Written by: Riley Labrosse
On This past Earth day, Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago partnered with Chicago Climate Connect to organize a panel of climate-focused professionals. The event educated attendees on the strides being made within the local fashion industry and the work that remains to further transition to a more ethical and sustainable future.
Panelist: Nicole Ruiz
Panelist Nicole Ruiz, Executive Director of the Apparel Industry Board, had a lifelong dream to start her own clothing brand. Years ago, after coming into some cash, Ruiz decided to make it a reality. She wanted her brand to have a distinct focus on sustainability, but after working with various manufacturers and factories, she began to understand how her sustainability-oriented brand may have troubles reaching its goals.
She shared how at the time, it was “almost impossible to track fabric from seed to sew. I felt like, if corporations can’t do it, how could I? I’m just one person.” While many would see this as a barrier to progressing, Ruiz took it as an opportunity to be a part of the industry change she was looking for. Quoting her mantra, Ruiz shared “if it’s to be, it’s up to me”, which eventually helped her launch Loopera, digital tags modeled after the European Union’s technology and infrastructure. Ruiz explained, this process “[allows] the customer to scan their clothing and see everything from the farm where the cotton was grown to the factory where it was stitched together. At the end of its life, this same technology will help recycling centers accurately sort materials, reducing waste and making true circular fashion a reality.”
Panelist: Jacob Moeller
Contrasting to Ruiz, the second panelist, Jacob Moeller, Co-Chair of Chicago Climate Week, does not work within the fashion industry, yet feels the same desire for change. Prior to his Chicago relocation, Moeller worked in New York within investor relations where he had firsthand experience and oversight of corporate sustainability and environmental priorities. However, at the time, there were limitations to the impact his team was able to make, and he explained,“sustainability was only seen through a marketing lens. That was a huge flaw and a worrying sign.”
When presented with the tough challenge of staying in his stable job or taking a path towards employment within the sustainability industry, he chose the latter. Moeller resigned from his job and enrolled in a climate change fellowship where he learned about ethical and environmental sustainability, which eventually led him to launching the inaugural Chicago Climate Week, coming July 2026.
Panelist: Macaila Britton
The final panelist is a familiar face — founder of Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago, Macaila Britton. Britton explained how her launch into a sustainability-focused career was tied to her sustainable lifestyle blog. In 2014, after switching high schools, Britton felt disconnected to her new community where volunteering was strongly integrated into the classroom of her previous school. In response, Britton created her blog and assigned herself mini research reports on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which she would translate into blog posts centered around the action she took that month to participate in that specific SDGs call-to-action. Always passionate about storytelling, Britton pursued marketing and film, which led her to internships, and eventually working overseas in the United Kingdom, where she was able to combine these areas for her career.
While fashion was not at the forefront of Britton’s mind, she saw how integrated it was with everyday life. She explained, “there’s a common thread we all have — everyone wears clothes. Every day we make a choice on what to wear. Whether for style reasons or lifestyle reasons. What to wear to work, somewhere else we’re going, or the season. We have an opportunity every day to make a choice that directly relates to the environment when we walk into our closet.” After working for His Majesty King Charles III, Britton craved the likeminded community she found overseas, which led her to create Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago.
What happened next?
Each panelist, while all in separate jobs and industries, had similar advice in terms of participating in sustainability in an action-based and meaningful way. The main message was threaded through various replies: no goal is too large and no dream is too big.
Ruiz explained how her start in the industry came from networking with the right people at the right time, pushing the idea that you will find your people if you continue to show up. She said, who is “that person who you want to work for? That person who has your dream job? Find a way to meet them, get in contact with them. Have the confidence to reach out.”
These young professionals are proof that showing up in your community is truly the key to success. Fighting for sustainable practices within the fashion industry—or in any capacity, can oftentimes feel fruitless in the grand scheme of the current climate crisis, the panelists reminded attendees that consistency and confidence can take everyone a very long way. As Britton stated, “your actions matter. No matter how big or small.”
