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A fashion industry veteran, Sandy Skinner is making green more than just a color you wear. Reinventing how and why we buy fashion, Sandy has founded ecoSkin, a privately held California apparel company offering chic, contemporary designs for the eco-conscious but savvy woman. Core to its planet-friendly mission, ecoSkin uses only environmentally sustainable, luxury fabrics woven, dyed, and sewn in the USA. “This is my passion,” Sandy says. “I am committed to making ecoSkin a successful company that the industry and I can be proud of. We are in our infancy with many aspects of eco-friendly apparel. Green technology and environmental standards are still evolving and quantity of raw materials and dyes are scarce.” But, Sandy preaches that the more customers demand responsibility-produced, eco-friendly products, the more the industry will demand responsible suppliers that make green living a mainstream issue. Sandy should know. She has lived apparel for more than 17 years, working in virtually every aspect of the industry from buying to managing operations to being President of a contemporary brand. Sandy has also been a non-profit volunteer and environmentalist who lives with a personal respect for people and planet and a desire to make a positive difference in the world. A Florida native, Sandy has tilled the fashion fields from Burdines Stores to Broadway Stores to Biatta Intimates, an up-and-coming intimate apparel company. She took the company from $1.8 million in sales to $25 million in nine years. She has also consulted to other apparel companies from start-ups to those needing direction in sales, merchandising and production. Over the years, Sandy recognized that the apparel industry could do much more to support a healthy environment. She also knew the industry could do more for contemporary women who wanted to live a responsible, green lifestyle but who also wanted to look eco-chic and sexy. Increasingly, Sandy asked herself the frustrating question why the industry offered women so few responsible choices. In 2007, Sandy stopped asking the question and decided to act. She launched ecoSkin to make a positive difference for apparel customers and the planet alike. The company took off like a rocket and proved Sandy’s philosophy that hip and responsible can co-exist. ecoSkin insists dye houses and manufacturing facilities-all in the Los Angeles area-follow the obligation to meet Sandy’s demanding quality, environmental and labor standards. Her meticulous eye oversees everything from selection of raw material to local dying, weaving, sewing, and even the design of green hangtags and labels. Smart, articulate and committed, Sandy is a leader on the runway of a revolution in the business world.
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