In this edition of Tatler’s Secrets of Success series—the all-access pass to the city’s most notable business magnates and entrepreneurs—Christina Dean reveals the constant elephant in the room and why the word “regret” is too negative for her liking
Christina Dean has been championing sustainability in fashion for 15 years through Redress, a company she founded in 2007 to reduce fashion’s waste problem, and The R Collective, a social-impact fashion label founded in 2017 that rescues, reuses and recycles textile waste. Dean is steadfast in her mission to change the way people think about fashion. “I continue to be perplexed and polarised at whether the industry and, more importantly, its leadership, has what it takes to steer fashion off its polluting and wasteful trajectory. Estimates suggest that textile waste will increase 60 per cent by 2030. This would suggest no,” she tells her followers on Instagram.
After arriving in Hong Kong from the UK in the mid-2000s, Dean found herself at the centre of the world’s clothing production and knew she had to make a change for the better. The Asia’s Most Influential honouree has since used her platforms to promote environmental education in the fashion industry and has written pieces for CNN Style and The Huffington Post, among others, about the enormous waste problem facing the industry.
Dean co-authored Dress [with] Sense: The Practical Guide to a Conscious Closet, and her TEDx talk “You are What You Wear” has been viewed by half a million people. Here, the entrepreneur speaks to Tatler from London about the key to her companies’ growth, and her fundraising plans for the future.
Describe what you do in one sentence.
I champion and campaign for better practices in the fashion industry by finding solutions to one of fashion’s greatest crises: waste.
How does your business make a difference?
My social impact business, The R Collective, rescues textile waste from luxury fashion and then reuses and recycles these waste materials into our responsible fashion brand and corporate gifts. To date, we’ve rescued 97km worth of waste. My NGO, Redress, prevents and transforms textile waste in the fashion industry.
What do you put your success down to?
Deep and sincere concern and anger towards fashion’s environmental issues, and a commitment to solve far-reaching environmental and social issues.
What are the top three ingredients for a successful business?
Authenticity. Kindness. Empathy.
Do you have any mentors? If so, who are they and what is the best piece of advice they have given you?
Yes, I have several mentors, most of whom are women, who guide me through personal and professional growth challenges. Boiled down, the best advice is to take care of yourself.