Conscious Fashion: Weaving a Sustainable Future

A cozy sweater to match your jeans, a new scarf to go with your coat, a few stylish shirts for the gym and maybe those cute yoga pants - shopping for clothes is fun, and depending on your tastes, affordable. But there are bigger costs than the price tag you see at the store. Every item in your closet has gone through many steps in a complex production process, from harvesting fibers, dyeing, and sewing to shipping and sales. And each step for these garments has major environmental consequences.
On Thursday, January 30, join us for a Town Square discussion on clothing and where it comes from. WHYY's Maiken Scott will chat about sustainable fashion with Heidi Barr, co-founder and CEO of PA Flax Project; Rachel Higgins, co-founder of PA Fibershed and instructor at Drexel University in the fashion industry and merchandising program; and Kimberly McGlonn, designer, CEO of NOOR by Grant Blvd and author. They will talk about their work in the fashion industry and address the challenges we face together in building a local, more sustainable supply chain.
Panelists:
Heidi Barr, co-founder and CEO of PA Flax Project
Rachel Higgins, co-founder of PA Fibershed and instructor at Drexel University in the fashion industry and merchandising program
Kimberly McGlonn, designer, CEO of NOOR by Grant Blvd and author
Heidi Barr is the co-founder and CEO of the PA Flax Project, a cooperative dedicated to re-imagining the flax for linen industry in Pennsylvania. For over a decade, she owned and operated Kitchen Garden Textiles, a Philadelphia based lifestyle brand working at the intersection of food and fabric. This work led to a deep understanding of the connection between textiles and farming. In 2020, with farmer Emma De Long, Barr took this understanding to the next level and the PA Flax Project began. Her love for textiles and lifelong attention to environmental issues combine into her passion for bringing linen production back to Pennsylvania.
Rachel Higgins is the co-founder of PA Fibershed and an instructor at Drexel University in the fashion industry and merchandising program. She is a passionate advocate for circular fashion and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sustainable fashion movement. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and merchandising from Drexel University and a master's degree in professional studies in business of fashion from LIM College, she uses her entrepreneurial spirit to drive change in the fashion industry. In both of her roles, Higgins is instrumental in advancing sustainable and circular fashion practices, making a lasting impact on the industry and the community.
Kimberly McGlonn is an award-winning advocate for justice and environmentalism, advocacy that informs her approach to leadership across industries. As founder & CEO of the luxury wellness start-up NOOR by Grant Blvd ®, she oversees the creative direction and growth strategy of the brand. Outside of these roles, McGlonn disrupts via her second company, the thrift/vintage concept shop Blk Ivy Thrift, and her new book Build It Boldly Her work has been featured by Fast Company, Inc Magazine, Essence and has been funded by Beyonce’s BeyGood Foundation. In 2022, she was a recipient of the Visa’s “She’s Next in Fashion Award” and the Black Enterprise “Business Disruptor of the Year” award. In 2023 and 2024, she was named “150 Most Influential Philadelphians” by Philadelphia Magazine.