Ninety LCF second year students took part into a collaboration with fair-trade luxury brand Tengri’s Founder and CEO Nancy Johnston. The aim of the project, called Global Changemakers, was to promote ethical and sustainable thinking from the students. The students who took part into the partnership were invited to apply to the annual Tengri Innovation Awards in July, with the possibility to win a six months internship at Tengri.
The students made a mark on Nancy Johnston:
I was really impressed by the results. It was touching to see how “the Tengri way” of sustainable business created a sense of pride in community and craft in the students’ work.
We caught up with two of the four students who were highlighted for their exceptional work:
BA (Hons) Fashion Design and development student Rafin Jannat reflected on the collaboration:
“Thanks to this brief, I was able to explore the cultural and textile heritage of Bangladesh, my motherland, for the first time.
Whilst researching the handicrafts of my chosen country, I have realised the importance of preserving textile heritage and supporting the livelihoods of artisans that often are not valued or recognised by the rest of the nation for their value.
Tengri taught me that ‘where there is a will there is a way’ if we take sustainability at heart, there is always a way to take it forward. I hope that more designers, upcoming and established ones will join the ethical and sustainable fashion generation.”
Mira Matktabi, also highlighted for her fantastic word said:
“This project really encouraged me to think of design in a different way, challenging the traditional business model used in the industry.
Having limited resources pushed me out of my comfort zone, and paved the way for new and unexpected ideas.
I believe that as designers it is our responsibility to educate consumers about issues of the industry and their impact on the environment, and how they can help by improving their consumption habits.”