The networking event I attended was at Pratt Institutes, it was a sustainability crash course learning about sustainable design and meeting a bunch of people who have established new thinking and practices when it come to solving world problems. Two sessions I very much enjoyed were by Alexandra McNair founder of Fashion FWD and Sam Dagirmanjian co-founder of Storey Inc.
The session about the Fashion FWD made me aware about the negative effects the apparel industry has on workers, worker communities and your overall health. When you buy a pair of jeans or shirt (in the U.S) you never really think about the process that when into making that one piece of garment because it doesn’t directly affect you. However, people in foreign countries have to deal with type of thing everyday. A video McNair showed to us documented the poor working conditions in areas of developing countries like India. Workers of these industries work in tanneries (which dye our textiles) without the right protective garments. This in affect cause health illnesses for the workers and the communities that these industries are located in, the most common being cancer. One shocking fact she brought up is that 20% of Global water pollution is caused by textile processing. All of these facts she brought up made me want to do something to help lessen this issue, I will pledge not to purchase any products that are flame- resistant, waterproof or wrinkle/ shrinkage free because hazardous chemicals are found in such products. Other things we can do are to shop from brands with chemical management polices, wash clothes at least 3 times to get the chemicals out and look into APP like Good Guide. This APP evaluates the health, environmental, and social impacts of consumer products.
The session with speaker Sam Dagirmanjian was helpful because he informed us on the key way to outreach to your target audience for your brand. He explained it’s all about storytelling and how you convey a story that really going to hit their emotions. The first part to reaching people online is to create content that’s topical, entertaining and informative. Other key points Dagirmanjian stated are: Storytelling is how human beings communicate and your content should be visually fun, shared easily, and available on different media outlets. Storey is the tool that helps all creators, thinkers, founders, and innovators to spread their ideas in a way people will relate, connect and understand.
Contacts
Alexander McNair
Founder, Fashion FWD
mcnair.alex@gmail.com
Sam Dagirmanjian
Co-Founder, Storey Inc.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-dagirmanjian-9153b550/
