On Saturday, May 18th, 2019, Soho Ludlow House, a members’ club in a former gold-leaf factory located on New York’s Lower East Side, partnered with the Conscious Fashion Campaign to host a panel discussion on ethical production and consumerism followed by a curated marketplace.

Kerry Bannigan, Founder of the Conscious Fashion Campaign, moderated a panel of pioneers and change-makers paving the way for new industry standards. Panelists include Laura Siegel, Founder of Laura Siegel Collection and Consulting, Wing Yau, Founder of WWake, Lucie Brigham, United Nations Chief of Office, Office for Partnerships and Tara St. James, Founder of Study NY.

The panel addressed the challenges faced when starting a business in sustainable fashion, the importance to raise awareness around the issue of a sustainable future and of ways we can achieve the biggest impact in the industry.

Designers in the pop-up market include WWake (https://wwake.com), Study NY (http://study-ny.com), Rentrayage (https://rentrayage.com), Noorism (https://www.noorism.com), Dar Proyectos (https://dar-proyectos.com), and Truss NY (https://trussnyc.com).

Learn more about the panelists:

Laura Siegel: Laura Siegel is an award-winning creative director and social entrepreneur. Her eponymous womenswear collection, produced in collaboration with artisans all over the world, launched in 2011, being sold in boutiques and departments stores in the US, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. Siegel was a CFDA finalist in the CFDA/Lexus eco-challenge, and in 2016 she received the Fashion Impact Award at the CAFAwards. In addition to her work as a designer and creative director, Siegel serves as an advisor and consultant to governments, retailers, artisan groups, and local NGOs to ensure not only the sustainability, but also the growth and prosperity, of artisan businesses all over the world.  Siegel has spent extensive time living and working with artisans in India, Peru, Guatemala, Bolivia, Vietnam, Kenya, Bali, Laos, and Mexico. https://laurasiegelcollection.com

Wing Yau: Wing Yau is Vancouver-born, New York based designer. Hailing from a background in Sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design (2009) and a childhood of travel throughout the Pacific and South America, her passions lie somewhere between art and anthropology.  After assisting art galleries and artists, Wing fell into design as a way to merge art with the intimacy of jewelry. In September 2013, she launched her delicate opal fine jewelry line, which has since garnering a cult following and the support from celebrities such as Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Solange and Zoe Kravitz.  Wing is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and the runner up for the 2017 CFDA x Lexus Fashion Initiative award. https://wwake.com

Tara St James: Tara St James launched Study NY in 2009 after designing high street fashion for over 15 years in Canada and the US. Study produces in NYC’s garment district using ethical fabrics and production methods. Shortly after starting Study NY, Tara focused on educating the next generation of designers on the importance of sustainability in design. She has extensive lecturing and teaching experience in NYC including teaching a class on sustainable textiles at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Study NY has been awarded the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation prize as well as runner up in the CFDA / Lexus Sustainable Fashion Challenge. Currently Tara is working as Production Coordinator and Research Fellow in the Sustainable Strategies Lab for Pratt’s Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator. http://study-ny.com