Blog — Council for Fashion and Social Change

FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOr

CFSC was founded by Katya Akuma (a.k.a Ekaterina Kulikova). Katya, a graduate from Parsons, the New School for Design, has more than 12 years of experience working in the fashion industry. She has a desire to create opportunities for design graduates which stemmed from her experience working with Donna Karan and her Urban Zen foundation in Haiti. She believes that fashion companies can be an important player in driving social change in our communities.

Katya Akuma is a New York-based creative director, designer and artist. She studied her MA in Fashion at Parsons The New School for Design in New York and Paris as well as at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and has been working as a designer and creative director since 2006. Her client list includes, among others, Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, Vogue Eyewear, Ford, Nike, Samsung, Prada, Alexander Wang, Marimekko and Swarovski. Her work focuses on natural materials, emerging technologies, material research and creative direction.

Katya Akuma is one of the designers who won Parsons Design Fellowship, that was launched by Parsons The New School for Design and the Urban Zen Foundation and was designing for The Design, Organization, Training Center (D.O.T) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The D.O.T was created by Donna Karan, Urban Zen, Parsons School of Design, and Haitian artisan and businesswoman Paula Coles to help bridge Haiti’s traditional artisan techniques with the modernity and design innovation needed to succeed in today’s global marketplace.

supporters and Collaborators

Featured

Marika Korkeila

Marika Korkeila is a well-established London-based Fashion Stylist and Fashion Blogger.

Marikagraduated with a BA degree in business administration from the Metropolia University in Helsinki, during which time she spent a year abroad living in Paris and working as a stylist for Abercrombie and Fitch Co.

In July 2015, she graduated from the London College of Fashion with a degree in Fashion Media Styling.

At the London College of Fashion Graduation Ceremony Marika was awarded with a student prize for the best film campaign for Dennys Brands (LCF partner company).

Amanda Evengaard

Amanda Evengaard is an industrial and product designer. Originally from Stockholm, Sweden, she moved to New York in 2011 to study at Parsons School of Design. During her years in New York she has gained experiences from a temporary environment project at the White House, table top and lighting at Ralph Lauren Home, and a collaborative sustainability project with Global Green.

Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida

Trained both in womenswear, Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida subscribe to the Helmut Lang school of thought, where ‘fashion is about attitude not hemlines’. While their aesthetic evokes raw effortlessness, the pair’s technical sensibilities are revealed in the construction of each piece. Cutting their teeth at Vivienne Westwood and Preen respectively, Marques and Almeida took the natural course of combining talents while on the MA at Central Saint Martins – hitting the mark between impulse and consideration.

Agape Mdumulla and Sam Cotton

Agape Mdumulla and Sam Cotton began the brand with the fundamental thought of designing for men. After years of countless menswear collections displaying either a fear to create something different or collections which push too far and never seeing the light of day they aim to sit firmly in the middle.

Williams Handmade

Williams Handmade is a company based on producing the highest quality, unique leather goods using traditional craftsmanship to fit the modern world. Williams Handmade has gained accolades including Accessories Collection of the Year Award at ITS#NINE, The Accessory Award from Absolut Vodka and chosen by Fashion East to show at London Fashion Week and recent “Power of Craft” exhibition at the V and A. Williams Handmade was also chosen as one of Selfridges Bright Young Things in 2013.

Laura Apsit Livens

British hat designer Laura Apsit Livens started her own label in early 2012 straight after graduating from the London College of Fashion. She then went on to open her own atelier in Duke Street, central London in 2014.

Toton Januar

Toton Januar completed his degree in Media Broadcasting in Jakarta, Indonesia before purusing fashion at Parsons New School of Design, New York.

He founded his eponymous label to provide a wardrobe for the modern women and her individual style and quickly caught the attention of such titles as ELLE Indonesia, Harper’s Bazaar and V magazine. At Jakarta Fashion Week 2013 he was named One of Mazda Young and Vibrant Designers and later was awarded One of Best New Designers 2013 by InStyle Indonesia Magazine.

EUDON CHOI

Born in Korea, EUDON CHOI initially trained as a menswear designer in Seoul, acquiring an in-depth knowledge of tailoring techniques and a great eye for detail. After 4 years of experience in menswear, he moved to London to attend the Royal College of Art's MA in womenswear.

Peggy Hartanto

Peggy Hartanto is an Indonesian fashion designer. She is the creative director of her eponymous ready-to-wear label Peggy Hartanto, which she co-founded in 2012

ANANDIA MARINA PUTRI HARAHAP

FASHIONED IN JANUARY 1ST 2011, JAKARTA, INDONESIA – I KNOW YOU KNOW, OR I.K.Y.K AS IT WAS FAMILIARIZED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WAS A MANIFESTATION OF ONE IDEALIST ANANDIA MARINA PUTRI HARAHAP. ANANDIA BELIEVES THAT DREAMS COULD COME TRUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN ONE IS ABLE TO FOLLOW THROUGH RIGHT DOWN TO VERY SMALL DETAILS.

PHOEBE ENGLISH

PHOEBE ENGLISH is a luxury Womenswear and Menswear label. Garments are created with attention to precision and beauty. Laboured construction forms the centre of the design ethos, which embraces an uncompromising attention to finishing and textiles. The design process begins with sampling and is focused on handwork and engineered surfaces. This attention to ‘surface’ is a key aspect of the design process and largely informs how a garment interacts with the movement of the body. Through the resurrection of lost, forgotten or little-used techniques,
PHOEBE ENGLISH hopes to raise a respect for construction rather than decoration and bring a new dimension to young London design.

Holly Fulton

Holly Fulton is a womenswear and accessories designer living and working in East London.

Born in Scotland, Holly studied in Edinburgh before going on to the prestigious Masters at the Royal College of Art. She established her eponymous label in 2009 after gaining industry experience in London and Paris. Holly won Elle New Designer 2010, Scottish Young Designer 2009 and 2010, Elle Talent Launch Pad 2010 and Emerging Talent Accessories at British fashion awards 2010. She was a part of London’s Fashion East platform for two seasons before being awarded sponsorship and support from the UK's NEWGEN initiative five seasons in a row.

Molly Goddard

West London native Molly Goddard began to specialise in traditional hand-craft techniques such as handpleating, smocking and crocheting during her BA in Fashion Knit at Central St Martins. The success of Molly’s SS15 collection is reflected in her acquisition of three prestigious stockists: Dover Street Market London, Dover Street Market New York and IT Hong Kong. In addition, for Dover Street Market’s seasonal changeover Goddard was commissioned to create in-store installations that reflect her new collection.

Alexandra Somersett

Alexandra Somersett is a graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. She loves design, and is proud to be involved in working with CFSC to bring a cohesive design and elegant interface to the Council's website.

The Team

FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOr

supporters and Collaborators