Our Team — Threading Change

Threading Change is an ambitious and fully youth-led international organization.
We need industries to step up, polluters to pay up, and all hands on deck.

Scroll down to see the dedicated team behind the scenes making it all happen.

Organizational Coordination Team

The Threading Change Central Coordination Team acknowledges that while our work is international, we pay respects to the Indigenous homelands on which we are lucky to live, work, and play on. We express our commitment to reconciliation as it is our moral responsibility as settlers to these lands, to ensure that our meetings and actions are congruent with Indigenous peoples’ values and interests, as we walk down the path of reconciliation together.

FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sophia (she/her) is a climate justice change-maker with extensive research and policy experience. She has worked for a dozen environmental organizations ranging from federal government agencies, ENGOs, to industry, and academia. Sophia has received Starfish Canada’s Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists award in 2017 and 2018, attended the United Nations Climate Change conference twice as a British Columbian Youth Delegate, and DJs in her spare time. Threading Change was born because Sophia wanted to help raise young people’s voices in one of our world’s most polluting industries—the fashion industry. Doing so for our planet, and people.

COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR

Luiza (she/her) is a recent graduate from The University of British Columbia, where she completed her studies in International Relations and Law & Society in the spring of 2023. She brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her passion for sustainability and global citizenship. With a foundation in Economics, Political Science, and History, she recognizes the interconnectedness of socio-economic and environmental challenges, particularly within the context of circular economy and sustainable fashion.
Her expertise in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) aligns seamlessly with her commitment to driving positive change. Drawing from her experiences living in South Korea, Mexico, France, Brazil, and Canada, she deeply understands the nuances of diverse cultures and the importance of fostering intercultural understanding in sustainability efforts. Fluent in Portuguese, French, Spanish, and English, she leverages her language skills to bridge knowledge gaps and promote sustainable practices among global communities. With a keen interest in sustainable fashion and circular economy models, she seeks to innovate and advocate for solutions that promote ethical production, consumption, and waste reduction on a global scale.

Book a Meeting with Us

PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Vinya (she/her), was born and brought up in Singapore but is currently living in Vancouver. She is truly passionate about making the world a cleaner, greener and happier place. In her free time, you will find her volunteering with the homeless, attempting to make her own clothes, meditating, reading and doing yoga.
As someone who has always been an advocate for sustainable and circular fashion, she was thrilled to learn about Threading Change. All of TC's mission and vision aligned with her own and she did not hesitate to join the TC family and contribute towards a cause that she is deeply passionate about.

Africa Coordination Team

The Threading Change Africa Coordination Team is responsible for leading, managing, and planning creative events and activations in the African continent that amplify Threading Change’s mission and values. Our Coordinators are creatives, researchers, policy analysts, event planners, and textile artists full of experience and knowlege.

AFRICA REGIONAL MANAGER

Chemitei (she/her) is an environmentalist and slow fashion educator who enjoys storytelling through writing and content creation. She has experience working in environmental education as a trainer in sustainable waste management; working with different initiatives to engage primary school children on how to upcycle waste to art, and empowering the local community youth groups in Nairobi on climate justice and advocacy.
She currently leads Threading Change’s African regional work. Chemitei dedicates a lot of her time highlighting the reality of the fashion industry in Kenya and urges everyone to be mindful of our clothing habits. Her goal is to share African stories and encourage youth development through creative innovation in sustainability and fashion.

AFRICA RESEARCH LEAD

Barbra Kangwana is an environmental and climate activist. She has been actively involved in environmental conservation, climate justice, and fossil-free campaigns to advocate for better policies and sustainable practices. She is the Research Lead for the Africa Regional Coordination team at Threading Change. She is a community trainer and climate educator. She expresses her passion for addressing the climate crisis through training youth groups, initiatives, and organizations on climate change, its spill-over issues, and ways in which they can be more resilient and adaptable in the climate crisis. Barbra is also the founder of Last shade Initiative which focuses on creating awareness of environmental conservation and climate change and increasing resilience in the local communities through behavior modification.

AFRICA CREATIVE LEAD

Toni (she/her) is a creative designer seeking to be an active voice for the future of innovative and sustainable solutions. She is currently studying towards a degree in Mechatronic Engineering at the University of Cape Town. With a passion for environmental sustainability, waste management, and artistic mediums, she strives to create content centered around circularity. This led to the founding of her platform and business, Totostry, a creative space on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook that serves to educate and raise awareness for eco-friendly, low-waste concepts and ideas through the arts of upcycling, mending, and slow fashion. Toni was also a contestant on the first season of an international YouTube challenge show called Next Top Upcycler.

SOUTH AMERICA REGIONAL COORDINATOR

Celeste (she/her) was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She moved to Saskatoon, Canada in 2016 to pursue a major in Environmental Science and Sustainability. During her spare time, Celeste loves being involved with the community. She founded the Latin American Students Association at the University of Saskatchewan and was elected as president for 2 years (2017-2018). In 2019 and 2020, Celeste was part of the executive team of the Environmental Studies Student Association, as the Vice-President and Event Planner respectively. In 2020, Celeste started her podcast Latinas in Stoon which she co-hosts with a friend. Currently, Celeste works as the executive director of a non-profit organization in Ecuador that promotes circular economy, environmental education, and sustainable food production.

Global Coordination Team

INDIA REGIONAL COORDINATOR

Alisha (she/her) is a Fashion Design graduate with a passion for sustainable fashion and slow fashion practices. She is working towards building a market place for sustainable fashion to make it more accessible and voice her passion for it. She also advocates for garment workers’ rights and fair fashion practices. Her interest in sustainable fashion started when she got involved in this space in her college’s last year graduation project. Alisha’s commitment to sustainability spoke through her work. She worked with artisans on a self-initiated project to develop products from post-usage textiles for 13 months in rural parts of India. She even worked with a startup that works on the segregation post-production textiles waste. She expresses her love for fashion and the environment through actively volunteering in organizations such as Fashion Takes Action. She wants to address fashion’s waste problem and work on Circular Fashion.

EUROPE REGIONAL COORDINATOR

Leah (she/her) is a creative student at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, where she focuses on connecting her passions for sustainability, fashion, and art.
Having grown up bilingual, now speaking five languages, different cultures have always shaped her personality and way of thinking. She followed a year of International Business and Intercultural Studies at the University of Passau, Germany, where she was able to gain an extensive knowledge of ethical business practices and intercultural communication.
Besides her studies and volunteering work, Leah loves dedicating her time to different crafts like sewing, crochet, or calligraphy.

ASIA EXPANSION LEAD

Vancouver Coordination Team

Aish (she/her), an economist and writer turned environmental advocate, brings a wealth of diverse experience to the realm of sustainability. Currently mastering Green Business and Sustainability Management at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she is at the forefront of youth-led environmental initiatives, championing engagement and education. Passionate about a circular economy and clean technology, Aish's work with TC reflects her commitment to social and environmental justice. Aish's multifaceted background, from Kuala Lumpur roots to academic and activist pursuits in British Columbia, fuels her dedication to a sustainable future.

VOLUNTEER

Quyen (she/her) is a recent graduate from The University of British Columbia with a major in Economics and a minor in Commerce. Growing up in Vietnam, Quyen understands the environmental and cheap labor issue of fast fashion, so she decided to join ThreadingChange in 2022 to learn more about the issue and create positive change via collaboration and storytelling.
In her free time, Quyen loves to read, write, and learn about people's stories!

STORY MAP COORDINATOR

Working in the apparel industry for eleven years in India, Namrita (she/her) gained in-depth knowledge in product development, sourcing, and manufacturing. However, after having worked so closely in the fashion supply chain, she grew uncomfortable with the harsh impact this industry is leaving on the planet. As an environment enthusiast, Namrita initiated waste management projects and operational changes. She also launched a line of upcycled fabric products that helped consume waste fabric being generated during various manufacturing processes in Indian factories. Eventually, Namrita decided to leave her job and pivot entirely into the sustainable side of fashion. She has been doing research and volunteer work for a few sustainable fashion start-ups and will soon begin her ‘’Green MBA” program (specializing in sustainability) at the University of British Columbia. Namrita is passionate about discovering things, be it new music, places, or cuisines. Her latest discovery was Soccer! She now loves playing and watching the game.

Board of Directors

The large gender inequity present in the fashion industry today is completely unacceptable. Of the top ten fashion companies in the world, only one CEO is woman-identifying, and only one is a Person of Colour (POC). Millions of garment workers around the world today are women of colour, subject to various forms of abuse and unfair pay. Threading Change believes that as a young organization, we will do everything possible to uphold our ethos of a Feminist, Fossil-Fuel-Free Fashion Future that fights for gender equity. We proudly present our growing Board of Directors, made up of all women of colour.

Puninda ThindCanada — **Puninda Thind**
Canada & UK

Secretary

Puninda (she/her) is a climate justice advocate and a consultant specializing in sustainability strategy development and implementation. Previously, she worked in sustainable investing in the commercial real estate sector, where she led portfolio-wide initiatives focused on climate resilience and sustainability reporting. Puninda holds a Bachelors of Environment and Business from the University of Waterloo. She is active in her local community as a member of the Global Shapers Community and as an organizer with Climate Justice Peel. Puninda has been recognized as one of Canada’s top 30 under 30 sustainability leaders and as a Clean50 honouree.

Director at Large

Raashi (she/her) is a consultant for Gapminder Foundation and a Local Expert for Studio INTO, a fast-growing international research consultancy. She's currently working with Missions Publiques on rebuilding structures with citizens on matters pertaining to Internet Universality and Governance. Raashi is currently a Do School Fellow and Young Leader with Women Deliver. She has been an active member of the TED community since 2014 and is the primary licensee for TEDxKoramangala. She serves as a steering committee member for Shaping Fashion, a grassroots initiative across the globe to transform the fashion industry into a more sustainable one.

Director at Large

Florence (she/her) believes that Sustainability should not exist, because it should be the normal way to do business. After moving to Vietnam to connect with her roots, she met with a like-minded girl and they decided to partner up to develop her starting ethical fashion label named after her ; Linda Mai Phung. Since then Florence has been working in sustainable fashion (10 years) making it her mission to improve the garment industry. At Fair Wear Foundation she worked in accompanying member brands in monitoring their supply chain, as well as being Country manager for Macedonia and then for Vietnam. She was then responsible for the grievance mechanism of the NGO, to try and solve labor rights violations raised by workers. Florence is currently a consultant for start-ups and entrepreneurs that work to create a responsible garment industry.