International Women’s Day 2022
08/03/2022
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we share the stories of some of our industry’s inspirational women and business owners who, in addition to their work, are starting initiatives to help and support others.
Sunaina’s story – Carrington Textiles sponsors girls’ rights to go to school
Sunaina, a 13 year-old girl from the town of Shaidu in the north-western region of Pakistan, is a student at the TCF Primrose Hill Campus. This is a low-cost secondary school for girls, which Carrington Textiles is delighted to sponsor. In September 2021, Carrington Textiles donated £10,000 to the TCF Primrose Hill Campus (run by The Citizens Foundation UK), a site that provides unprivileged young girls in the Nowshera area of Pakistan with critical and high quality educational and life skills.
When Sunaina’s father had to stop working because of a back injury, Sunaina began crocheting various items of clothing so she could sell them to her neighbours and support her family financially. Sunaina has always loved to learn, so throughout this time, she remained determined to stay in school, withstanding the pressure to stay at home.
Sunaina is only in grade 6, but she understands the power of education. She hopes to work hard and one day fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor. With bright, confident eyes she shares, “Several people are struggling in poverty like my family, and I want to help them. By becoming a doctor and working in a government hospital, I can treat less privileged people for minimal fees”.
Unfortunately, Sunaina’s story and her struggles are fairly typical of an underprivileged child in Pakistan. Many children living in the poor communities The Citizens Foundation (UK) serves, are expected to help aid the family income. This has been especially exacerbated by Covid, which has pushed more families into unemployment and poverty. That said, it is truly heartening to hear how much Sunaina values her education and the ambitions she has for herself.
With hard work and dedication, The Citizens Foundation (UK) is honouring girls like Sunaina who fight for their right to go to school. By supporting female education, they help empower the next generation of female change-makers to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
To support The Citizens Foundation visit their website, and to read more on how Carrington Textiles supports the TCF Primrose Hill Campus visit the news section here.
Visit the Carrington Textiles website
Freya Rose – supporting the #changeagirlslife campaign
Freya Rose’s unique collections have gained her international awards and are comprised of luxurious materials such as, Mother of Pearl, 22ct Gold Vermeil and semi-precious gemstones, to create wearable works of art.
Just over a decade since Freya Rose London’s beginning, Freya herself is now working with The Prince’s Trust, sharing her journey with others through a national webinar to help inspire the next generation of women in business. Freya is also now giving back and raising money for the UK foundation with her latest product, Woven Mini Hoops, which has launched for International Women’s Day 2022.
The collection supports the #CHANGEAGIRLSLIFE initiative founded by The Prince’s Trust, which helps to ensure that young women’s futures are not predetermined by circumstance.
With every purchase of the Woven Mini Hoop earrings made on International Women’s Day, Freya Rose will donate £10.00 to The Prince’s Trust’s #CHANGEAGIRLSLIFE campaign and a £5.00 donation will be made with every purchase of the Woven Mini Hoops thereafter.
Visit the Freya Rose London website
Kavita Basi – the epitome of strength and determination
After 25 years in the fashion industry, visiting countries around the world and seeing the challenging impacts on the environment and communities, Kavita was inspired to embark on a mission – to change our ways and be more ethical from design to production.
After suddenly suffering a Subarachnoid hemorrhage, Kavita was faced with a life-changing experience. With only 50% survival and being told that she would be left with serious disabilities such as hearing difficulties, inability to walk, partial paralysis and brain damage. Kavita was treated with 4 brain operations, had a second stroke, which then led to having a Shunt inside. She had to relearn a lot of basics, lost her coordination, had hearing deficiencies, vision and sound difficulties, and a huge mental imbalance -her mind and body had completely shifted.
However, Kavita’s purpose became very clear – she wanted to make a positive difference in the fashion industry, be a role model to the next generation and help others that have suffered a similar illness.
Kavita released her book ‘Room 23 surviving a Brain hemorrhage’ in Nov 2018 and was a finalist for international book awards Spiritual : Inspirational. She then went on to share her story and how to produce ethical fashion, educating others through her YouTube, Instagram videos, podcasting. She has also done talks at schools and universities, and is an Ambassador for three amazing neuro charities: The Bee Foundation, Brain & Spine Foundation and Same you Org.
Kavita’s company, Jardin Living, was born during Covid and holds multiple ethical fashion brands, built around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Vegan & gender neutral trainers & accessories (5% profits go to the Brain & Spine Found)
Activewear made from recycled plastic yarn ( 5% profits go to the Bee Found)
Rebecca Frost – channeling her passion to lift and support craftspeople
Rebecca joined Nosakhari‘s skills sharing platform .Ar:ti|sans during her placement year and during the pandemic – a time that has been very challenging for those studying creative courses. However, Rebecca took it all in her stride.
As a writer, designer, illustrator and activist, Rebecca became an important part of the Artisans communications and marketing team, and is extremely passionate about craft and making a positive impact on the world through this medium. During her placement, she sought out craftspeople to shine a light on by sharing their inspirational stories.
Although she has now returned to her studies, she still finds the time to champion the benefits of craft by leading a new initiative as part of the Artisans team, helping to introduce leather craft to a new generation of artisans. The initiative also aims to support children around the country and in some of the more deprived areas to experience the transformational effects craft can provide.
Davy J – Stories From The Water
British swimwear brand Davy J recently launched a short stories series via Instagram and its blog called ‘Stories from the water‘. It focuses on recognising the real stories behind real women who share a love for the water and their vulnerabilities behind the lens. Davy J’s first story was by founder, Helen Lofts, where she tells the story of why she got into cold-water swimming and how the water makes her feel empowered and inspired.
The series has given Davy J an opportunity to create a platform for women in the wild-swimming community to share the journey they have been on since they began and for other women to feel inspired by and related to. Although it’s still in its early days, the series is receiving a lot of support from women in the swimming community and is finding that the stories are becoming more vulnerable and empowering.
Take a look at the latest empowering stories for International Women’s Day:
In other news…
Jess Mcguire-Dudley – appointed as Deputy Managing Director at John Smedley
Jess is specialised in leading and delivering visionary and dynamic creative, building brand equity and leading business growth via marketing, product and brand initiatives. She has an extensive work history both at John Smedley (a leading manufacturer of high-quality knitwear) and with other leading brands Triumph Lingerie, Yellow Door, the British Fashion Council and Tse Cashmere.
Passionate about craftsmanship, iconic design, and sustainability, she brings these elements to life across the John Smedley business bridging the company’s extensive heritage with forward looking campaigns, ensuring an enduring legacy that is respectful of its history but seen through a contemporary lens.
International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the success of women in our industry and we congratulate Jess on her fantastic achievements! Most recently serving as Global Brand Director at the Derbyshire-based knitwear business, Mcguire-Dudley joined the company in 2014 as the Head of Marketing, within 6 months taking charge of the Design team and promoted to Head of Marketing & Merchandising. The following year, aged 30, she was formally invited to join the board of John Smedley as Marketing & Design Director.
Discover more about Jess Mcguire-Dudley
UKFT Rise’s female entrepreneurs
Discover some of the incredible female entrepreneurs who are part of the UKFT Rise community. Read their start-up stories here.
