I’ve recently connected with a powerhouse lady that I’m so inspired to share with you! Laura Choi is the President of a group called Fashion for Conservation. As you know, my goal in life is to convince you that anything you do to improve the lives of animals, people, or the earth around you, WILL make a difference. I had a chance to interview Laura, and I think you’ll find yourself encouraged by what she has done, and what she has to say.

This is Laura!
Fashion for Conservation is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a nonprofit group that works hard to promote conservation, by bringing fashion and talented artisans of “slow fashion” to the masses. As you can imagine, I was like, “Whoa! These are my people!” when I heard from her. And I’ve loved talking to her since then.
You can find Fashion for Conservation’s website by clicking here. Have fun checking out all of the amazing designers on their site! It’s pretty dreamy.
If you’d like to learn more, please email them at pr@fashionforconservation.com.
I’ve shared our interview below.
What is Fashion for Conservation?
We are a mission-centric commerce platform for the financial empowerment and preservation of traditional Peruvian artisan craftsmanship. We also support and promote conservation oriented accessories and RTW brands. And finally, we donate a percentage of all proceeds to nature conservancies and conservation causes in the name of reversing fashion’s impact on the planet.
If you haven't already answered this in the first question, what does conservation mean to you?
Conservation is a mindset we instill in our company’s core. Far from simply making purchasing choices that consider long term planetary impacts, we also believe in supporting organizations that are aware of species to save, plants to preserve, and human traditions to foster.
Have you been passionate about conservation your whole life? Or did something trigger your passion more recently?
Our co-founders are incredible women who were born or completely immersed in the wild. They are equally at home at London Fashion Week and the Amazon rainforest. The long standing debilitating impact of fashion on our planet (including dyes and fabric polluting our oceans, contributing to elephant extinction for their ivory) is our first and foremost concern and we want to use the fashion stage to bring awareness to these alarming issues.

Many of our readers are passionate about making a difference, but sometimes it seems impossible. How did you get the idea for Fashion for Conservation? And how did you come together and get started?
I personally didn’t join until I met one of the co-founders at an unrelated gala in Seattle. We have a very interesting executive team because 2 are now based out of Peru, and one specifically in the rainforest for long stretches at a time. You can imagine that the rainforest doesn’t have WiFi…as such, we have an incredible group of men and women based out of Seattle who are in the weeds every day. There are admittedly days when we get discouraged by how far we still have left to go, but being in the thick of it with the artisan women has been a crucial reminder. That perspective is keeping our hope moving forward every day.
What do you believe that people can do simply, in their daily lives, to make a difference?
Having empathy for the human beings and animals around us is a huge difference. This empathy reminds us that at our core, we are actually very much the same, and we all need each other and this planet to survive.
What is your ultimate dream for Fashion for Conservation, and the world?
I would be thrilled to bring the Artisan craftsmanship tradition to America and encourage cultural awareness through them. I would also love for nature conservancies to consider fashion as not simply adornment but an extension of ourselves. And I would consider it a huge win to have brought to the fore many beautiful but small fashion brands who are doing their part to preserve our planet’s resources. As one we can collectively move mountains.