MENTORS

PRANAV KHANNA

Director of Strategic Initiatives at LOA Labs

Pranav Khanna is Director of Strategic Initiatives at LOA Labs. He has a background in Sustainability, Circular Fashion, Plastic waste, Crypto, and Climate action. Current work is at the intersection of Climate and Blockchain. In addition to LOA Labs, he is a key contributor at the ReFi DAO community, and part of the Working group at Gitcoin Grants Climate Round. Most recently organized India first ReFi summit, Dec 2022. Currently helping multiple startups in ReFi with scaling and goto market. Past work includes an Accelerator, India first Circular fashion platform,  Plastic traceability, and Circular Design challenge ( LFW ) Business mentor at Circular Design Challenge, Lakme Fashion Week. Associated as Mentor with Fashion for Good, 500 startups, Amrita TBI. Contributor to program on Circular Economy at Terra.do UN/CEFACT - Contributor - Traceability for Sustainable Value Chains : Textile and Leather Sector

KARISHMA SHAHANI KHAN

Founder of clothing label Ka-Sha

Karishma Shahani Khan is an alumnus of the London College of Fashion. Founder of clothing label Ka-Sha, her aesthetic is deeply rooted in mindful practices to create clothing that focuses on functionality and multi-layered roles of human kind. Conscious and aware of its effects on the fabric of life, Ka-Sha focusses on implementing fair means of trade while building on artisanal crafts through their seasonal exploration of the relationship between clothing and self. Ka-Sha imbibes its values further into its homegrown label, Heart to Haat, which was inspired by the very indigenous ideology of reusing, re-purposing and self-sustenance. Karishma is also a recipient of various design honours and engages extensively with institutions to interact with education systems of design on different levels. Through collaborations and fair-trade practices, she looks at design as a celebration to create positive changes in human lives. Her body of work has only widened with Loom & Hand, a web shop of ethically sourced hand-woven textiles from India and Banaae, a production and sampling service to empower makers and designers. She is also the co-founder of Together - Ek Saath Collective, a foundation that focusses on Livelihood Generation and Skill Development Activities for makers.

ORSOLA DE CASTRO

Creative

Orsola de Castro is an internationally recognised opinion leader in sustainable fashion, a mentor, curator and author. Her multi award winning brand From Somewhere (1997 - 2014) was a pioneer in upcycling, collaborations include collections for Topshop and Speedo. In 2006 she started Estethica, the acclaimed Sustainable Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week, and in 2013 she co-founded Fashion Revolution, now the world’s largest fashion activism movement. She is a regular lecturer at Central Saint Martins BA and MA and is Associate Visiting Professor for the faculty of the Arts at Middlesex University. Her first book, Loved Clothes Last was published in 2021 and translated into Italian, French and German.

TAMSIN BLANCHARD

Editor and curator

Tamsin Blanchard is a journalist and editor with over thirty years of experience writing about fashion, design, and craft. She has worked at the Independent, the Observer Magazine, Telegraph Magazine, and contributes to a range of publications including Vogue, The Gentlewoman, the Guardian, 10 Magazine. Tamsin is the editor of Hole & Corner magazine. She has written several books including Green is the New Black, (Hodder 2006). She was Special Projects Curator for Fashion Revolution, part of the team that launched the Fashion Open Studio initiative which highlighted the work of designers and artisans around the world. Tamsin was part of the team of co-curators responsible for the State of Fashion Biennale 2022 | Ways of Caring. She is the Pathway Leader (BA) for Fashion Journalism at Central Saint Martins.

ROXANNE HOUSHMAND-HOWELL

Strategy

Roxanne is a brand and business advisor with 20 years experience in the clothing industry, specialising in responsible fashion. Inspired by over 12 years managing the designer brand Katharine Hamnett, Roxanne launched The Right Project in 2014 as a collaborative approach to supporting fashion professionals and brands in aligning all aspects of their business with a positive vision for change. Roxanne’s talent is building networks and providing senior counsel to industry leaders. Roxanne is passionate about business purposes and works with designers, brands, suppliers, academic institutions and charities to bring this to life across their operations. Roxanne is also a Founding member of Fashion Revolution and Estethica.