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We wouldn’t be where we are without our hardworking staff. ESPECIALLY our interns! For the next month, we’ve decided to showcase our five interns and the incredible work they do behind the scenes.
Next up, we have a veteran on the TO THE MARKET team - Hannah Lee. Hannah, a freshman at UCLA, has been interning with us since 2018! She believes that everyone is capable of creating and demanding change, and loves traveling around the world.
What are you working on with TO THE MARKET?
I currently help develop newsletters for email campaigns under the Chief Marketing Officer Cindy. I also collect content for our #BuytheChange List, which features fascinating stories, articles, and recommendations relevant to TTM’s mission: sustainability, empowerment, ethical manufacturing, and more. (If you haven’t subscribed to TO THE MARKET already, you should definitely go do so right now!)
What do you love about TTM’s mission?
TTM’s emphasis on economic empowerment for traditionally oppressed communities deeply resonates with me. Especially in a society dominated by convenience, I love that TTM ensured transparency and sustainability in every step of the manufacturing process.
Also, the emphasis on the dignity of work and the importance of securing quality working conditions for all, particularly in fields like fashion, never fails to inspire me. I’ve always been saddened hearing stories of corporate greed overwhelming the company’s basic obligation to provide equal pay and safe working conditions, and I love that TTM is trying to change that.
I’ve been able to learn so much about marketing, design, and business-to-business relations, but as cliche as it sounds, my absolute favorite aspect of it all is the people. It’s been incredible working with such an inspiring, fabulous group of women out to change the world!
Do your activities at TTM line up with what you’re studying at school or your future career?
I’ve always been passionate about design, language, and marketing, all of which are relevant to what I do in TTM. Academically, however, I’d love to learn more about economics to gain a more in-depth understanding of sustainability and responsible sourcing in business, and the impact it has on the market.
All in all, I’m interested in further exploring economics and sustainability, although I’m keeping my options open for now and am eager to see what the future holds!
Has your work at TO THE MARKET influenced your interest/knowledge in sustainability and responsible sourcing in fashion? Why do you think it’s important to practice this?
Most definitely! Prior to joining TTM, although I’d skimmed the occasional article about the perils of fast fashion, I didn’t fully grasp the significance of ethical sourcing, and the consumer’s responsibility to advocate for sustainability through their purchasing decisions.
Jane Mosbacher Morris’ book,Buy The Change You Want To See, truly opened my eyes to the reality of conscious consumption. Consumers everywhere are responding to the need for more environmentally friendly products that don’t harm the planet or the people living on it, and we need to continue supporting companies that provide transparency and ethical working conditions in every step of the supply chain.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Costa Rica sounds wonderful—the people are so welcoming, and the wildlife so beautiful and diverse. I can also (hopefully) improve my extremely rudimentary Spanish!
Favorite quote or words to live by?
“But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary… When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.” (Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom)
*Hannah's t-shirt is from the Dillards GB collection sourced from TO THE MARKET*
