Emma Håkansson is the founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, a charity dedicated to creating a total ethics fashion system where people, our fellow animals and the planet are equally considered ahead of profit. She is the author of Total Ethics Fashion (2023) among other books, an award-winning film director, and an international lecturer on issues of ethics and sustainability in fashion, and how we can produce a more just, creative future. Emma and CFJ’s work have resulted in a range of significant industry and governmental policy changes benefitting people, our fellow animals and the planet, including through her work with the CFDA to prohibit fur at NYFW.

With 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, Stephanie Downs has founded and built multiple businesses. She launched her first company, a digital marketing firm, in 1999, which she sold in 2014. In 2016, she co-founded Good Dot, India’s largest plant-based meat company. She later co-founded the Material Innovation Initiative in 2019 and established Uncage Innovations in 2020.

Stephanie also spent over a decade as a CSR Consultant for animal welfare groups, advising fashion and automotive brands on alternatives to animal materials. Notably, she persuaded Tesla to adopt vegan interiors and worked on issues concerning the down industry in China. A committed vegan for 15 years, she has leveraged her business acumen to further the vegan movement.

John Bartlett brings to The New School more than 30 years of fashion industry experience. For his namesake collection he received Swarovski’s Best Newcomer Award and was named Best Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 1997. He also received the Designer of the Year award from the American Footwear and Apparel Association in 2010.

Bartlett received a Lexus/CFDA Eco-Challenge grant in 2012 to create a collection entirely from upcycled and recycled material for New York Fashion Week. He has worked only with recycled or organic materials for more than a decade and promotes the use of earth-friendly alternatives to animal-derived materials such as leather, wool, and down. He is the founder of the Tiny Tim Rescue Fund, a non profit that raises money and awareness for homeless dogs.