Professional womenswear designer with over 15 years of experience with skills in illustration, flat sketching (hand and Illustrator), specs, pattern making, basic draping, market research and fittings.

After much deep reflection about the fashion industry's effect on the the environment, labor issues and behavior around the time of the Rana Plaza disaster, I felt a calling to seek out what fair trade and sustainability meant in the height of consumerism; and how I can be part of the change. I learned about the NYC Fair Trade Coalition during an Ethical Fashion course at FIT and became an advocate almost immediately.

I am also a Co-Founder/Co-Director for my most recent venture in starting our non-profit, Island Bee Project. Island Bee Project’s mission is to revitalize NYC’s surrounding communities through education, creativity, inclusivity, as well as, awareness of the symbiosis between us and our natural environment through the work of the honeybees. Our goal is to to give all people the same experience and access to the importance of honeybees as pollinators. Please visit www.islandbeeproject.org for more information and how you can get involved to #savethebees.

In summary, with my combined experience in corporate fashion and advocacy for people and planet before profit, I came to realize that there is a need to fully integrate design, wellness, fairness and nature in order to become whole beings. I later formed CZA DESIGN, LLC to offer a more holistic approach around design and wellness.