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Orsola De Castro

Founder of Fashion Revolution

 

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Orsola de Castro is a pioneer and internationally recognised opinion leader in sustainable fashion. In 1997 she founded From Somewhere, a label designing clothes made entirely from pre-consumer waste: disregarded materials such as surplus and production cut-offs. The label combined sustainable thinking with fashion-forward design, bringing quality and craftsmanship to ‘exquisite rubbish’. From Somewhere (closed in 2014) sold to the some of the world’s best boutiques and its design collaborations include Jigsaw, Robe di Kappa, Tesco, Speedo and Topshop Reclaim To Wear, a series of bestselling upcycling collections which run from 2012 to 2015.

In 2006, she co-founded the British Fashion Council pioneering initiative Estethica, which she curated until 2014. Estethica was London Fashion Week’s showcase for labels designing sustainably: ethics and aesthetics combined. It nurtured new generations of like-minded designers and supported more established brands who are mindful of their supply chain.

In 2013, with Carry Somers, she founded Fashion Revolution, marking the tragedy in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 24 April 2013 when the Rana Plaza factory collapsed killing and injuring thousands of workers. Raising public awareness of the continuing social and environmental catastrophes in our global fashion supply chains, Fashion Revolution has become a global campaign with participation in over 1000 countries around the world.

Orsola is a regular key note speaker, educator and mentor, Associate Lecturer at UAL, as well as a Visiting Fellow at Central Saint Martins.