On today’s episode, Ashley is joined by a very special guest and longtime personal friend, Cassandra Kane. Cassandra spent almost a decade designing luxury ready-to-wear, leather, fur, outerwear, and eveningwear for designer brands in New York. In 2017, she followed her heart to Florence, Italy to relocate and learn the art of Italian handbags alongside the best artisans in the world. This was her big leap into the unknown in complete surrender to the divine plan the Universe had in store for her.
Throughout her experiences, Cassandra grappled with the realities of waste and exploitation within the fashion industry at every level. As a luxury sample developer in an Italian handbag atelier, she saw up to 40% of materials being discarded during the production process. This realization inspired her to spend the next 2 years building a scalable production system to collect and repurpose leather waste in Italy. In 2020, Cassandra introduced Sieme, a sustainable brand that aims to create extraordinary handbags and develop a sustainable supply chain to support production and keep leather out of landfills. In June of 2022, Cassandra and her business partner opened Zer0lab, the first zero waste design hub and leather recycling center in Italy.
“Ultimately, it’s up to us to make better choices that will more positively affect the environment and what we put on our bodies.”
Conversations like these matter because they raise awareness and insight about the billion-dollar fashion industry and the fact that we, the consumers, play a pivotal role in the process of supply and demand. These conversations also bring to light the powerful message that every person who decides to create their own sustainable changes, even in their homes, can massively contribute to and create a positive impact on the world.
Whether you’re a designer or consumer, there’s something here for you.
Listen to the brand new Badass Manifester podcast episode Sustainable Fashion Redefined Ft. Cassandra Kane now!

More From Cassandra Kane:
On the web: wearesieme.com
On the web: zerolabfirenze.it
Follow Cassandra on Instagram: instagram.com/casssandrakane
Follow We Are Sieme on Instagram: instagram.com/we.are.sieme
More From Ashley:
On the web: thequantum.coach
Follow Ashley on Instagram: instagram.com/thequantum.coach
Big Coach Energy Shop: bigcoachenergy.com
Big Coach Energy Toolkit: bit.ly/bcetoolkit