ty education or training? YES
Your personal profile and motivations in applying to the Challenge; (image 3)

Reasons for applying:

I am applying to this as it represents everything that I believe in and am aiming to promote.

My journey in Fashion and my approach to Fashion Design has always been inspired by all the things that I disagree and/ or question within the fashion industry in terms of exploitation, waste, over production, pollution, lack of representation of diversity, objectification of women, and beauty standard dictates.

My work has always been guided by my willing to make a positive change, to find new solutions, create new systems to make business and exchanges fairer and use fashion as a medium for positive change, to inspire positive body image, cultural appreciation, celebration of diversity, and raise awareness on preservation of the planet.

Your relevant interests and experience:

I have been an advocate for ethical and eco friendly fashion for more than 20 years, I have over the years studied and promoted what is now called sustainable fashion through my work as a designer and a stylist but also as a wellbeing coach and through my community work.

I am a confident speaker and promoter of ethical fashion and had the opportunity to contribute to many events such as fashion revolution week, or fashion Africa conference to share my knowledge and experience on sourcing material ethically and working with local African textile artists, makers and tailors through the Bolono Mali project founded in partnership with my mother textile artist and mud cloth master Kati Ertel.

My first passion being textiles, I have developed an expertise in textile and in particular African textiles and wrote my Master memoir on African textiles and their symbolism system; I have studied the relationship between clothes and the body/ the person, as well as the role of textiles and clothes within the community.

I have also studied the relationship between fashion and Nature and I am passionate about fighting against practices that area damaging our environment.

I have always been concerned by inequalities and injustice in the world; in terms of the fashion industry, modern slavery has always been something I wanted to highlight and fight against.

As a mixed race, Franco-Nigerian woman born and raise in Paris, expatriated in London I always promoted diversity, cultural appreciation and I fight against racism and racial stereotypes.

I have been working to promote inclusion and representation through fashion and catwalk shows and photo shoots as part of my own work or collective projects and been working with models of all backgrounds, shapes, sizes, and ages.

I focus my work to promote environment and empowerment.

I source materials, fabrics and textiles ethically and as much as possible sustainably by working with suppliers who practice transparency.

I uses an holistic approach in my design process by using the foundations of colour therapy and by offering bespoke and made to order services to create unique and personalised pieces that are meaningful and support wellbeing.

What sustainability means to you:

Sustainability is a very trendy word at the moment and often misused, and if by definition it means the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level, sustainability to me means balance; balance with Nature, balance among the human beings and balance in term of business or a system that work for itself, that is self susufficient. Sustainability is for me local development, social empowerment, equal rights, fair / equal pay, education, eradication of poverty, promotion of health, health for the planet, the individuals and the communities.

My vision of the fashion of the future is a Fashion that supports and actively promotes local development, preservation of ancestral textiles/ artistic skills, cultural diversity appreciation, transparency within the production chain, zero waste, the use of new technologies to reduce pollution and new media to promote health, wellbeing, positive body image and positive mind-set.

How you would benefit from the award:

The Award would be a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness about my work what I believe, the message I am trying to spread and to develop my idea and vision to create a real sustainable business.

I have been working on promoting ethical fashion for a while now and been working for years on developing a capsule collection that expresses all the things I am aiming to raise awareness about.

This challenge and award is for me a new opportunity to highlight my work and my vision as I am launching this year my new capsule collection and concept, an opportunity to share my work with like minded people and experts within the sustainable fashion industry, an amazing chance to get feedback from people who understand the issues and challenges of trying to do things differently.

The networking and learning opportunities that this award offer are of immense value and the support would certainly help to take the business and concept to the level I am aiming for.

Have you been nominated to apply? No
3. About your business (Image 4)

Business Name: Fée Uhssi Ethical Luxury

Years in business: 5 years +

Business stage : Early development. Although I have been designing and styling for many years, following the pandemic and some personal health issues I am in the process of relaunching with my new collection/ concept.

Description of your business:

Fée Uhssi Ethical Luxury creates fashion made with Love supporting sustainability and self-empowerment.

The Art of Fashion Wrapping range is inspired by traditional techniques of Wrapping from Africa to Japan revisited in a modern interpretation, the range offers versatile wraps, garments and accessories designed with wrapping, convertible and reversible systems that can be styled in many ways to create a timeless and classic sustainable wardrobe.

The Art of Fashion Wrapping is a concept aiming to promote the use of wraps and a sustainable approach to style. Fée Uhssi also offers workshops and tutorials to share different wrapping and styling techniques.

The Art of Fashion Wrapping is also aiming to be a medium of promotion of slow fashion and highlight the close relationship between clothing and social empowerment .

A detailed description of your business

How your business impacts Society:

Fée Uhssi sources the textiles through fair trade and ethical organisations supporting local textile production and development and education by supporting local artists, makers , business in Europe and Africa.

Fée Uhssi sources a big part of the textiles she uses through the Bolono Mali project which helps local textile artists in preserving the art of Bogolan or mudcloth by creating training and work opportunities in Bamako.

In UK Fée Uhssi organise and partcipate in community and art projects using fashion and textile as the medium to create community engagement and empowerment through workshops and fashion shows.

Fée Uhssi’s purpose is to offer high quality, long lasting garments that support self-love, empowerment, wellbeing and positive body image while supporting local and community projects to promote local development in terms of fighting poverty, creating opportunities of work and education in disadvantaged communities, fighting against discrimination and social injustice by contributing to raise awareness about social issues, to support projects that fight inequalities in particular when it comes to supporting women and girls, and to support environmental actions.

One of the visions is to have each version of the Wrap Me Up capsule collection supporting a specific project to promote the main vision. For example the Mother Earth collection is made with mudcloth textiles ethically produced in Mali as part of the Bolono Mali project and support local artists and communities, while the Wooland collection ises textiles made in UK and supports replanting tree through organisations like tree sisters.

The relevant field(s) for your business (Design, Media and/or Technology)

Design and Media, the Art of Fashion Wrapping website and social media is aiming to become a platform for ethical style ideas and tips with videos and campaigns to raise awareness about issues and solutions within the fashion and textiles industry.

The relevant audience, users, customers or stakeholders for your business:

People who:

• love fashion and care about their style but also equally care about the future of the planet and of our society. People who wants to buy consciously and dress ethically.

• appreciate well made clothes that tell a story.

• want clothes that fit their body and personality not clothes they need to fit in!

• need guidance to find their own style and inspiration to be more playful with how they dress.

• want to look good and feel good while doing good for the planet.

• care about the long term impact of the product they consume.

• want to support businesses that support local development and positive changes in community in need.

Your business’s most recent significant breakthrough or achievement.

Being commissioned by Wandsworth Council in 2022 to create a fashion video art project on Movement and Metamorphosis and producing this as part of a community project working in collaboration with professional local artist and performers and involve community members.

The film “Life is Change” explores the changes of life using fashion and the Art of Wrapping to express movement and metamorphosis in Nature, History, the Body and Humanity.

• Data or information to evidence your business’s success to date

As it stands Fée Uhssi is relaunching in 2023 , after almost 5 years of standby and step back due to the pandemic and personal health issues. I have been working over the past 3 years on developing and sharpening my ideas and vision with developing a timeless capsule collection / wardrobe that can be revisited in many different textiles, and textures and has the viability to be part of a sustainable business model. I have successfully presented my collection as major fashion events and shows and the feedback have been extremely positive, I am currently working on stocking my designs on different platforms such as Wolf and Badger, and been invited to present my collection at Fashion week events in Paris, New York, Lagos and Dakar.