Dear Friend,
As my first ever Balanced Fashion Sustainable Fashion Business Development course is approaching this upcoming weekend, I wanted to share what a conscious fashion brand means to me and what values are going to be promoted during each session of the course. As a consultant and a transformation coach, I aim to help businesses and individuals focus on giving, rather than receiving. The future is powered by purpose-driven, ethical and forward-looking businesses that are set to shift their industries for the better as well as touch each customer's heart and improve people's lives. Conscious business is a business that is not chasing profit but is profitable from a ground-up powered by the notion that kindness brings more kindness. A business that is growing gradually, intuitively without any unnecessary hustle and anxiety from the founder's side. It's flexible enough to change its direction anytime to better serve customer needs and to improve the product offering.
Many fashion founders I've worked within the past 8 years as a business consultant feel desperate and anxious to get clients, business partners, investors' money, etc. I understand where they're coming from, it is not easy to create something from scratch and make money and survive on it right away. But their actions are filled with an energy of lack. It's important to understand that businesses play by the same rules of the Universe, as us in our personal lives, where the like attracts like. When we're afraid of not getting something - we attract what we are afraid of because the fear is a very strong, magnetic energy. If a business is struggling to attract customers - they will have a hard time getting customers because they "try too hard" and put all the energy into chasing customers instead of letting go and experimenting with a product offering or marketing approach, getting more honest customer feedback to have a better understanding of how the product can be improved. A lot of brands are driven by overactive egos of designers who have a false belief that their talent and product they create is the best and everyone needs to appreciate it. Sometimes it's not true - and it's a hard pill to swallow for many creatives.
Leading a company is similar to living our own lives also because what we think we become. It's very important for fashion brand owners to start a company that they know is good for the world, that with their brand they contribute to something much bigger than just giving a customer another beautiful product to choose from. They need to provide a meaningful story and inspire customers to become their best selves by choosing this brand's product. When a company is intrinsically good and creates something truly unique and on a subconscious level, the founder is personally aligned with its purpose - the right customers will follow as they fully believe and resonate with the values behind the brand. Customers will feel empowered wearing a product from a brand that doing the business consciously and ethically. This way we all are creating a network of the next generation of businesses and customers who live conscious lives and support the types of businesses that look towards the future, instead of chasing profits and monetary growth.
This is an idea that I promote with my conscious business consulting services. And this weekend I am going to uncover the practical applications of this approach during my 2-day course (Aug.18 & 19th) on the Sustainable Business Development for Fashion Brands. We are co-hosting it with Canvas, powered by Querencia Studio. Come to hear from myself and from our strong guest speakers that I personally admire: Faye Lessler, Founder of Sustaining Life, Megan Murphy-Bratich, Co-Founder of Get the People, Sylvia Heisel, Founder of Heisel, Cat Bradley, Founder of SewEthico and Jessica Schreiber, Founder of Fabscrap. Hope to see you there! Don't forget to use a balancedcommunity50off code for 50% off of course price. Please help me spread the word within your network about this course, as I don't know yet if I'm going to do anything similar again in the future! Sending you so much gratitude!
News Digest:
Sustainability- The fashion industry is one of the biggest supporters of modern slavery across the globe - Fashionista
- Bonfire of the vanities: Why Burberry's admission it burns unsold stock might just help the fashion industry - The National
- Will Blockchain Really Make Fashion More Sustainable and Ethical? - Eco Warrior Princess
- Could rental fashion help us become more sustainable? - Harpers Bazaar
- Wool Over Our Eyes: How a Fragmented Fashion Supply Chain Hides Global Social Issues - Thomas
- ThredUp's Brand Director On Calling Out Burberry's $37.8M Clothing Burn - Forbes
- Fast fashion: inside the fight to end the silence on waste - BBC
- Inside L’Oréal USA’s sustainability strategy - Glossy
- Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of Sustainable Fashion? - Elle
- How Reformation communicates sustainability messages in its email marketing - Glossy
- Is ‘fast beauty’ plagued by the same ethical challenges as fast fashion? - Fashionista
- Why Fashion Must Find a New Route to Sustainability - ID
Business/Technology
- Could In-Home 3D Body Scanners Change How We Shop for Clothes? - Racked
- Fashion Customization Start-Up Unmade Secures $4M Funding - Unmade
- How 3D body scans are replacing fit models - Glossy
- Is trackable clothing fashion’s latest trend? - Vogue UK
- How fashion e-commerce companies are changing the definition of ‘size’ online - Glossy
- Nike has a plan to survive retail’s existential crisis – and it’s working - Quartz
- How The RealReal is using data to unify online and physical merchandise - Glossy
- IBM on the coming power of blockchain - Glossy Innovators Podcast
Events:
Monday, August 13th
5:30pm Sustainability Discussion and Networking Event at Deloitte
We invite you to join us for a mixer & discussion with industry peers around the companies we represent and the sustainability issues they face. This multi-faceted networking event will touch on a number of industries, areas of sustainability, and will serve as the topic blueprint for future SILC events. Come down and join us to start a conversation and bring attention to a sustainability issue that interests you! Price: Free Location: Deloitte, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York
6:30pm – 9pm Ethical Fashion Info Session with NYC Fair Trade Coalition
Discover how your business can incorporate the fair trade principles and sustainable development goals to grow sales, customer loyalty, and reach customers beyond NYC. Stick around to begin the application process for the Fair Trade Federation. Price: $8 (free for NYC FTC and FTF members) Location: Impact Hub, 394 Broadway, 5th Floor
Thursday, August 16th
6:30pm Social Content That Works
This presentation, given by CEO of Lilo Social, Bobby Palmieri, will cover how to create better content for social with proven methods that work. We will explore ways to build a winning strategy based on true metrics, what content works best, how to create content at scale, and tips for each platform. Price: Free Location: Huge, 45 Main St, 3rd Fl
Wednesday, August 15th
6:30pm The Brag Bridging Gaps: Professional Bios
The Brag is an immersive playshop that integrates mindfulness and design thinking techniques to help amazing women (aka you!) embody their bold, authentic voice. Come meditate and ideate, create your professional bio, and practice your personal pitch. Price: $15 Location: Leesa Dream Gallery, 112 Wooster St
Thursday, August 16th
6:00pm – 9:00pm Dame Lori’s Sustainable Salon
Dame Lori’s Sustainable Salon presents a summer edition! Join in for great conversation, networking with the sustainable fashion community, and more. Hosted by the NYC Fair Trade Coalition and Lori Sutherland, Sensual Soul Stylist & Pleasure Visionary. Price: $10 Location: FIT Design Entrepreneurs Collaborative, 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1202
Saturday, August 18th - Sunday, August 19th
10am - 6:00pm on Saturday & 1:30 - 7pm on Sunday Sustainable Business Development for Fashion Brands - 2-Day Course at The Canvas (EVENT BY BALANCED FASHION)
We would like to invite you to come in for a single session on the topic that sparks the most interest to you, or to attend the full two-day program to learn more about our vision of the future of conscious fashion industry, get helpful tips on developing your company. The course will be lead by Nataliya Makulova, a fashion tech x sustainability consultant, the founder of Balanced Fashion, as well as several guest speakers, founders of innovative fashion companies, aligned with our vision of the clean and sustainable future of our industry. Price: $120 – $240 Newsletter subscribers can use code: balancedcommunity50off for 50% discount. Location: The Canvas by Querencia Studio, 904 Lexington Avenue
Monday, August 20th
6:30pm – 8:30pm NYC FTC Sustainable Fashion Committee Meeting
Join the NYC Fair Trade Coalition every 3rd Monday of the month for an evening of planning, organizing, and collaboration. Learn how to get involved and push the sustainable fashion movement forward! Price: $8 (free for NYC FTC members) Location: LIM College, 216 E 45th Street
Tuesday, August 21st
6pm – 6:30pm How Luxury Brands are Practicing Sustainability
Sustainability is now woven into the fabric of how the most innovative and successful companies operate, and fashion is no exception. Join experts to learn about innovations in sustainable fashion, the companies that are driving the movement and the circular economy, plus how you can contribute as a conscious consumer. Price: Free Location: The RealReal, 80 Wooster Street
Thursday, August 23rd
6:30 - 8:30pm Blockchain Adoption In Business & Enterprise
BlockchainNYC.org has become a leader in Blockchain Events in New York over 2017-18. Events that we have hosted were covered by Forbes, Fortune, Huffington Post, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance and many other media outlets. We bring the highest quality speakers to our panels with the latest perspective from thought leaders in the blockchain and crypto space. Price: $20 Location: eBay HQ, 625 6th Ave
Thursday, August 30th
7pm – 8:30pm Fashion Addicts Anonymous
This community led forum is a place to discuss sustainability, sustainable fashion, our experiences and feelings towards the topic, questions we have, and solutions and actions we can take to push the movement forward! Price: Free Location: Think Coffee, 248 Mercer Street
Thursday, September 6th
5:00pm - 9:30pm FashionHub "Fashion Meets Technology" | NYFW Event
It is an event and opportunity to connect with creative, expert and forward-thinking fashion tech community, i.e. The event features excellent fashion experts who will enumerate application of VR/AR, smart textile, IoT, fashion software, effective e-commerce, Artificial Intelligence, sustainability, 3D Printing and the future of fashion. Price: $55 Location: FashionHub 23 West 24th Street
6:30pm - 9:00pm Be Social Change Event: New York Sustainability Connector
Join Be Social Change, Impact Travel Alliance, and Slow Money NYC on September 6th for the New York Sustainability Connector, a facilitated networking event focused on connecting NYC’s sustainability community to create new collaborations and grow each other’s networks. The night will include interactive networking, healthy snacks, drinks from socially-conscious businesses and most importantly: a room packed with inspiring, like-minded people from organizations that are innovating and making a sustainable impact for a greener New York! Join us in strengthening New York’s sustainability sector by creating meaningful connections, building new partnerships, and sharing ideas and resources. Price: $25 Location: Prime Produce 424 W 54th St
Monday, September 10th
7pm - 10pm Fashion Tech Week
This will be our 3rd Annual 4 day Fashion Tech Week NY Expo, The expo includes panel discussions, networking mixers, keynote speakers, demos, fashion tech competition, VIP opening reception, closing party and runway show highlighting the applications of 3D print designed apparel, accessories and footwear. Augmented/virtual reality, retail tech, robotics, wearables, IoT and sustainability in the fashion ecosystem. The expo is an opportunity to connect with the innovators/innovative forward-thinking fashion-tech community. Price: $49 Location: 43 W.13th Street
Cool Finds:
- THR3EFOLD connects fashion brands to ethical factories around the world so fashion can operate for people, planet, and profit.
- Fashion is Your Business Podcast – Nina Shariati of H&M - on sustaining fashion's future
Balanced Quote:
No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. -Albert Einstein
Stay Inspired,
Nataliya