Panelist Bios:
Nicole Benefield is an Assistant Professor in the Fashion Design Department at FIT and a graduate of Parsons School of Design. She has held leadership roles at specialty retail brands, which include Loft, Ann Taylor, Lou & Gray, and Banana Republic. In November of 2020, Nicole launched Nicole Benefield Portfolio, a casual contemporary women’s brand where she is the Founder and Creative Director.
Shelly Xu is committed to reversing fashion’s negative impact on our environment—a reality she has witnessed first-hand during her travels across China, Japan, and the United States as a child. Shelly is the founder of Shelly Xu Design (SXD), a fashion-tech venture that makes beautiful, 100% zero waste clothing designs that cost less. These designs challenge the conventional approach to sustainable fashion, which involves a compromise among price, accessibility, and design appeal. By integrating zero waste into both the design and manufacturing process, SXD makes reducing fashion’s carbon footprint a natural choice rather than a sacrifice. She is a graduate of Columbia College and Harvard Business School.
Jazmine is an eco-friendly fashion and lifestyle content creator, blogger and YouTuber. She is the creator of #Rewearthat hashtag where she encourages her audience to invest in sustainable fashion practices. She uses her platform to discuss issues including race and sustainability. She’s been using her colorful and informative feed to offer resources and tips for years, and has created a digital community of over 100,000.
Camille Tagle is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of FABSCRAP. FABSCRAP is working to offset the waste created by the fashion industry by recycling pre-consumer textiles such as unfinished samples, cuttings, and deadstock material, then making them accessible to local creatives for reuse.