Dear Coalition Members and Supporters,
We have some very exciting news - we've completed our recruitment of a new Chair and 2 additional Board Members to our leadership team! This is just in time for Fair Trade Month (October). Please help us welcome our new Chair - Andrea Reyes - and our new Board Members - Ariel Weksler and Joymala Hajra. You can read more about them below.
Thanks, and hope to see you at one of the upcoming events.
Becky
Events
Mercado Global's Fashion Forward Gala
Date: October 19, 2016
Time: 6:30pm - 12:00am
Location: Bowery Hotel
Treats from: Zacapa Rum, Equal Exchange, Insomnia Cookies, and Wowfulls
* NYC Fair Trade Coalition members can take 20% off their after-party tickets using code ffafterparty
Future of Sustainable Shopping
The NYCFTC is co-hosting an event on sustainable shopping with Be Social Change!
Date: November 2, 2016
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Location: Wix Lounge, 235 W 23rd Street 8th Floor
More details coming soon!
Save the Date: Fair Trade Federation Annual Conference
Date: March 29-31, 2017
Location: Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, KY
More details coming soon!
Fair Trade in the News: Blog on Sustainable Development Goals
Read about how fair trade can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals put forth by the United Nations:
Coalition Member News
Friends of Fresh and Green Academy recently hosted their annual fundraiser, a poker/casino night here in NYC. If you missed it, but still want to donate, they are just $220 short of their fundraising goal. Donate here:
NYCFTC Welcomes New Members to our Leadership Team
Chair: Andrea Reyes
Andrea Reyes has been an active member in the NYCFTC since 2013. She currently works as an adjunct professor at LIM and Berkeley College teaching a variety of classes within the fashion industry. Andrea is also a small business owner. A. Bernadette was created in collaboration with her sister, Amberle, after living in Uganda. A. Bernadette works with artisans in Uganda creating accessories, home goods, and more from recycled/upcycled materials. She has received multiple degrees from various programs at F.I.T. including pattern making, International Trade and Marketing, as well as a masters in Global Fashion Management. She is excited to continue her relationship with the NYCFTC in this new capacity and has Nimet's number on speed dial : )
Board Member: Ariel Weksler
Ariel Weksler has been with Lord & Taylor and Hudson's Bay Company for nine years where she developed her career as a Fashion Buyer. In 2014, Ariel took on a new role to launch the first contemporary private brand for both the U.S. and Canadian department store chains. As the brand grew to $40M in revenue, Ariel learned more about the importance of integrating sustainability into business decisions. While Ariel continues to manage Hudson's Bay Company's private brand, she is focused on developing conscious programs consisting of artisan collaborations and sustainable sourcing. Ariel is a native New Yorker and recently joined the Board of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition to help educate consumers on the importance of fair trade.
Board Member: Joymala Hajra
Joymala Hajra is a Senior Textile Artist at Tommy Hilfiger.
A New York native with Bangladeshi roots, she has worked as a designer in the mass
market fashion industry for almost two decades for companies such as Victoria’s
Secret, Disney, and Delia’s. In 2006, Joymala traveled to Bangladesh with the intention
of creating her own fashion collection. Visiting conventional factories in
Dhaka, she was able to contextualize some of the realities of the predominantly
female labor force. Joymala returned to Bangladesh for a series of independent
research trips. She documented the innovations in Bangladeshi fair trade and
worker cooperative models, met with labor activists, artisans, and factory
workers. Since 2008, Joymala has worked with children from a waste
picker community in Dhaka. She is currently designing a “Fashion for
Development” program where she works with adolescents who wish to become
fashion entrepreneurs. Her volunteer experience also includes working for the
Percent for Art program at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs as well as
Sakhi for South Asian Women. Joymala holds a B.F.A. in Fashion Design from the Fashion
Institute of Technology in 2001 as well as an M.A. in South Asian Studies from
Columbia University in 2013.
