The Fashion Impact Fund, in conjunction with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the PVBLIC Foundation, has announced the women social entrepreneurs working in fashion who will be featured in the organization’s billboard campaign during New York Fashion Week in February 2022.
The recipients of the first annual Conscious Fashion Campaign are: Abhilasha Bahuguna, cofounder of Looms of Ladakh; Ayesha Barenblat, founder and CEO of Remake; Stephanie Benedetto, cofounder and CEO of Queen of Raw; Mariama Camara, founder and CEO of Mariama Fashion Production; Hilary Jochmans, founder of PoliticallyInFashion; Anyango Mpinga, founder of Free As A Human Foundation.
According to the organisation, the Conscious Fashion Campaign “spotlights women entrepreneurs in the fashion sector generating social and environmental impact by promoting their work through billboards and digital advertising.” “With women receiving just 25% of global news coverage, the campaign aims to improve media visibility of women social entrepreneurs redefining fashion to expand their impact in support of the SDGs.” Given its worldwide reach, the fashion industry is well positioned to be a driving force in the fulfilment of the SDGs, notably in terms of climate action, gender equality, and responsible consumption and production.”
The Conscious Fashion Campaign aims to raise the profile of fashion-focused female social entrepreneurs while also “educating, informing, and inspiring as they drive the industry toward an inclusive and responsible future.”
According to the group, the entrepreneurs are change agents who advocate for disadvantaged and marginalised people that have been damaged by the fashion industry’s unsustainable methods. It is critical to support their leadership and cultivate a broad media environment as they influence the industry and communities via new solutions. The program’s initial iteration, Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York, got over 100 submissions from 25 countries.”
The Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York recipients, according to Kerry Bannigan, executive director of the Fashion Impact Fund, “show us that the solutions, processes, and strategies are available to transition the fashion industry to an egalitarian, inclusive, and regenerative sector.” It is vital to raise the profile of female social entrepreneurs who are reforming the fashion industry because they offer collective knowledge into what is achievable for transformative sector change.”
“We are thrilled to sponsor the exhibition of these pioneering women who are transforming the face of fashion,” stated Sergio Fernández de Córdova, executive chairman of the PVBLIC Foundation. Our cooperation with the Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York demonstrates the critical role of media in furthering the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as its capacity to empower the various voices of women social entrepreneurs reshaping fashion.”
The campaign is a key initiative of the Fashion Impact Fund, which “supports women entrepreneurs leading educational initiatives to accelerate the fashion industry’s transition to an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative sector; with a focus on knowledge, media, and skill-based learning programmes,” according to the organisation.
The advisory committee chose the women and their organisations based on factors such as their support for at least one Sustainable Development Goal, the innovations, solutions, or sustainable business practises they have implemented to support social, environmental, and/or economic impact within the industry, and their contribution as a driving force for sustainable development in the fashion ecosystem.
