Good is the New Black: Social Entrepreneurship and Ethical Fashion
Could something as simple as the clothes on your back help restore the environment, empower workers, and reinvigorate centuries-old artisan crafts? For the social entrepreneurs on our upcoming Issues in Depth hangout, the answer was clearly yes! Hear how these apparel industry visionaries identified market opportunities and established viable business models, and learn how they’ve addressed challenges like connecting consumers to their mission and juggling profits alongside impact. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or simply interested in sustainable business models, join us for this conversation!
As Chief Sourcer of sourceFK, Faizun Kamal leads sourceFK’s unique business approach to empowering women in Asia. An innovative company with a social mission, sourceFK addresses systemic poverty by partnering with Asian women artisans and connecting them to global markets and training. Prior to sourceFK, Faizun worked with the Johns Hopkins University managing health portfolios in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, and worked extensively with the bilateral and multilateral development communities in Asia and Africa. Faizun received her BA in Women’s Studies and Environmental Studies from Mount Holyoke College and Master’s degrees in Public Policy and Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins University.
Oliver Madison is the founder and CEO of Me to We Style, a social enterprise committed to providing ethically manufactured, quality apparel for the socially conscious consumer. After graduating cum laude from Harvard College with an AB in economics, Oliver worked in corporate finance at Brown Brothers Harriman’s New York office, advising principals of private and closely held public companies in mergers and acquisitions, and analyzing potential investments for the firm’s mezzanine and private equity funds. He then moved to Toronto and was a principal at Octavian Capital, a boutique corporate finance firm specializing in small-to-medium sized enterprises. In 2007, Oliver was one of 16 Canadians selected as an Action Canada Fellow.
In only a few short years, Oliver has built Me to We Style into an overwhelming success. The company has been profiled in Apparel Magazine—a top industry publication—and the Toronto Star, and is being worn by employees at Oprah's Angel Network, Telus, Enbridge, Suncor, Blackberry, Dell and CBS Studios, to name a few.
Shannon Whitehead is the founder of Factory45, an accelerator program that gives designers and makers the resources to start sustainable businesses in the USA. Shannon got her start in 2010 when she co-founded {r}evolution apparel, a sustainable clothing company for female travelers and minimalists that was featured in The New York Times, Forbes.com, TheWallStreetJournal.com and Yahoo! News. Shannon has appeared as a speaker at the World Education Congress, ECO Fashion Week, and SXSW, and as a guest lecturer at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.