On the 6th and 7th of October 2018, Soka successfully held a two days program on Fair Fashion, Women and Creativity. It brought several women to a lovely remote part of South Holland to explore, share and understand the complexities of the fashion industry and the role women could have in shaping this dynamics.
I shared my journey of personalized style through the slow zerowaste approach by infusing it with indigenous African fabrics. This gradual discovery led to the creation of UnikBlends, a social enterprise that works with women artisans and designers, most of whom are based in Africa, to transform some of the incredible amount of waste generated from our quickly discarded clothes, including traditional wedding headgears (geles & AsoOkes) into Unique Outfits and functional Bags & Accessories.
Practical sustainable tips were given to daily clothing MESS, which I propose should be a consciously slow and creative approach that involves personal effort (the equivalent is to pay someone else) to bring about the associated long-term priceless benefits for ourselves, future generations and the planet.
Other speakers gave purposeful and informative talks, sharing their amazing journeys and work. The first day started off with Camila Schipper from Circle Economy explained circular economy, a closed loop system and its role in bringing about sustainable fashion.