Allanna McAspurn, CEO, MADE-BY

Allanna McAspurn is the CEO of MADE-BY, a not-for-profit European organisation which works with fashion brands to improve the social and environmental sustainability of their supply chains.

Allanna McAspurn has been a leading figure working at the forefront of Sustainable Fashion in London. “Creating greater sustainability within the fashion industry is something I feel very passionate about and is something I’ve been involved in for nearly a decade. Throughout this time I’ve seen a proliferation of FAIRTRADE and organic products enter the market and an effort on the part of retailers to get to grips with some of the difficult social issues within their supply chains. The phase we are now entering will be defined by the rising price of raw materials and an increasing consumer demand to know the social and environmental impact of their garments. I therefore feel the key trends over the next five years will be around supply chain efficiency, reducing environmental impacts throughout the whole supply chain, design innovation, traceability and a developing dialogue between consumers and brands on their sustainability progress.”

Allanna McAspurn was a co-founder of the British Ethical Fashion Forum six years ago and played an instrumental role in its growth and development. Before she took over the job to launch MADE-BY in the UK in 2009, she was Head of Clothing and Accessories at Natural Collection, the UK’s award winning green online retailer.

Allanna McAspurn has extensive experience in sustainable business, marketing, and sourcing strategies for fashion, not only in the UK, but also internationally. Allanna has worked closely with organic cotton farmers’ co-operatives and textile initiatives in India, as well as a series of capacity building and training projects in the fashion sector in South Africa. “It’s important to think about the whole process from design through to the end of life of a garment. We have to think about ways in which a beautiful collection can be created that is long-lasting and has taken into account both social and environmental considerations at each stage of development” she explains.

Allanna McAspurn is continuously involved with key organisations and events in sustainable fashion. She sits on the advisory board of Estethica, the ethical section of London Fashion Week, and recently defined the new sustainability application criteria for designers to exhibit at Estethica, in collaboration with the Corporate Responsibility Director of Gucci Group. 

Allanna McAspurn also speaks regularly on the sustainable clothing movement in the media, at conferences and educational institutions, this has included chairing panel discussions at the UN and DEFRA.  Before getting involved in sustainable fashion, Allanna worked as a researcher and university lecturer at De Montfort University, Leicester, teaching advertising, but a sabbatical in the Himalayas turned her life around.