The Why, How and What of D Sustainability Issue with Dessie Georgieva

This is the very first, “0” episode of D Sustainability Issue Podcast - a podcast about sustainable fashion and mindfulness.

In this very first episode, I’m telling a little bit about myself, my upbringing and background in fashion and sustainability. My name is Desislava Georgieva, but everyone calls me Dessie. Born and raised in Bulgaria, I was fascinated by fashion from a very young age. Starting my studies in Vienna at the University of Economics and Business at the age of 18, I started becoming more and more aware of the topics of sustainability and the issues associated with the fashion industry.

2017 was a turning point in my life. After watching The True Cost https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3162938/ among other documentaries about fashion, and reading books on mindfulness among which A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76334.A_New_Earth , I made it my purpose to contribute to a better and fairer fashion industry with all I could. I started a blog called D Golden Hour about fair fashion and mindfulness, and a t-shirt line with the same name, incorporating the same values, which you also find on my site.

I go into the “Why”, “How” and “What” of D Sustainability Issue, a concept I’ve learned from Simon Sinek’s book “Start With Why”. https://simonsinek.com/product/start-with-why/ He also has a TED Talk, called “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA&vl=en on the same topic, which is one of the most watched TED Talks of all time.

The podcast connects my both passions, fair fashion and sustainability, and therefore in each episode I’m going to share a quote, a poem etc, that has affected me in a way. Today, it is: „Give everything for the sake of giving because it hurts not to.“ - David Deida.

I believe the industry can change and fashion business can be done by creating value for the business and society simultaneously, and not sacrificing the latter.

In fact, I was born and raised in Bulgaria, a country that is traditionally known for garment production, including for some of the most luxurious brands in the world. Due to the fact I have relatives working in the industry, I’ve been able to gain direct insights into the working conditions oft claimed “fair” by fashion brands.

Numbers regarding the fashion industry:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035161

https://www.fashionrevolution.org/exploitation-or-emancipation-women-workers-in-the-garment-industry/

If anything, during the current Corona crisis, we saw how much our individual action affects our environment and the world. Therefore, now is more than clear that what each one of us individually does, matter. Sustainable fashion start-ups are on the rise, and revolutionising the industry one item at the time. There are such cool ethical and sustainable brands out there that I’m gonna make sure you learn all about. In the meantime, large corporations are listening, because our power as consumers nowadays is so high, that you cannot not listen. So whatever we demand, it eventually going to change. It’s time to change now.

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/