Mrs. Liz Hartman is an American designer with a keen interest in building supply chains within the fashion industry that benefit both people and the planet. She earned her BFA at Parsons in NYC and then went on to work as a technical designer in the fashion industry for brands such as Kenneth Cole and Ralph Lauren. Ma’am founded Swiatlo in 2019 after becoming disillusioned with fast fashion’s lack of handmade connection. 'Swiatlo' is a Polish word meaning "light, to illuminate" inspired by Ma’am’s matrilineal Polish heritage, and the effort to keep migration and cultural identity in the brand's design narrative. In this podcast, Ma’am talks about her journey from New York to India. She mentions how no story or journey is a straight line from Point A to point B even if they are narrated in that manner online. This episode brings to you the challenges faced by ethical homegrown brands when they compete against their multinational fast fashion counterparts, the importance of stories behind each fabric and the experiences of an American woman in the Indian markets.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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