Consultants pool
About the consultants pool
The Ethical Fashion Forum is an industry network including some of the foremost experts in fashion and sustainability.
In order to address the needs of businesses across the fashion sector, the Ethical Fashion Forum is building a consultants pool- a group of experts with the diverse skills and experience needed to support the work of businesses- from the largest players to industry pioneers, to international institutions, not for profit organisations and government.
If you are interested in working with the consultants pool or any of the experts profiled within it, or are an expert and would like to be profiled and included in this pool, then email us
Graham Burden
Graham was an employee of Marks and Spencer for 34 years until his retirement in 2008. He worked in all clothing areas, at the company’s HQ, as a fabric development technologist.
Graham spent much of his time at M&S working on innovation, developing new fabric sources and ensuring quality and performance standards were understood and achieved. He developed particular expertise with cotton and jersey fabrics and as such became Marks and Spencer Knit Fabric Specialist in 1994 and additionally Cotton Specialist in 2003.
In 2005 Graham became Marks and Spencer Sustainable Raw Materials Manager and led the introduction of Fairtrade, organic and recycled cotton, recycled polyester, organic linen and organic wool. This led to the overall development of a sustainable raw material sourcing strategy as part of M&S Plan A programme. Graham represented Marks and Spencer on the Board of the Organic Exchange for 3 years and made many presentations worldwide on behalf of the company and his work on raw materials.
Since retiring Graham is now offering his expertise under his company name Sustainable Textile Solutions Ltd
Clare Lissaman
Clare Lissaman is a consultant on ethical and fair trade. She has a particular focus on labour standards in global supply chains, helping disadvantaged producers to access mainstream markets and exploring the impact of trade on poor communities. Clare works with business large and small, NGOs and innovative projects. Clare is also an experienced trainer, developing and implementing training courses on social accountability and ethical trade to several UK retailers. Clients include Adili.com, Gap Inc, Bureau Veritas, the Fairtrade Foundation (where she helped launch Fairtrade cotton), Traidcraft and 21st Century Leaders.
Clare was formerly the UK director for RUGMARK – the certification, labelling and development initiative working to end exploited child labour in south Asia’s rug industry. She read Oriental Studies (Chinese) at Oxford and previously worked in Hong Kong and China, first with a Belgian trading company, then moving to the aid and development agency, Crossroads International. She also ran the Hong Kong Asian Conservation Awareness Programme.
A trained social and environmental auditor, Clare has a breadth of knowledge and experience in the challenges of building up sustainable supply chains, the ins and outs of standards and certification and a passion and belief that trade can, and should, benefit rather than exploit poor communities.
Allanna McAspurn
Allanna is a founder member of the Ethical Fashion Forum and has played an instrumental role in its growth and development for more than 4 years.
Allanna McAspurn is also the UK General Manager for MADE-BY, an independent labelling organisation which works with fashion brands to improve the social and environmental sustainability of their supply chains.
Previously, Allanna was Head of Clothing and Accessories at Natural Collection, the UK’s largest green online retailer.
She also set up Squared Cycle, a pioneering distributor of fairly traded, designer womenswear.
Allanna has worked closely with organic cotton farmer’s co-operatives and World Bank textile initiatives in India as well as a series of capacity building and training projects in the fashion sector in South Africa, on behalf of the Ethical Fashion Forum. She also has extensive experience in the Ethical Fashion sector in the UK and Europe and specialises in sustainable business, marketing, and sourcing strategies for fashion.
Prior to specialising in sustainable fashion, Allanna worked as a researcher and university lecturer at De Montfort University, Leicester, teaching media studies and advertising.
Paul Yuille
Since completing his MA in Industrial Design from Central Saint Martins, Paul has worked as a Designer Manager, Production Manager and as an Innovation Consultant for various brands, as well as many independent ethical and sustainable companies. His knowledge and skill set are equally suited to corporate branding as they are to new product development.
Paul is currently working as the Project Coordinator on several global projects for the International Office at the University of the Arts London. Working to individual briefs, Paul is advising companies on how to improve the internal best practice and external communications to help improve the consumer understanding of their ethical and sustainable credentials.
As his background is in Engineering Design Paul is an excellent problem solver and lateral thinker. Having worked for several High Street clothing brands, his intellectual approach to design briefs and production issues means that he brings projects and collections in-line with the brand, on time and on budget.
Paul has lectured and conducted master class seminars at the EFF on sustainable and ethical manufacturing procedures, for both fashion garments and fashion accessories. Paul also lectures at the University of The Arts London in Product Development and Textile Design.
Victoria Waugh
Victoria has worked as a senior Commercial Manager within the clothing supply chain for over 8 years, since completing her degree in Fashion Marketing in 2001. She has successfully brought product to market for some of the UK’s biggest fashion retailers, through supply platforms in China and India. She has sourced and produced both woven and jersey product, with a particular emphasis on hand worked embellishment and embroidery.
Specialising in supply chain management, Victoria has helped to streamline supplier set ups through sourcing producers, conducting audits, improving communications and implementing QC procedures. She has experience in developing strategic sales plans, which are both commercial and sustainable, and is well practiced in opening wholesale, retail and online sales opportunities. Victoria has worked to develop ethical policy frameworks for established businesses, as well as providing in-house training on buying practices and analysis of existing policy.
Victoria is currently working with the EFF as Project Co-ordinator on several key developments surrounding ethical fashion. She also works as a Business Development Manager for the Fairtrade Foundation, where she specialises in Fairtrade certified cotton product.
In addition, Victoria writes professional practice literature for individuals starting out or looking to set up a new business in the fashion industry and is currently developing a resource to help ethical fashion entrepreneurs find market access for their designs.
Alex Smith
Alex Smith has 19 years Multiple Fashion retailing experience, 16 at Buyer level or above, most recently as New Product Buying Manager for Oxfam’s sustainable fashion boutiques. Prior to this she worked for blue chip fashion retailers including Etam, River Island and Oasis.
Alex has worked on a broad range of clothing and accessory categories sourced from the Far East, India, Europe and the UK. Working on production structures, including direct, agent importing and CMT, Alex has incorporated product design, development and sourcing processes, critical path systems, quality and assurance testing standards and liaison with marketing/PR functions for bricks and mortar and online retail channels.
At Oxfam, Alex focused on developing and delivering sustainable product ranges in line with Oxfam’s ethical sourcing criteria and policies. Her achievements included building an “end to end” buying/merchandising/retailing process to roll out to their newly opened boutique concept stores.
She has worked extensively with new student graduate businesses and further education institutions, small businesses and importers for overseas factory units or cooperatives, internal retail and ethical compliance and external PR functions.
Alex now offers consultation and project management on the following: ethical policy framework, sustainable strategy, sourcing and business practices, critical path systems & capacity building strategies for sourcing and product development, ethical product development, “design eye” and reading the market including trend research and its translation from an ethical viewpoint. Her career history means she can also offer advice on range/collection building, cost engineering and quality control, targeting buyers and markets, building and maximising supplier relationships, in store execution and visual solutions, potentialising sales and profitability.
For bigger businesses she also specializes in building systems to meet ethical sourcing criteria, including reviewing existing policies and processes, coaching and training buyers through background building of existing policies to work within new ethical policy framework processes, sourcing and business practices.
David Logan
David is joint Chair of Corporate Citizenship. He began working on corporate responsibility in 1980 when he joined Levi Strauss & Co in Europe. He later became Director of Special Programs based in San Francisco, where he researched and managed a wide range of ethics, community, social responsibility and environmental concerns worldwide. From 1988 he consulted in the field in the USA and in 1996, was a co-founder of The Corporate Citizenship Company in London.
He has worked extensively on corporate social responsibility issues in Europe, the USA and more than 30 emerging markets of Africa, Asia and Latin America. He advises on CSR and sustainability strategy and has done pioneering work in management and social reporting systems to measure and report corporate responsibility across all company stakeholders.
Project work has been undertaken globally for companies such as Unilever, Diageo and Vodafone, and in local markets for Ford India and Guinness Nigeria. His work for Cadbury Schweppes has included visiting five pilot countries to review the company’s application of their human rights and ethical trading policy. For Unilever his work has included advising on business codes and principles, writing the first Social Review in 2000 based on the global CSR Self-Assessment survey of 9 countries and helping manage the joint study with Oxfam on the impact of Unilever Indonesia.
He has published several studies on issues like the impact of HIV/AIDS on business and how the lack of healthcare impacts on the productivity of women workers in developing countries. He also co-wrote “Corporate Citizenship: Rationale and Strategies” for the Hitachi foundation in the USA.
David is a graduate of London University, with an MA degree in Philosophy and an Advanced Diploma in Education. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of the National College of Ireland.
Rebecca Earley
Rebecca Earley is a Reader in Textiles Environment Design (TED) at Chelsea
College of Art and Design. She is an award-winning fashion textile designer
whose research work and creative practice has sought to develop design
strategies for the designer to employ in seeking to reduce the environmental
impact of textile production, consumption and disposal.
In 2006 she curated the Crafts Council¹s Well fashioned: Eco Style in the UK
exhibition, and was subsequently nominated for the Morgan Stanley Great
Britons 2006 award, in recognition of her work promoting sustainable design.
Her most recent curatorial project has been chairing the selection panel for
the 2009 Jerwood Contemporary Makers exhibition.
Rebecca¹s own label fashion accessory collections (B.Earley) explore an
exhaust printing process that she developed in 1998, for which she won the
textiles prize in the 1999 Peugeot Design Awards. This process produces no
water pollution or chemical or fabric waste. This award lead to commissions
from: UK retailers Harvey Nichols, Liberty, Whistle¹s, Graham and Greene,
Diverse, Matches, Jones Homme; Antonioli (Italy); Brown Thomas (Ireland);
Barneys (US); Holt Renfrew (Canada); IT Ltd and Lane Crawford (Hong Kong),
and Isetan (Japan).
Rebecca has worked as a research & design consultant for many companies
including: the Eden Project; the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural
World; Viaduct Furniture; Coventry Cathedral; Lynx; Queen Elizabeth Centre
for the Treatment of Cancer; Public Art Commissions Agency; Leon Paul Ltd;
Lawler Duffy Shoes; Beauty Beast (Japan). Rebecca has also designed to
commission for: Levi¹s; Damian Hirst; Bjork; Simply Red; Cher; and Kylie
Minogue.
Clara Vuletich
Clara Vuletich is a textile designer and researcher specialising in sustainable textile design.
With a passion for reinterpreting old craft and print techniques for modern, sustainable interiors, Clara produces hand-printed wallpaper and textiles to commission working in close collaboration with interior designers and fine art consultants on various private and commercial schemes.
Clara also works at the Textiles Environment Design (TED) Project, Chelsea College of Art & Design, a research cluster led by Rebecca Earley, who develop eco-design strategies for textile designers. She develops and manages the TED Resource, a collection of academic papers, case studies and reports, on eco textiles for designers and students and helps to co-ordinate lectures and workshops on bringing sustainable textile design knowledge into the curriculum.
With a background working in fashion retail and buying, Clara has also worked as a sustainable textile consultant for various companies including Better Thinking and John Smedley on a clothing project to develop the most sustainable and ethical t-shirt possible and Clarke & Reilly, an interior design company and furniture manufacturer.
Clara writes regularly about sustainable textiles and fashion design for various websites and on her blog www.loveandthrift.com .
Ilaria Pasquinelli
Ilaria is an international Marketing Consultant for the textile and fashion industry. She has advised both private and public companies, including not for profit organisations, such as the International Trade Centre (UNCTAD-WTO agency), and Enterprise Mauritius, part of Trade and Industry Ministry.
Ilaria has a global network of contacts, including brands and retailers, trade and consumer magazines and governmental organisations. Currently, her focus of interest lies with facilitating business links between emerging countries and western buyers.
Ilaria has expertise in managing international marketing projects, namely supporting companies to form appropriate market entry strategies. Her strengths lie in her ability to effectively analyze markets and coherently manage marketing functions
After graduating from the University of Florence, Italy, in ‘Marketing and Internationalisation of Textiles and Fashion’; Ilaria is now completing a Master’s Degree in Marketing. She is also fluent in Italian, English and French.
Steve Lawson
Steve has 25 years experience working in the fashion industry, most notably managing ethical compliance for the Courtaulds Group.
Having previously helped Courtaulds to achieve both the ETI and WRAP requirements. Steve’s responsibilities also included working closely with Marks & Spencer in helping them develop and establish their ‘Global Sourcing Principles’. Since 2004 Steve has worked as a consultant, working with manufacturers abroad in order to meet M&S standards.
Over the last 4 years Steve’s time has been focused on working with retailers and suppliers, managing ethical compliance at both ends. This has involved up-skilling knowledge of retail representatives and advising suppliers on corrective and preventative actions required at their sites.
Current areas of focus include facilitating greater manufacturing efficiencies in order to reduce excessive working hours. He is also interested in working with retailers on how to establish efficient ways to manage Ethical Policies on suppliers.
Elizabeth Laskar
Elizabeth Laskar has worked in the non profit sector for 13 years. A Founder of the Ethical Fashion Forum, she has been involved with international development projects in Ghana, South Africa and the Commonwealth. Clients have included the BBC (TV and radio), V&A London, Paris Ethical Fashion Show, Ecologist, Bangladesh British Chamber of Commerce, and V Inspired with Ben de Lisi.
She founded SARI DRESS in 2005 as a means to raise awareness amongst young designers/adults about sustainability issues in fashion. She regularly speaks and writes on ethical fashion.
EL actively sits on the Steering Committee for the Young Leaders Integrity Alliance (YLIA), an global multi faith, multi cultural organisation which focuses on the recognition and development of young leaders. She is a Visible Woman Ambassador and in 2008 became a Trustee for World Emergency Relief, UK.
Elizabeth is currently working on opening and building links with Sri Lanka’s apparel sector. The Academy of Design, based in Colombo, is a pioneering young design school that has shown great interest in establishing an ethical school of design and seeks to partner with EFF. At this early stage the aim of the EFF Sri Lanka project will be to initiate dialogue, conduct research and explore a common strategy. Elizabeth will be making a research trip in November 2009 to meet manufacturers, designers, students and local artisans.
Diana Bonham
Diana is a highly experienced industry professional with 20 years senior buying experience in fashion multiples. She has notable proficiency in developing, sourcing, launching and building brands.
Most recently as Brand Manager for Aurora Intimates, developing and launching lingerie, nightwear and swimwear collections for Odille and Karen Millen.
Diana is an experienced manager having recruited, developed and mentored teams of designers, buyers, merchandisers and technologists; as well as PR and marketing teams.
Previously Diana was Head of Buying at Oasis, managing buying teams on clothing, shoes and accessories. She has implemented sourcing strategies for all product areas, in countries including Far East, India, Turkey, Europe and Africa; working both directly with factories, also through agents and on a CMT basis, she has developed supplier quality and performance standards in line with various brands’ requirements.
Diana also has project management experience in launching products and brands in retail, wholesale and online.
Jackie Andrews-Udall
Jackie is a leading consultant in sustainable development related to fashion and textiles. She has a dual role, consulting for humanitarian and governmental organizations on one side, on the other, engendering fairer sourcing methods and responsible design practise to fashion corporations. Her current clients include International Trade Centre (UN); the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London; Lanvin, Paris; Bessini group, Istanbul.
Whilst Jackie was head buyer at Stella McCartney, she orchestrated delivery of the eco-capsule, establishing organic sourcing chains through to briefing sales and design teams. She thus founded a sustainable sourcing pool within Gucci Group, exploring better processing methods, tracking products’ full industrial imprint. Her work with licensees such as Adidas and Target inspired a wider take up of organic and recycled fibres.
Her deep knowledge of textiles, started with her career as a print designer in 1991. She has since held the roles of creative director, head buyer or license director for brands such as Karl Lagerfeld and Lanvin, She consults throughout the textile industry, for mills, converters and Fashion Houses, leading projects with Takisada, Aquascutum, Comme des Garcons and Disney, using a well established portfolio of suppliers.
Jackie has worked extensively throughout India, sourcing textiles and components, printing and designing fabrics; she was employed within the subcontinent, working on embroidery and lifestyle products whilst living in New Delhi. She founded “The Textile Library” in 2003 linking Indian tribal crafts, to industrial partnerships.
She is currently exploring the scope for textile development in Africa through mentoring links with Asian Tiger economies, and is exploring sustainable development within India, as part of the India Sustainable Development Dialogue.
