Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi Goez.
Naomi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of a career in fashion (such a cliché, I know); not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine this path would lead me down a road of promoting radical change from within the industry.
I was born in Israel but spent my adolescence in Alberta, Canada – the place I now call home. Growing up in a household of an Israeli-Bulgarian mother and a French father provided me with nothing short of a multicultural celebration, not only through customs observed by the family but also through my parents’ passion for travel. It was the perfect breeding ground for my curiosity of global cultures to develop at a young age. Looking back, I now realize that regardless of where I lived or visited, my processing of the world around me was always the same. Every night, I’d run to my desk to reflect on the day’s events by creating complete decks: a collection, an accessory line, a campaign billboard, and would even write copy for product description and ads. Well before I could articulate my interest in fashion, I viewed it as more than just clothes; I saw it as a necessity and a powerful global business, contrary to how I felt it was viewed by society – a vapid luxury.
At 18, it was clear to me that the pursuit of my professional goals required my immersion in the field. I dropped out of a Bachelor of Commerce program at a college in my hometown, packed eight hockey duffle bags full of heels and clothes (my only assets) and moved to Los Angeles, where I knew no one, and would once again be an immigrant.
I completed my BA at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. While in school, I spent as much time as possible getting to know different aspects of the business through internships and part-time jobs in a variety of spaces, from wholesale and marketing to product development and design.
My academic and professional exposure to the way the apparel business operates shed light on the fundamental lack of transparency within the supply chain: retailers and brands are often completely disconnected from the complex web of suppliers and manufacturing partners on whom they rely, and therefore make decisions that impact communities around the globe with very little accountability. This reality allows businesses to not only get away with inefficiencies but more importantly – make a negative impact on all stakeholders: the workers, the consumers and their respective communities. This is made possible by the oftentimes untraceable links between the brands we shop and labor exploitation, unregulated chemical use, improperly managed waste, and irresponsible water consumption.
This realization was the perfect cross-section between my passion for the business and my natural gravitation towards environmentalism and social justice. The operational recklessness in apparel is not only devastating from an ethics perspective, but it also has the potential to inhibit the growth of the industry in the long run due to lack to resources. Restructuring the way we operate is not an emotional transition, but rather it is a strategic decision aimed at both protecting the business and nurturing its future growth.
Thus began my journey towards promoting environmental and social consciousness in fashion. I have set out to do this by empowering industry professionals to make educated sourcing decisions and encouraging consumers to demand information about the products they spend money on, as well as the brands they support.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I always say that I am the luckiest person I have ever met, and I really mean that; I have a supportive family, brilliant friends, resources to pursue an education, an able body, and a roof over my head. In spite of my good fortune, however, neither my personal nor my professional paths have been smooth rides.
Granted, there are many challenges inherent in the immigration process: moving away from family/ friends, leaving behind a more “secure path” (where I had an academic scholarship), and of course, the competitive landscape of finding employment under different visa statuses, etc.
I also chose a path ridden with opposition and reluctance by nature; actively working to change the way a business has been operating since conception is rarely received with open arms. Though, the obstacles in this professional journey also provide the greatest opportunities — a truth that makes this an exciting ride.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My primary professional target is driving change from within the industry, and my secondary is consumer education. I believe that transforming the fashion industry will require tackling several angles: altering operations within the business, creating consumer demand of brands/retailers for social and environmental accountability, and legal regulation.
On the industry front, I currently work for a US-based conglomerate on the production side of two West Coast brands, where one of my focuses is spearheading sustainability initiatives, both in product assortment and daily operations. I work closely with our vendors and enjoy finding ways to streamline communication and efficiently collect data that can be used to evaluate our operation at various levels.
I believe in the importance of education to implementing change, so in 2019 I returned to FIDM as faculty to teach the Sustainability in the Product Lifecycle course and built the syllabus to include hands-on experiences such as visiting factories and meeting industry leaders, combined with in-class discussions and data-driven lectures.
I’ve also been having a lot of fun volunteering with the charitable organization Beyond the Label, supporting the Impact Fashion Show, and taking on public speaking engagements, to continuously interact with industry and address the urgency of the matter.
On the consumer-facing front, I have built a platform dedicated to aligning style and values, sharing my personal journey as a “conscious consumer”. My Instagram, @CallMeNaomiG, is the tool I use to discuss the responsibility we have as shoppers to learn more about where our clothes come from, what they are made of, and who the people behind the end product are. The core of my social media messaging is re-wiring the way we think of clothes; it was not long ago that we thought of a great jacket as a good investment and cherished items that we could wear season after season. Unfortunately, the rise of fast fashion normalized the idea that clothes were a disposable commodity, meant to be worn once and tossed immediately, creating problems of overconsumption and unmanageable amounts of waste.
My approach towards sustainability is unique in this space since I do not advocate for it as a “do good” mission. As a businessperson, I believe that an emotionally driven path cannot be sustained overtime or applied on a mass scale, and it therefore must coexist with and enhance profit-driven solutions. In my discussions, I often avoid using the term “sustainability” (which has become a meaningless buzzword) and exchange for responsibility, accountability, consciousness and efficiency. In these sessions, I share how many logistics solutions of energy conservation and circularity are both environmentally conscious and great for the bottom line.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
To me, success means pursuing one’s passion.
Generally speaking, since I am focused on advocating for change, I always try to evaluate how my accomplishments impact my peers and my audience: Was the interaction engaging? Were the takeaways actionable items? Was there a clear roadmap identified? More specifically, it is important to me to reach diverse audiences and adapt my methodology to their interests and needs. Considering the current state of sustainability in apparel, knowledge dissemination is still one of the most important steps towards accomplishing my goals.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callmenaomig/
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