SELINA SANDERS

elina is a renowned sustainable fashion designer from the Philippines. Growing up in poverty, she learned resourcefulness and waste reduction. Inspired by her mother and a home economics class, Selina developed a passion for clothing mending. Despite financial constraints in the US, she embraced thrifting and became deeply interested in fashion.

After a decade in the industry, she founded her own sustainable fashion business, focusing on small-batch, one-of-a-kind garments. Her small team meets regularly to manage orders, production, and brainstorm new styles.

Many people question this business model because of how unscalable it is. It lacks the potential to be grown into a larger company which people use to measure success. But, Selina challenges this definition of success.To her, success is defined by the priorities of the business owner. She prioritizes sustainability, responsible waste management, paying a living wage to her team, and freedom in her work schedule. She does not seek to scale up to cater to all boutiques or become a multimillion-dollar business, as this would compromise her values. To clarify, this does not mean that Selina has no intentions of expanding her business, however, what she wants to expand is her business’s role in education.

Education plays a critical role in promoting sustain- ability and making it more accessible. Due to the high cost of sustainable fashion products, many individuals are unable to participate in the movement, leaving them unsure of how to contribute. Moreover, even those who recognize the value of upcycling and conscious reuse often lack the basic skills needed to make sustainable fashion a reality, such as repairing a missing button, which is often not taught in public schools.

To address these challenges, Selina is committed to expanding access to education through online courses and tutorials that teach people how to make their own clothes. By doing so, she hopes to empower individuals to create their own unique style, develop their garment-making skills, and gain a deeper appreciation for the labor of those who produce clothing. But there is a caveat

I just hope that people actu ally take it seriously and not, you know, not just cut things up. And then it looks nice and on Instagram pictures, but in reality, it falls apart after you watch.

- Selina Sanders

Selina emphasizes that garment-making requires patience and practice, and urges people to take sustainable fashion seriously as a long-term commitment, rather than a fleeting trend.

Selina’s sustainable fashion practices are admirable, and her dedication to empowering others to make their own clothes and learn basic skills is inspiring. Her small team and micro-business approach allow for a greater focus on sustainability and waste management, which is a welcome change in an industry that is often criticized for its negative impact on the environment and human rights.

ophia Mirto is a fashion student with a clear focus on sustainability and ethical practices in the fashion industry. Her passion for fashion design is coupled with a desire to make a positive impact on the environment and the lives of those involved in the production process. One of the key sustainable values that Sophia has is a focus on quality over quantity. This is a hallmark of slow fashion, which emphasizes the durability and longevity of clothing items rather than disposable fast fashion pieces that quickly fall out of fashion and are discarded. Sophia approaches slow fashion by focusing on making high end pieces that last, rather than making pieces last through mending like Nayeli does. The style of design that Sophia partakes in is called couture.While couture fashion has traditionally been associated with luxury and excess, it can also be a sustainable option in today’s fashion industry. Couture fashion is made-to-measure for individual clients, which eliminates the waste that comes from mass-produced clothing items that may not fit properly or fall out of fashion quickly. elina Sanders, Nayeli Azul, and Sophia Mirto are all exemplary individuals in the sustainable fashion movement, each with their own unique approach. Selina’s micro-business approach prioritizes sustainability, responsible waste management, and team welfare over scalability. Her plan to expand her business’s role in the education industry through online courses and tutorials is an effort to make sustainable fashion more accessible to all. Nayeli promotes the concept of slow fashion and reusing clothing to make clothes last longer, which challenges the fast fashion industry’s norm. Sophia focuses on creating high-quality pieces that last, emphasizing the importance of quality over quantity. These individuals demonstrate the importance of conscious fashion choices and inspire others to adopt more sustainable practices. The fashion industry must strive to prioritize sustainability and ethical practices to create a more 3

Couture fashion can also be sustainable through its focus on quality over quantity. Rather than producing large quantities of clothing are quickly discarded, ture fashion made to last can be worn for years or even decades. This reduces the amount of waste produced by the fashion industry and encourages consumers to invest in highquality, long-lasting clothing.