The UAL Sustainability Alumni Network is holding its launch event on Tuesday 30 November 2021, at Camberwell College of Arts.
The event is a chance to hear from and meet UAL graduates who are using their creativity to combat the most pressing crisis facing the planet. Featuring alumni who are working in sustainable fashion, researching and creating new materials, and working in a non-profit focused on the protection of the oceans.
Mission Statement:
The UAL Sustainability Alumni Network is a supportive community that enables UAL alumni to reconnect with peers who are working in or are passionate about the climate emergency, and purposeful and responsible creative practice. We do this by facilitating meaningful and actionable conversations, promoting inspiring projects from UAL alumni, and encouraging practical steps to achieve a fairer and sustainable future for all. The egalitarian and democratic network is run by passionate UAL alumni who kindly volunteer their time to fulfil the network's mission.
UAL Sustainability Alumni Network Launch Event:
- Date: Tuesday 30 November 2021
- Time: From 6pm
- Venue: Camberwell College of Arts, 45 - 65 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UF
Book your place by emailing your name and your UAL Alumni ID number to alumni@arts.ac.uk
Meet the speakers
(constantly updated)
Jade McSorley
Jade McSorley graduated from MA Fashion Futures at London College of Fashion (LCF) in 2020 and is a co-founder of LOANHOOD, a new fashion rental app. Jade spoke to us about her background and her goals for the future.
“My goal is to disrupt the current fashion system to pave a pathway for a more sustainable future that will benefit environmental and mental well-being. I earned an MA with distinction in Fashion Futures from LCF, where I focused on digital transformation for fashion and identity and won the Proctor & Gamble Better Lives Award.
“I co-founded LOANHOOD, an inclusive fashion rental app, because of my own experiences in the fashion world. I've been a model for the last 12 years, which has allowed me to see the light and dark of the fashion industry. At LOANHOOD we believe fashion rental is the new norm for fashion lovers who wish to keep their love affair with fashion but are mindful of fashion's environmental impact. We are exploring ways to encourage a shift in consumer consumption behaviour within the fashion world and create value in our wardrobes.
“I also work at the Fashion Innovation Agency at LCF, where we explore emerging technology and show ways it can be applied within the fashion industry to encourage innovation, sustainability and creativity”.
- Website: loanhood.com
- Instagram: @loanhood
Katie Kubrak
Katie graduated from the BA (Hons) Product Design at Central Saint Martins (CSM) in 2015, where she developed a passion for colours, materials and finishes in the context of sensorial and sustainable design.
Since graduating she has been working in the field of CMF Design and since 2017 she has been heading up Materials & Insight at Nirvana Creative Production House.
Beyond that she has contributed to several public events, talks including Dezeen x Philips and TED x UAL, podcasts and more. Since 2018 she has been engaged in material science doctoral research at the Royal College of Art.
- Connect with Katie on LinkedIn
- Instagram: @makedesignbetter
Zoë Powell Best
Zoë is a Materials Researcher, multi-disciplinary Designer-Maker and Workshop Facilitator. After graduating in 2010 with a BA (Hons) in Textile Design from CSM, Zoë has gone on to become a visiting lecturer at both Chelsea College of Arts and CSM for second-year undergraduate Textile Design students during the ‘Material Futures - Story Garden project’ in Kings Cross.
She has worked on research and community-driven projects internationally for a variety of industries including packaging, interiors, textiles and art. The focus of her work is centered around creatively using resources, circular design strategies and production techniques both digital and handcrafted.
She is currently Project Lead on ‘Future Matters’, a cross-continental biomaterial collaboration between Johannesburg-based Big Circle Studios and for open-source platform Materiom, who are working to prototype new models for a community-led circular economy.
She is an Advisory Board member for the British Council Creative Hubs, a Discover Materials Ambassador and a member of the Uruguayan research collective Simbioticas Lab.
- Website: zoepowell.com
- Instagram: @zoepowellbest
Ismay Mummery
As the Managing Director of Boy Wonder, Ismay creates sustainable design-led boys fashion brand for “parents who value creative, unique style for their kids”. Ismay graduated from LCF in 2003 with an MA in Fashion: Design and Technology.
Ismay started Boy Wonder as “a response to the lack of choice in bright, fun stereotype-free style for boys”. They address this with quirky designs that are trend-free and guaranteed to make you smile. Ismay's hand-drawn prints on British-made, certified organic cotton combine a Scandinavian print influence with British culture, featuring fish and chips, and jelly and ice cream for ages 5-10 years. The stereotype-free jersey designs give boys the opportunity to enjoy self-expression and enjoy fashion as much as girls do.
The garments are knitted, printed and made ethically in Britain just over 20 miles from the designer’s studio giving them a low carbon footprint. They are designed using circular design principles to last longer by adding in extra growth room and providing garment care guides and easy repair kits. Ismay adds, “we are due to launch our take back and resell service in May to further extend our sustainable offering”.
Boy Wonder was named as a 'Childrenswear brand to watch' by Drapers in 2019, featured in Harper’s Bazaar Brazil, and shortlisted in 2019 and 2020 for the Blue Patch Sustainable New Business Award.
- Website: boywonderland.com
- Instagram: @boywonder_brand
UAL Sustainability Alumni Network Launch Event:
- Date: Tuesday 30 November 2021
- Time: From 6pm
- Venue: Camberwell College of Arts, 45 - 65 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UF
Book your place by emailing your name and your UAL Alumni ID number to alumni@arts.ac.uk
