Our Mission
To make sustainable fashion more accessible, educate about the destructive industry practices and facilitate a more circular fashion economy.
We want to incorporate sustainability into the everyday, making it the new normal. Our approach to work both within the community as well as within our smartphones provides our social enterprise with the unique duality. Most of all we believe in the power of fun as a force for positive change, and this is at the forefront of all our approaches.
As scientists we started by looking at the numbers in more detail, and we couldn’t quite believe what we found
(the numbers In question):
The fashion industry, responsible for 8% of global emissions (surpassing the combined impact of international shipping and flights, according to the UN alliance for sustainable fashion), sees approximately one truckload of clothing discarded or incinerated every second (U.S. E.P.A.). And only 1% of clothing is recycled (BBC, 2022). Beyond the environmental concerns, a 2016 survey by the Ethical Trading Initiative revealed that 77% of clothing retailers acknowledge the likelihood of modern slavery within their supply-chains. Read more here
Quite shocking right…?
Why do we do it?
For the Planet
The fashion industry is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions (surpassing the combined impact of international shipping and flights).
One truckload of clothing discarded or incinerated every second, with less than 1% of all clothing worldwide is recycled.
Countless dyes and chemicals used in the production of textiles which will often polluting waterways.
35% of microplastics in the marine environment are from microfibres of synthetic clothing.
It takes 8,000 litres of water to produce a pair of jeans. This is how much water one person drinks in seven years.
For the people
Far too often, the people who made our clothes are overlooked. But there’s a cost associated with low price clothing.
93% of brands don’t pay garment workers a living wage - 80% of which are women. And of 71 leading clothing retailers in the UK, 77% believed there was a likelihood of modern slavery occurring at some stage in their supply chain.
The conditions in which the garments are made are often hazardous and lead to long term health conditions for those working in them.
For you and me
Have you ever looked into your wardrobe and thought, I’ve got nothing to wear?
Fashion should be fun, not an added anxiety. But the industry has been built on confusing the consumer with fast pace micro-trends. This creates a confusing mindscape, where we don’t relate to our clothing and can never figure out what to wear, buying and throwing away, fuelling the cycle of overconsumption.
Who’s paying and who’s profiting?
We want to flip the conversation, and put the consumer first. This starts by rethinking the relationship we have with our clothing, understanding where it came from and how it relates to our personal story.
Weronika Stelmach (she/her)
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
Weronika’s driven by collective bettering and the power of connected people. She graduated from the University of Bristol with a first class chemistry masters degree, as well as the Mike Rothwell award for best performance on her course. She is motivated by the possibilities of innovation for good, exploring how we can do more within our day-to-day.
Cristina Poncela (she/her)
TECH
Full stack developer, responsible for bringing Swerv to life
Andriana Laskari (she/her)
UX/UI & PRODUCT DESIGNER AND SENIOR MOTION DESIGNER
With over a decade of experience in the creative industry, Andriana is a Product Designer and Motion Designer using her various skillset in design, illustration, animation, branding and UI design to help bring Swerv to life. Using her creative skills towards meaningful projects has been her focal point throughout her career.
Meet the Team
William Terry-Wright (he/him)
CO-FOUNDER & COO
William is the ‘how we can we make it happener’, with experience in computing and business, he is passionate about developing tech for good. He is currently undertaking a PhD in Technology enhanced Chemical Synthesis, and using his extensive tech experience to develop Swerv.
Praveen Chandrarajah (he/him)
TECH
Full stack developer responsible for the Swerv avatar creation.
William Mills (he/him)
MACHINE LEARNING DEVELOPER
Lead developer on ORA (outfit recommendation algorithm)
Poppy Maslen (she/her)
SOCIAL MEDIA
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