredible vegan event with four chefs (two from Italy, one from France and one from Sweden) expressing their best talent in two dinners paired with the best vegan wines. But, for me, the best project is always the next one. So get ready to fly to Lake Garda in Italy in 2024 for something absolutely stunning (can’t reveal the details yet…).
This is the main concept that gravitates all around the Vegan Set. To show that being vegan doesn’t mean to live in deprivation, but that you can still enjoy the best moments. At the same time, these kinds of experiences are not exclusively for vegans. These are moments open to everybody willing to enjoy the best life with a more conscious approach. The biggest mistake is thinking that who chooses to be vegan is on a diet. Surely many vegans choose this lifestyle because of the positive effect on their health, but this doesn’t mean that what they enjoy has to be tasteless or totally lacking in ‘divertissement’.
Surely for me the top tip on the list is to buy groceries from your local farmer and to make sure they are organic. It’s very important to support local farmers and producers. I think the second most important thing is to always be respectful and open in our mindset. I am totally in favor of activism (since I was a child I have always been active in defending animals) but I think that what can really make a change is not to be divided as human beings. I don’t think I am a better person because of my choice of not eating animals. I don’t put myself in a different position toward others. In fact, I know I am on the exact same planet and just try my best.
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This month, we invited Diana Verde Nieto, Co-Founder and CEO of Positive Luxury, to discuss her background in sustainability consulting and share how Positive Luxury functions to exceed environmentally-conscious production standards in the luxury consumer market.
Positive Luxury is an ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) platform that helps luxury companies adapt and transition to a new climate economy by assessing ESG performance, forecast social and environmental risks and opportunities, future proof their business and leverage sustainability as a driver of positive impact and corporate value.
In 2002, I founded Clownfish, one of the first dedicated sustainability communications consultancies. Through Clownfish, you can say that we broke new ground in the field of ESG and sustainability, against a backdrop of a similar economic climate as today. We successfully scaled its operations globally, to China, the USA, Europe and the UK and subsequently we sold the company in 2008 to a trade buyer.
Back in 2008 /2009, (I can’t honestly recall the year) I was invited to contribute to a WWF report called Deeper Luxury. This is the first time that I thought that luxury and sustainability were two sides of the same coin. I guess since that moment onwards luxury was definitely on my radar.
Fast-forward to 2010, when I gave Sir David Attenborough his Lifetime Achievement Award and was privileged to have an enlightening and enjoyable conversation over dinner about the animal world. He told me then, the inspiring story of the Large Blue– a butterfly which died out in the British Isles in 1979 – and the dedication of the scientist who successfully reintroduced it by unraveling the intricate web of interdependencies necessary for its survival, making it the most successful insect re-introduction to date. I was incredibly inspired as we, as humans, can destroy species, yet in the same breath we can actually put our collective actions to do good and restore them.
Looking back, Positive Luxury was not just born, it had a couple of years-worth gestation process.
The Butterfly Mark certification signals to consumers that a company has reached the highest standards of ESG+ performance and enables companies to share with their audiences their ESG actions, underpinned by facts. The uniqueness of the connected Butterfly Mark certification is that it is independently verified and gives consumers at a click a real insight of the company's actions across ESG.
Positive Luxury’s proprietary ESG+ assessment framework is an aggregation of the highest international standards and ESG accounting frameworks enabling companies to collect and measure comparable data in line with new legislation and accounting frameworks.
Sustainability is a journey. We learn daily and ensure that we share our learning with our community to keep the Positive Luxury community ahead of what is coming their way.
Many businesses approach Positive Luxury as they are looking for an expert partner in the luxury industry to enable them to transition to the new climate economy. A wave of legislation is coming from next year. This means that we are moving away from voluntary actions to legislated actions. This will enable investors to have real comparable sets of data to evaluate companies’ actions like for like and most importantly organize collective action that can help us achieve the 1.5C reduction pathway in line with the Paris Agreement.
We’ve seen emissions be prioritized in previous years and COP15 [United Nations Biodiversity Conference] has put biodiversity at the forefront, but these cannot be tackled in silo. Climate adaptation is much wider than just two challenges, which is why Positive Luxury’s assessment methodology covers 29 drivers across environmental, social and governance.
Being sustainable takes investment and what we mean by this is financial, resources, time [and resources and development].
Material innovations such as mylo leather, pinatex, apple leather and even coffee leather are currently being piloted in the fashion industry as an alternative to leather, however not yet at scale. Consumers don’t have the time and the knowledge to make the decision about what is best – it is an industry responsibility to make products that are not just less bad but positively good.
What we mean by this is longevity – repair, recycle and resell. The world is not fast and disposable and neither should be what we wear.
In a consumer mindset sometimes, I get tempted by convenience at the expense of sustainability – I’m not perfect – but I try hard to buy from brands who align with my beliefs and make sure my actions are not having a negative impact on the planet – but I do love nice things.
So where to start? Look for the Butterfly Mark Certification and shop from brands that are not just making sustainability promises but actually doing the work.
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This month, we invited Jennifer Alfano, founder of lifestyle journal The Flair Index and sustainable jewelry line Jennifer Alfano Jewerly, to talk to us about her career as a fashion writer and what it means to invest in a sustainable future.
I started at Vogue back in the 90s and then worked at Harper's Bazaar three times, once under Liz Tilberis and twice under Glenda Bailey. I was both a fashion writer and then the fashion features director. What I loved most was discovering new talent and people's stories and sharing them with our reader--I was the first in the US to write about Alexander McQueen and went to his first show, and had the privilege of witnessing first-hand some very memorable moments in fashion. It was a very creative time. Sustainable fashion wasn't really a concept yet.
I launched TFI in 2016 as a way to continue sharing stories, this time focused solely (except for two interviews) on women entrepreneurs in the luxury lifestyle space, along with thoughts on fashion from my editor's mindset. As the site has grown and fashion has evolved, I try to focus on an ethos of fewer, better things and brands that align with that idea. With social media, we are constantly bombarded with newness and it can be overwhelming. I try to winnow out the extraneous to give my audience a succinct point of view. Often, it's a conversation and we learn and grow from each other. I truly enjoy that dialogue.
There are a couple of areas where I think we are sustainable. First, my gold is ethically sourced and the source is certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council in the UK. My diamonds are also certified conflict free. My pieces are hand-crafted locally by artisans in New York City, and I keep very limited stock—most pieces are made to order which allows us to tailor our designs specifically to each customer and to eliminate waste.
I am sure greenwashing happens, and honestly I do not know how to combat it. But this is how I think about it: First, buying anything new isn't really sustainable in the first place. And I could easily nitpick most brands and find a reason why something they are doing doesn't seem sustainable. But I like what I read recently in FT [Financial Times] that editor Jo Ellison wrote about sustainability. She heard someone talk about picking your lane, instead of trying to reach 100% perfection. Because I don't even know if you can. I think we're all in this together, and we should lift each other up and encourage accountability instead of pointing fingers.
Stick to what you love and wait for it. Don't get side tracked. I really admire the designer Rick Owens — his aesthetic isn't mine, but he is very thoughtful and I have one of his quotes on my computer desktop: "Most of the things that I get are things I have wanted for a long, long time. I am not an impulsive buyer and I don't like clutter. I don't like filling my world with impulsive things. It has to be a serious commitment." It's the idea behind my jewelry, my hope is that these are forever pieces that become integral to the wearer's personal style. Not that each thing you bring into your life needs to be the "be all, end all" but I think most of us know instinctively when we're just buying something and when we're bringing something into our lives. It's different.
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This month, we invited John Bartlett, Designer and Director of the Fashion Program at Marist College, to discuss his thoughts on the future of fashion and sustainability, and what that means for generations to come.
After graduating from Harvard University with a B.A. in Sociology, I decided to move to New York City to pursue a career in fashion. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do but starting to take night classes in fashion design and went on to get a degree in menswear design. I worked for a few brands before launching my own label. Alongside my own company, I worked for other brands like Liz Claiborne, Ghurka and the Bon Ton department stores.
I have always loved speaking to students and jumped at the chance to apply to the role of Director at Marist Fashion when I came across the job listing. I feel that speaking directly to the next generation of designers and merchants is the best way to make an impact. I have learned so much from the students and am optimistic about the future of fashion.
I think that the students today are approaching the fashion industry from a very different perspective. They are seeing the industry through a wider lens that includes body positivity, gender identity, sustainability, colonialism and other social justice issues. Students today also have to excel at digital communication and have a better understanding of the global market. I see a fashion industry that continues to evolve and leverage its visibility for social change.
The industry is in constant motion. When I started my brand, one would call up buyers on the phone, try to make an appointment and then try to get paid. The only game in town was wholesale, There was no e-commerce and designers rarely had their own boutiques or direct to customer opportunities. We sketched by hand and worked very closely in person rather than on Zoom or digitally.
I had an awakening in 2010 and embraced a fully vegan lifestyle, form my diet to the clothes and accessories I wore and designed. I eschewed all animal materials and went completely plant based. The collection I created for New York Fashion Week was, I believe, the first openly vegan luxe collection shown for men and it was made entirely of linen. Eco-luxe is a term that, for me, means a high level of design and luxury, but with a focus on sustainable materials and practices. The industry has changed a lot since this collection, and I am thrilled to see more and more Eco-Luxe designs hitting the market.
It is progress, not perfection. Every little bit helps. By removing animal products, for example, one can help the environment while also living cruelty free. I read a lot of books about vegan living, from diet to animal agriculture, so in a way it was not hard to evolve my eating and my wardrobe. I continue to connect the dots between my own health the health of the planet and the betterment of animals' lives.
This month, CEO Tina Bhojwani speaks with Elizabeth Novogratz, whose range of leadership extends from animal rights to mindfulness. Read about what motivates her in our exclusive interview.
I was a kid who loved animals. When I was 13, I walked into my biology class and was pretty shocked when I saw that it was the day we were going to be dissecting pig fetuses. I looked at the teacher and said, “I’m a vegetarian,” and I walked out of the class. I wasn’t a vegetarian but from that moment forward I never ate meat, chicken, or fish again. That said, it still took me decades to go vegan. So, I understand how tricky conditioning is and how and how deep it goes. For many years as an adult, I’ve sought out people who have dedicated their lives to creating a more just world for animals, all over the globe. Mostly because I wanted to hear their stories and see how I could help. That’s really how Species Unite started, giving a platform to these extraordinary voices. But as we grew, I realized that if you’re going to shift the mainstream off of animal products, you need to focus on solutions. Most people don’t want to hear about cruelty and suffering, but they seem to be open to solutions.
The biggest challenge was that I had no idea what I was doing, so every step in setting it up and getting it running was something brand new. I think because of that, I probably made things harder for myself than they actually were.
The unexpected positives have been the support. We have an incredible audience and our members have become this awesome community of humans who want to do better – for animals, the planet and people. I think the most surprising thing for me has been the number of non-vegans/non-animal rights people that have joined Species Unite. That was the point of the organization, to talk to the non-vegans, but I am still pretty shocked that so far, it’s worked.
I’ve worked with my sister-in-law, Sukey in the mindfulness space since 2010. We’ve done many projects including a daily email, a mediation book called Just Sit: A Meditation Guidebook for People Who Know They Should but Don’t and a few years ago we co-founded Maloka, which is a virtual reality game and mobile app as well as a platform for all things mindfulness.
For me the connection between mindfulness and sustainability is clear and distinct. I went vegan around the same time I started consistently meditating. It felt obvious that it was the awareness that caused the breakthrough in my conditioning. The more I meditated, the more I saw things as they actually were and was able to let go of things that were not really aligned with who I wanted to be and I was able to do so with a surprising amount of ease.
I also quit smoking at the same time. And I did it without any mental or physical withdrawal (for real) after a twenty year over a pack a day habit. I think, because of all the meditation, it allowed me to witness the addiction and drop the attachment without any drama.
Sadly, the easiest way for most humas to do big change is through pain, whether that be a crisis or medical diagnosis or anything where it feels like the universe just gave you a cosmic slap. But if life is going fairly well, then my suggestion is to start small. To remove one food from your diet at a time and probably don’t start with cheese. Starting with one food group or one meal a day makes it way more doable than trying to change your entire world at once. We have a 7-day vegan challenge that people sign up for and each of the days has one thing to focus on – so it’s not all food, like many vegan challenges. I think it’s a better way to show people the many upsides to transitioning off of animal products. We talk about shoes and clothing and what to buy at the grocery store and how to trick your friends into coming over for a vegan meal. I think if you make it fun and enjoyable, the chances are much better that you’ll stick with it.
There is no good reason to use animals in food, fashion, materials or entertainment anymore, unless of course you live somewhere where it’s not an option. I sometimes get asked about cows and what would we do with all of them if we stopped eating them. First of all, we’d stop breeding them, so it wouldn’t be an issue. And, for those who say it’s better to wear them than alternatives because otherwise the skins are going to landfills, cow hide that comes straight off the cow biodegrades. Most tanned cow-hide (leather) does not. Leather is far worse for the planet, the workers who spend their days surrounded by toxic chemicals, and for the poor cows than any non-animal leather out there. And, the vegan materials that are now available, like those in AERA’s gorgeous shoes and boots, are sustainable, eco-friendly, and harm no people nor any animals in the process. It’s the obvious choice for me.
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Read about what inspires LA-based celebrity stylist Tara Swennen and what she sees for the future of sustainable fashion.
I studied fashion design at Cornell University and began my styling career with Andrea Lieberman and Rachel Zoe. I rely heavily on referrals and the Internet to source vegan and sustainable options. Luckily many brands reach out to me, but my team and I are constantly doing research to find new up-and-coming brands, as well as brands that are pivoting their approach in design and production.
The challenges I face when sourcing vegan options for my clients tend to be similar to most other options. It’s always a case of time and money when trying to get things sent in or produced fast enough to keep up with the speed of the industry. One of the ways that we overcome this is to try and create staple kits for my studio where brands like AERA send options for either me or my clients to hold on to for their use in the future. That way we know we have vegan options on hand when we need them.
Vegan Fashion Week is a leading ethical fashion platform based in Los Angeles that bridges the gap between sustainability and ethics. They curate innovative and creative talents both locally and globally that inspire better practices in the fashion industry. It was a true honor to be the first stylist ever to be awarded this award in 2019. I do believe that Vegan Fashion Week will become a part of our mainstream future. I have very high hopes for them and the fashion industry in general.
I always suggest starting with taking a look at what you put on your plate and how you use the power of your dollar. I find Internet research to be a very powerful tool. When I became a vegan much of it came from doing research on Instagram and the visuals and information was what changed me.
Know where your clothing and food comes from and also know that every little step counts!
As far as being an image maker, I know that my platform and art come with responsibility as well. We, as stylists, create a trickle down effect from the top. People look to me and my clients for direction.
Did you know that empowering and educating women is key to reducing climate change? In fact, empowering women and girls in developing countries ranked 2nd amongst 76 solutions for curbing global warming. Today, gender equality is still not at the forefront of public attention as a climate solution.
This is why this Earth Month we chose to partner with The Shatter Foundation, a non-profit that provides girls in underserved communities access to education, mentorship, capital and networks needed to foster an inclusive economy and equitable entrepreneurship. Throughout the month we will be featuring influential women and advisors/mentors to the Foundation as they share their insight on this important topic with us.
"As an immigrant (undocumented for much of my childhood) and a survivor of domestic violence, I know the impact of projects like the Shatter Foundation. Through resources and support they enable women to realize much needed opportunities. With AERA focused on reducing waste and creating equal impact of good on people and planet, it’s the ideal confluence of values I’ve spent my career focused on.
As a New Yorker and government leader, who helped lead the City’s response to COVID-19 last spring when NYC was the epicenter of the pandemic, I am deeply aware of (and connected to) the communities who were most impacted. They are women, women of color especially, who carried the burden from the highest rates of death and illness to extreme economic anxiety.
COVID-19 also reaffirmed the urgency for climate action; we can’t separate the impact of the pandemic in our communities, the need to innovate and build infrastructure policy for women to thrive in the economy and the incessant abuse of our environment.
The partnership between AERA and Shatter Foundation is an important effort in addressing these deeply ingrained challenges, not only is it full of impact it’s also creative and that’s what we need"
– Penny Abeywardena
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Did you know that empowering and educating women is key to reducing climate change? In fact, empowering women and girls in developing countries ranked 2nd amongst 76 solutions for curbing global warming. Today, gender equality is still not at the forefront of public attention as a climate solution.
This is why this Earth Month we chose to partner with The Shatter Foundation, a non-profit that provides girls in underserved communities access to education, mentorship, capital and networks needed to foster an inclusive economy and equitable entrepreneurship. Throughout the month we will be featuring influential women and advisors/mentors to the Foundation as they share their insight on this important topic with us.
"My shoe addiction is no secret, and the search for superior quality footwear takes me around the world. But when I find a brand that creates luxury footwear while ensuring minimal environmental impact on the planet, I’m ready to put my best foot forward!
When Tina Bhojwani, CEO of AERA footwear introduced me to the brand, I instantly resonated with the brand’s ethos. Her vision to create a brand where style and sustainability work together in equal measure, is a mature and progressive outlook for fashion. AERA’s vegan leather shoes designed responsibly yet on trend and produced by artisans in Veneto, Italy.
And now, with the launch of The Shatter Foundation, AERA takes yet another stylish stride, paying it forward by supporting young women in underrepresented communities. By providing them with access to the necessary education, mentorship, capital and contacts, The Shatter Foundation aims to empower these women and equip them with the skills and expertise required to hone their talents. By addressing the gender equality conversation, AERA hopes to lead the way towards a more inclusive economy.
For my part, I am humbled to have been invited to feature amongst numerous other aspirational female mentors and advisors. I was privileged throughout my career, to find mentors that supported me on my journey. And while it may be true that we have come a long way along the path towards gender equality, there is still more work to be done.
This past year and its many challenges has resulted in major setbacks for economic parity and the outlook for women has been bleak. Decades of hard-won battles appear to have been lost as a result of the pandemic and female entrepreneurs have to face a multitude of barriers to get their businesses off the ground. It is my honor to support causes like The Shatter Foundation and help young women around the world to get on their feet (and into their shoes).
Overall for me, nothing describes the feeling I get from slipping into wearing a pair of heels and being able to take on the world."
– Rosemin Madhavji
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Did you know that empowering and educating women is key to reducing climate change? In fact, empowering women and girls in developing countries ranked 2nd amongst 76 solutions for curbing global warming. Today, gender equality is still not at the forefront of public attention as a climate solution.
This is why this Earth Month we chose to partner with The Shatter Foundation, a non-profit that provides girls in underserved communities access to education, mentorship, capital and networks needed to foster an inclusive economy and equitable entrepreneurship. Throughout the month we will be featuring influential women and advisors/mentors to the Foundation as they share their insight on this important topic with us.
"I was fortunate enough to be born to parents in Pakistan who firmly believed in women’s education. My mother was “allowed” to finish high school but never attended college, despite wanting to do so desperately. She made sure that my sisters and I were not subjected to the injustices she had to endure. As a result she made it her life’s mission to support our academic journeys every step of the way.
I believe, it’s imperative that girls be accorded the same opportunities as boys, regardless of race, country, origin or socio-economic circumstances.
The Shatter Foundation’s brilliant mission to provide access to business education for girls in underserved communities, along with additional support in the form of mentorships and additional programs resonates deeply with me.
The Foundation not only creates a network of opportunities for these young women but rightly empowers them with the belief that they are, indeed, our future leaders. Leaders, who can and will become a part of the change and successfully address the most urgent threat to our existence in the form of climate change."
– Sobia A. Shaikh
“Climate change is sometimes misunderstood as being about changes in the weather. In reality, it is about changes in our very way of life.” Paul Polman, former Procter & Gamble president for Western Europe
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Did you know that empowering and educating women is key to reducing climate change? In fact, empowering women and girls in developing countries ranked 2nd amongst 76 solutions for curbing global warming. Today, gender equality is still not at the forefront of public attention as a climate solution.
This is why this Earth Month we chose to partner with The Shatter Foundation, a non-profit that provides girls in underserved communities access to education, mentorship, capital and networks needed to foster an inclusive economy and equitable entrepreneurship. Throughout the month we will be featuring influential women and advisors/mentors to the Foundation as they share their insight on this important topic with us.
"Why do I support The Shatter Fund? I can think of nothing more important that making sure that girls who come from underserved communities are empowered with opportunities, mentorship, education and capital so they can become the change we need for tomorrows' future.
It is proven that the more women, specifically diverse women, a company has in all roles including leadership, the more successful the company is. The advantages are tangible and significant.
Thus, knowing that women are the key to success, and that this younger generation is keenly aware of the global impact of today's environmental issues, we should do everything in our power to ensure their success."
– Jennifer Alfano
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Did you know that empowering and educating women is key to reducing climate change? In fact, empowering women and girls in developing countries ranked 2nd amongst 76 solutions for curbing global warming. Today, gender equality is still not at the forefront of public attention as a climate solution.
This is why this Earth Month we chose to partner with The Shatter Foundation, a non-profit that provides girls in underserved communities access to education, mentorship, capital and networks needed to foster an inclusive economy and equitable entrepreneurship. Throughout the month we will be featuring influential women and advisors/mentors to the Foundation as they share their insight on this important topic with us.
"For so many people, the past few years have renewed or awakened a fight for gender equality, racial equity, and environmental justice. And more and more, we see how the empowerment of women and girls is intertwined with environmental justice — that women and girls within the global poor are disproportionately affected by the day-to-day impact of climate change. With increased awareness and more diverse cultural conversations, we're able to imagine new futures.
In that vein, I'm thrilled to see the rise of brands that consider social good as a core part of their company ethos. One standout is entrepreneur Tina Bhojwani's AERA, a luxury shoe brand that creates beautiful, certified Vegan shoes and strives to make as little environmental impact as possible. AERA is committed to a "110% offset" philosophy where they invest in environmental initiatives such as the Green Trees Reforestation project and BEF's water restoration projects.
This Earth Month, AERA is donating 20% of sales throughout April to The Shatter Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by powerhouse entrepreneur, Shelly Kapoor Collins, to support girls in underserved communities with access to education, mentorship, capital, and networks to foster a more inclusive economy and equitable entrepreneurship.
Please join me in supporting Tina and Shelly as together we Shatter in Style, because investing in one's personal style and self expression can also mean investing in the next generation of women leaders."
– Melanie Goldey
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Did you know that empowering and educating women is key to reducing climate change? In fact, empowering women and girls in developing countries ranked 2nd amongst 76 solutions for curbing global warming. Today, gender equality is still not at the forefront of public attention as a climate solution.
This is why this Earth Month we chose to partner with The Shatter Foundation, a non-profit that provides girls in underserved communities access to education, mentorship, capital and networks needed to foster an inclusive economy and equitable entrepreneurship. Throughout the month we will be featuring influential women and advisors/mentors to the Foundation as they share their insight on this important topic with us.
"When I learned that The Shatter Foundation and AERA are collaborating in an effort to educate girls and young women with respect to environmental issues and to empower them to look for solutions to environmental problems, my first thought was of my mom.
My mom graduated college with a degree in chemistry at a time when that was not the norm for young women. During her final semester of college, a pharmaceutical company conducting on campus interviews told her that no pharmaceutical company would hire her as she was “a woman with a diamond ring on her left hand” and that no business would expend the resources necessary to train her just to see her “leave to have babies.”
My mom went onto earn a master’s degree and a doctoral degree and she devoted her career both to teaching science to children and to teaching teachers the best way to teach science to children. Nothing thrilled her more than seeing children fall in love with science and I can’t wait to tell her that The Shatter Foundation and AERA are working together to inspire girls and young women to learn about solve environmental issues and to work to solve environmental problems.
Here’s to children making the world better and here’s to all who help to educate and empower them to do so. Thank you Shelly Kapoor Collins and Tina Bhojwani for your leadership and your vision and for your efforts to inspire and to assist girls and young women."
– Amy Trask
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I grew up between China and the US. My dad moved back to China and over the years, I saw firsthand what a world would look like if we kept abusing nature – today my dad is only allowed to drive every other day to contain the # of cars on the road and have frequently worn N95 masks before the pandemic just due to air pollution. To have a blue sky in one of the major cities in China can be rare and is a blessing. We take our blue skies for granted everyday but this is a harsh reality we must accept and take responsibility for.
Above all else: know that 100 companies contribute to over 70% of all GHG emissions.
– Participate in democracy (not only voting in the candidates but also supporting grassroots candidate and local politicians who impact policies of which industries we subsidize fossil fuel vs. renewable energy).
– Compost.
– Buy like we can only purchase 1x a season or less even.
Slow Factory! @theslowfactory
Sunrise Movement
Intersectional Environmentalist
I specifically like how each product comes with an individualized understanding of the products LCA and the direct carbon footprint (GWO), water consumption (FW) and energy (PED) consumed in the production process of each style of shoe.
I grew up without much in Trinidad. I remember living sustainably before there was a label to it. I didn't have a ton of clothing so I deeply treasured every item in my closet. From as young as age 12, when my clothes were worn out, I would hand stitch them to repair them myself. I remember getting hand-me-downs and taking them in by hand to make them into the styles I wanted. I deeply believe that people who are poor live sustainably by necessity and more focus needs to be placed on making space for their voices because sustainability became important to me from such a young age for that very reason.
As I grew older and immigrated to New York, I started shopping at fast fashion outlets because I couldn't afford anything else. I was in college and on an allowance of $200 every month. I still treasured my clothing and did lots of mending to extend the life of my clothing. I started learning about waste in the industry when I got my first job in fashion working in the design room for a corporate fashion house. I started doing research on my own and the more I learned, the more I realized that sustainability can't live in just one industry. I started wasting less at home, re-using as much as possible in my daily life and being more mindful about how my everyday choices could be more thoughtful and ethical. I follow this lifestyle because it helps me sleep at night but I also think that the responsibility of environmental reform lies firmly with big businesses who have the power to make systemic change. The power that individuals have should be channeled towards holding them accountable. Personal habits are important as a lifestyle choice but real systemic change needs to come from big business.
I'm happy to share some accounts on Instagram that have helped educate me on climate change and intersectionality concerning climate justice.
@intersectionalenvironmentalist
I'm really happy to be answering this question because I have a system that I'd love to share. And please feel free to steal this and adapt it to what works for you!
I have a Google spreadsheet with columns for the name of the item I want to buy, links, discount codes, date added to the list, price, etc. Each time I find an item I want, I add it to this spreadsheet. I have a rule that I don't buy anything the same day it's added to the list. Everything I need for my home, my kids, myself and my partner as well as things I just want and am lusting after, is added to this list. I don't shop more than once per week during the pandemic (because of the pandemic, I do most of my shopping for all areas of my life online, including food, toiletries, etc). At the end of each week, I go through the list and see if I still need or want the things on there. If I do, I purchase them. This planning reduces impulse buying and shopping driven by emotion. It also pushes me to plan for my family a whole lot more and makes sure we're actually purchasing the best item for each need we have. It also allows me to identify patterns in my spending and be accountable to our monthly budget. So that's my system for shopping more mindfully. It's been working through the pandemic while most of my shopping is online but I plan to keep it even after because it's super helpful and easy.
So, first things first. Let's talk comfort and style. Products can have a powerful purpose and strive to do their best for the earth but if the items are not comfortable, well-made and beautiful, the purpose and intention do not matter. I say that because, if an item is comfortable, well-made and beautiful while being ethical, customers will wear it obsessively, mend it and continue to wear it forever, especially if it's a timeless style. If not, customers will end up just throwing them out, sending them to the landfill.
AERA, luckily, hits the mark. I have the Steffy boot and it is stunning. The vegan leather is soft, buttery and moveable. It's also surprisingly comfortable. It fits really well and walking in them feels like there's no heel at all, which, as a mom, is a huge plus for me. I don't wear snake skin of any type but the Steffy boot manages to make snake skin look like a neutral that I can pair with so many things in my closet. I also love that the top of the boot isn't too wide because I'm skinny and I hate huge gaps in my boots. So loving how the shoe looks and feels is a huge thing for me.
Now onto the ethics.
Many labels currently claim sustainability but AERA measures that impact through third party certification. Measurability is key and is becoming more and more important as customers are becoming more educated about what to expect when a label calls itself sustainable. I love that the focus is not just on reducing harm but also on helping the environment, as well. The commitment to improve is particularly important. Sustainability does not have an end goal. Simply by existing as a business, there is an impact on the environment. AERA gets that by committing to constantly strive to do better with more innovative technology and expanded knowledge. The end of life of a shoe is key so it would be interesting to see how AERA can address this in a way that values the customer but also prioritizes the environmental impact. I'm super excited to see shoe brands that develop repair programs where customers can get their shoes re-heeled or re-soled. It's amazing what a refresh a new sole can give to a well-loved shoe. All in all, AERA is moving in the right direction with a focus on accountability, quality, measurability and transparency.
Sustainability to me is about buying better and less is more. When I was younger, I used to love shopping and I loved clothes. At some point in my life I got really tired of shopping malls and of all the stuff. Through my work with the fashion industry I have also realized how much impact the industry has on the environment and how people in the supply chain aren’t getting the fair treatment they deserve. I didn’t want to be part of a broken industry. I told myself that less is more and if I welcome new pieces into my wardrobe, it will be high-quality pieces that I will love for a long time.
Online: Grist & Greenbiz. Podcasts: How 2 Save A Planet and Energy Gang!
I love that AERA is a b-corp and has a mission to create lasting high quality pieces with a small planetary footprint. AERA’s philosophy is based on being net positive and to “leave the world better than we found it”, whether it is in regards to carbon emissions or plastics. The brand also knows that sustainability is a journey and that we can always do better and continue to improve.
I had a specialty retail business I founded for almost 20 years, and as soon as I sold it and moved on, I realized how incredibly wasteful the fashion cycles is... the multiple trips across the glob, the runway looks never produced, the elaborate show invitations, and the endless cycle of buying goods, marking down the goods, and rebuying practically the same thing.
Worse, the waste of “free shipping and returns” masked to the consumer the massive carbon footprint mindless buying created.
I think shopping in our closets and focusing on what we need, not simply want, is a start. Wardrobes should be built to last.
Taking care of what you have before simply throwing away and replacing it is a great practice. I recently re-soled a Gucci boot that I practically wore out from 2004. They will last another 10 years.
Think about “where” your purchases are made and the distance they traveled. If you live in New York, clothes made in New York make sense.
I religiously read industry publications, like WWD, Business of Fashion, and Vogue Business. Climate and sustainability news are now a huge part of the daily news cycle. It is 100% part of the industry’s way forward.
Ultimately, when the consumer is given the choice of two beautiful things, and one is more sustainable or consciously made, they will always choose "that" one. When one is not as "nice" but more sustainable or conscious, they will waver, likely going with the "nicer" one. What this means is there are ultimately no excuses or compromises.
AERA has created a shoe as beautiful as any shoe in one’s wardrobe, and the measurability and impact practices simply make them more beautiful.
I am fortunate to have been embedded in an environmentally aware universe from the get go. Part from necessity, as my migrant family treasured every bit of resource they could get hold of; and part from education, as the schools I attended in eco-forward South Brazil were super progressive. I first visited landfills and recycling facilities when I was 7 years old. Right there, I understood that there is no such thing as throwing something "away" and that we must be responsible for the things we consume. I have a burning desire to honor my privileges and share what I learn, so I can say that my professional life has been a pure growing of that first seed.
Please suggest 2-3 intentions or practices that we can set for the year ahead and easily implement into our everyday routine to leave a lower footprint on the planet.
Compost. It's easier than we think and the impact is huge. Yes, we can get elaborate, buy a fancy composting station and start an indoor worm farm—and that's fantastic. But it can also be as simple as keeping a bowl by the sink to collect our daily food scraps, then transfer them to a large bag in the freezer and, when that's full, you can ask your local community or use the Share Waste app to easily find a receiver. Keep the goodness in nature's loop. Food, in any form, should never go to waste.
Meditate and spend time in nature. From my own practice I know that the more I cut through the noise and connect with myself and with the natural world, the more I am aware of my place in the web of life and the less I need to consume. Nature is the real teacher, all we need as students is mindfulness.
Ditch plastic. By carrying a water bottle, a tote bag, your own made-at-home snacks, especially if you're traveling. The amount of trash we are offered on a long haul flight is insane! Opting for products that come in bars — like shampoo and conditioner, body soap, dish and clothes soap, amongst many others — will also help reduce your plastic footprint a great deal.
And I will share another one, because this is really important: eating less animal products. I don't mean to impose we should all be vegan, that would be terrific, of course, but even for people that care for having meat, eggs, or dairy in their diet, considering an intake reduction can already have a significant effect on our efforts to mitigate climate change. Perhaps you choose certain days of the week to have a plant-based diet? Or, as Jonatan Safram Foer suggests in "We Are The Weather", a book I highly recommend, only eating animal products at dinner? What is good to remember is that every meal is an opportunity to make a conscious choice that has a direct influence on our planet's wellbeing.
If there is a silver lining for 2020 is that we are learning to be kinder to ourselves, to each other, and to our habitat. So if we kick off the new year with a greater sense of responsibility towards the prosperity of all living things, we might have a chance to redefine what progress really means and live in a world that is good and fair not just to a few but to all. I also hope global leaders, on both politics and business, will focus more on Climate Justice, on educating girls and empowering women.