Denise Ross

Female

Edinburgh

United Kingdom

Profile Information:

Profession / role:

Head of Design

Company / organisation:

Johari

Website (if you have one):

www.johari.co.uk

My primary role in relation to fashion is:

Designer, Retailer, Supplier, Manufacturer

I am looking to discover or buy

Like minded souls

About me / About business or organisation:

Basically I am a typical Capricorn, and while I don't really take astrology seriously, there is no denying my drive to work and to feel passionate about what I do.

You can find out more about me and the things that inspire me at my blog: www.identi.co.uk

Career history / Company history:

I have been making things since I was a kid and when I was 17 I left Glasgow to study Product Development at London College of Fashion. Between then and now I have worked in a variety of design and development roles across many sectors, and not just fashion! For example, I have worked as an A&R manager in the music industry and as a Web Developer for all kinds of businesses - from small independent book publishers to big corporate banks and public sector organisations.

Recently things have come full circle and I now find myself working for an IT company that have a charity that run several social development programmes in Kenya. With my fashion background and general interest in all things creative I now work part time for Johari, the social enterprise that funds the social development programmes.

Here is the philosophy behind Johari:

"Our philosophy is simple. We passionately believe that fashion should be ethical, not just beautiful.

Johari, which means ‘something precious’ in Swahili, is a Social Enterprise that not only produces exquisite hand-crafted clothes and jewellery, but creates opportunities for vulnerable young woman in Kenya - so that they can build a living for themselves and their families.

100% of the profit made by Johari is used to support Miale Community Programmes of the Johari Foundation, one of which is our Apprenticeship scheme.

This isn’t a philosophy we just pay lip service to - we live it in everything we do. From our Design Council that combines talents from diverse backgrounds and skills, to our material sourcing, tailoring and production – we make every effort to ensure our fashion is beautiful inside out."

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