← Critic Award Winners: Jussara Lee
A native Brazilian of Korean heritage, Jussara Lee moved to New York City in 1987 to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She launched her namesake label upon graduation, landing in prominent retail stores worldwide, such as Bergdorf Goodman, Isetan, and Fred Segal. For the past 20 years, the company has deliberately scaled back to focus on making the best-fitting, custom-made clothes with the gentlest impact on the environment. Hand-tailoring, hand embroidery, local production, biodegradable materials, natural dyes, the addition of mending services, and a collection of transformed vintage clothes are all part of Jussara’s efforts to create a circular business model where the least amount of natural resources are plundered from nature, and waste is given a new purpose.
Throughout the year, Jussara hosts a number of community engagement events around the themes of turning old clothes into new ones using zero-waste techniques. These gatherings allow clients to develop a closer connection to their clothing, as well as to promote creativity to update their existing clothes.
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