KAVITA PARMAR
Kavita Parmar stumbled into the fashion industry right out of high school and as they say about people who love what they do, feels like she hasn’t worked a day in her life. While at university she worked in a research and product development company in Hongkong for clients like Ralph Lauren, Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor etc. She started her own buying agency living in the far east during her 20s and went on to head the licensing of iconic childrenswear brand OSHKOSH Bgosh in India. After selling that company she moved to Spain and started two womenswear brands based on artisanal craftsmanship, Raasta and Suzie Wong, selling them in over 200 multi brand stores across the globe.
In 2010, convinced that transparency and traceability were the need of the hour she started the IOU Project. Creating the hashtag #whomademyclothes. Each IOWEYOU piece comes with a QR code that connects the user back to the artisan weaver and tailor who made the piece thus giving authorship and authentic provenance to the final consumer. The IOU Project documented and put online over 250 master craftspeople in Madras India and was a pioneer in using technology to turn Supply Chains into Prosperity Chains. The IOWEYOU collection is made with artisan communities across the globe and sold direct to consumer online and with special retailers in Japan like United Arrows.
Kavita has won many awards for her work including the UNSCC Leadership Award, Luxury Briefing Award for Innovation, SOURCE Award by Ethical Fashion Forum London, Sustainable Luxury Award in Latin America, NY Venture Fellow Program, Unreasonable at Sea Program, Levi´s Collaboratory Fellowship etc.
She does consulting work for clients like NIKE, Levi’s and is also invited to speak on Sustainability, transparency and traceability in fashion universities and platforms like TEDx.
In 2018 Kavita started XTANT her most personal project to date with Marcella Echavarria. They have together worked with many artisan communities around the globe including curating a first ever global gathering of 45 artisans from 23 countries in Mexico DF, TEXTO | 2020
In 2020 Kavita has co-founded GUNAKAZI , a vertical social network for garment factory workers to help them get visibility in the new digital paradigm. This project is supported by a grant from the UN funded EFI and is aligned with her core belief to use the power of technology to serve the underserved.
MARCELLA ECHAVARRIA
Marcella Echavarria is a lifestyle specialist and textile curator. She collaborates with designers and artisans around the world developing links that connect local knowledge with global trends. Her specialty is branding luxury and sustainability in a way that preserves cultures and traditions.
Marcella has 25 years of hands on, first-hand experience in starting businesses, establishing bridges between cultures and people and integrating sustainability and profitability. She founded SURevolution in 2005 in collaboration with Donna Karan, one of the first global brands to link the world of luxury with the handmade.
In 2010 she started her consulting firm focused on branding and creative communication. She holds a bachelor from Brown University, a masters in sustainable development from Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano and a career in the publishing world as editor of magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Hand Eye and contributor to many others such as Selvedge, Vogue, House and Leisure, Trend Tablet and Wall Paper, among many others.
Her clients include individual creators, artisanal brands, textile related brands, retail concepts, and travel companies, among others. She has led consulting projects for The United Nations (UN), Unesco, USAID, Technoserve, The International Finance Corporation (IFC), The Organization of American States (OAS), Porticus Foundation, The Governments of Colombia, Chile, Cambodia, México, Perú, and Swaziland.
In 2018 Marcella started XTANT her most personal project to date with Kavita Parmar. They have together worked with many artisan communities around the globe including curating a first ever global gathering of 45 artisans from 23 countries in Mexico DF, TEXTO | 2020
She co-teaches the course Crafting Your Brand specially tailored for textile businesses in collaboration with Polly Leonard from Selvedge Magazine. She is a frequent speaker at universities and sustainability forums.
Marcella started Noir as a passion project that connects her appreciation for mud silk, a heritage textile with 2500 years of history and remarkable qualities, with her vision of what the future of fashion should embrace. She believes in quality, craftsmanship, slowness, ancestral geometrical shapes and respect for makers.