Nest’s Annie Millican Joins CFDA to Talk Sourcing and Working with Socially Sustainable Artisans

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) continues to do a commendable job educating designers about how to think outside the sourcing box and to approach production in a way that supports deeper brand values. Whether or not sustainability and social responsibility were guiding tenants at the outset of starting a design brand, it’s never too late to start linking our choices to positive impact.

This month, Nest’s Director of Sourcing & Artisan Business Development, Annie Millican, joined a panel of speakers including Dana Arib, Creative Director of A Piece Treaty; Annie Oakley Waterman, Founder of AOW Handmade; Nest Co-op member and Maison-de-Mode Co-Founder, Hassan Pierre; and Tara St. James, Owner of Study NY, for a talk on Sourcing and Working with Socially Sustainable Artisans. The lively discussion, moderated by Timo Rissanen of Parson’s hashed out the why’s and how’s of sourcing from artisans, helping designers to understand the opportunities and tools available to them to incorporate global craftsmanship into their collections.

The message was clear: while not without its challenges, artisan sourcing is always worth it: both for the authentic, rare beauty that emerges, as well as for the social impact generated for communities around the world.