Jasmine Nahhas di Florio, Non-Profit Executive and Academic Scholar

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Jasmine Nahhas di Florio is the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships for Education for Employment.
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Welcome to Jaipur: Katherine Travels to India

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Katherine Parr travels to Jaipur, India, to work with talented artisans on a new jewelry collection.
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What Is Ethical Jewelry?

Posted by Katherine Parr on

Ethics in jewelry is basically about

Responsibility and Traceability, for

People and the Planet.

If the materials in a piece of jewelry are traceable, the customer can make an informed choice about its provenance, the origin of a precious metal or gemstone.

 The toughest factor to monitor is the supply chain traceability. We must consider who made our jewelry and how they were treated from a human rights perspective. The jewelry industry is rife with human rights abuses, from mining to stone sourcing, to manufacturing. The number of hands that touch the average piece of jewelry from start to finish is many. Artisan-not factory-made jewelry is one effective way to maximize and authentic origin and minimize the travels and risks the piece might have. Through strategic global partnerships we ensure that we know exactly who made each piece and the origin of materials as much as possible.

This subject of ethical jewelry can be included in the Conscious Consumerism movement to avoid fast fashion, and lean towards buying with purpose by knowing ‘Who Made My Clothes or Who Made My Jewelry?’ If you haven’t seen The True Cost movie about human rights abuses in fashion, it is a must-see, and to know that similar issues affect the jewelry industry globally.

 

 

Communities are influenced by your purchasing decisions.

Do you know who made your jewelry?

What is Conscious Consumerism?

Conscious Consumerism is thoughtful and mindful purchasing. It may be affected by your preference to consider the environment, social implications, human rights, or other factors. Katherine recently gage a TEDx Talk titled "The Road to Economic Empowerment is Conscious Consumerism, inspiring us to "Wear Our Values" instead of contributing to unethical business practices around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1

Set Your Intention.

Step 2

Do Your Research.

Step 3

Make Smart and Mindful Decisions.

"You can start small, one necklace, one chocolate bar at a time."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ngozi Okaro, Social Entrepreneur and Advocate

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Ngozi Okaro is the Founder and Executive Director of Custom Collaborative, a New York City-based entrepreneurship and workforce development program that trains and supports women from low-income and immigrant communities to launch fashion careers and businesses.
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Drue Kataoka, Artist and World Economic Forum Young Leader

Posted by Katherine Parr on

Artist & Technologist Drue Kataoka is a Young Global Leader & Cultural Leader of the World Economic Forum and member of their Steering Committee on VR/AR/AI for the Creative Economy.  She is the Creative Director of Drue Kataoka Studios.

Drue is Artist-in-Residence for Google Virtual Reality (Tilt Brush).  She established a yearly arts education scholarship for youth in 2001, and is a juror for the Global Teacher Prize.  

Her work has been featured in CNN, Reuters, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, Deutsche Welle, CNBC, CBS, Harvard Business Review and others.
What does style mean to you?
 
Style is following your own compass. Being open, but not being swayed. Having confidence in your own vision and not looking to external voices.

How important are style and substance in your life?

Substance is everything. But it is so profound, it is often opaque. Style is the light that glints off substance—allowing us to catch a glimpse of it —sometimes, but not always.

What gives you daily strength and inspiration?  

Of course I gain great strength from family & friends. But also by thinking about the inspiring ones who have come before us. Those are our collective ancestors —the warriors, the goddesses, the trailblazers, the people who didn’t settle for mediocrity, mediocre justice, mediocre education, mediocre culture. They dreamed about the future. So now we are living in their future. We follow in their footsteps and owe them a great debt.    

Please describe a challenging time you have experienced or seen and how you found your strength?   
The death of my father. I created an artwork in his honor called Airport for Souls. You can read about it here: http://www.drue.net/art-airport-for-souls/

What woman do you admire most and why?

I admire my mom and there are so many others in history.  In no particular order Harriet Tubman, Ada Lovelace, Tomoe Gozen, Frida Kahlo to name just a very few.  

What are words of wisdom that you use to share with others?

Push yourself 50% farther than you think you can go. You’ll be surprised. Like true creativity, life is non-linear. You can’t map it out perfectly. Find the beauty in its imperfections and asymmetries.
 
More detailed bio link here:
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