One of the most fun ways to get a peek into another person’s life is to experience their city like a local would -- with a homebase in a their space. LifeSwap takes the fun of living how a stranger does one step further. We’ve teamed up with AirBnB to give you a taste of what it’s like to step into someone else’s shoes. We can safely say that this is the best giveaway of any SXSW party around.
Day 4 is about the word on every marketer’s mouth. Everyone’s focusing on it, but it’s not a focused word. What does it mean exactly? Why does it matter? And how do we do it right? Attend small group workshops about mobile ads, mobile responsive site and mobile app development. Learn about the rapid rise of mobile browsing (and what that means to us) in our interactive globe installation. And hear from Ruth McCarthy, Founder of Mobili Media, about how to get caught up -- and then get ahead.
Introducing "THE TRUE COST" — a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?Â
Filmed in countries all over the world, from the brightest runways to the darkest slums, and featuring interviews with the world’s leading influencers including Stella McCartney, Livia Firth and Vandana Shiva, The True Cost is an unprecedented project that invites us on an eye opening journey around the world and into the lives of the many people and places behind our clothes.
Please RSVP to make sure your name’s on the list.
Thank you!Â
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016
WHERE: ALLIANCE FRANCAISE
AGENDA
6:00 PM : WELCOME RECEPTION
6:45 PM : THE TRUE COST FILM SCREENING
8:15 PM : PANEL DISCUSSION, Q+A
(WITH SHAMINI DHANA, ANJALI SCHIAVINA, SONIA MANCHANDA, NIVI MURTHY, TINA SAREEN, MODERATED BY SUSANNA CHANDY MATHEWS)
9:00 PM : WRAP!
Shamini Dhana is CEO and Founder of Dhana, Inc. Shamini launched Dhana, Inc. in 2008, to celebrate our global connections between people and our planet through clothing. Dhana, Inc. is an ethical fashion brand committed to using clothing to better connect people and our planet. Dhana believes apparel is an extension and reflection of one’s values, community, and outlook on life and therefore ought to be influenced by and made with respect for global cultures and materials. Since 2008, Shamini has been a leader in sustainable apparel. Dhana, Inc. uses 100% organic cotton fabric and low-impact dyes for our designs. As a business, Dhana adopts fair trade, ethical and sustainable principles throughout its supply chain. From production partners in India, to headquarters in Sausalito, California, Shamini works closely with communities to celebrate and promote a more sustainable, connected lifestyle on a global scale. Dhana, Inc. is a Certified B Corporation, partners with leaders in ethical fashion such as the Organic Trade Association, Fairtrade International, and Ethical Fashion Forum. Dhana also supports the communities we serve through sponsorships of nonprofits including Climate Ride and the Brower Youth Awards. Shamini earned her undergraduate degree in Economics, Philosophy and Statistics from National University of Singapore and holds a master’s in International Affairs from California State University Sacramento. Shamini is a Climate Ride Ambassador, a global traveler, has 20 years of corporate executive experience, and is an Associate Producer of The True Cost movie. Shamini brings to the eco-fashion world over 20 years of experience in international strategy, global operations, venture capital, business development, and executive leadership in corporate America. Shamini currently lives with her husband and two children in Mill Valley, California.
Anjali started Mandala Apparels Pvt. Ltd (CAOS Apparels, erstwhile) in the year 2002 with 2 stitching machines, 3 employees and a big dream. The dream was to become pioneers in the Organic and Ethical Apparel sector and create an enterprise which is a platform that can provide suitable conditions for an integral development of our environment, society and individuals.
Today, 14 years later, Mandala Apparels Pvt. Ltd has grown into a dynamic enterprise with a high level of responsibility, accountability and integrity. A continuous improvement of quality in all areas is our ultimate objective. Mandala employs 189 workers and is proud to say that more than 80% of them are
women who come from unskilled and semi skilled backgrounds and have been empowered through our various vocational training programs. We value the welfare and well being of our employees by providing them with a safe, clean and dignified work place. Mandala Apparels is now poised to double its manufacturing capacity. Instead of aiming to become an island of success we put our efforts in contributing to an ocean of change.
Susanna is the co-founder of Xanadu - a lifestyle boutique where one can find thoughtfully curated furniture, design accents, accessories and fashion from around the globe. When she's not hunting down delightful discoveries for Xanadu or navigating global shipping logistics, she leverages her Mass Media and Journalism background (St. Xaviers, Mumbia) as a Freelance Content Creator for varied brand platforms that include articles, blog posts, social media, websites, brochures & press releases.
Prior to founding Xanadu, Susanna worked at The New Indian Express, Bangalore as a Sub-Editor/ Reporter for Indulge.
A designer, trained at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad  and entrepreneur with two decades of design. She Is the Founder of SPREAD DESIGN + LEARNING a fresh, new age design organisation that integrates all disciplines of design with technology and creates learning systems, to spread design as a way of thinking and doing things. Spread works with entrepreneurs and also with large global organisations. As an external design partner and/or to build creative capacity internally by creating and deploying its methodologies, workshops and tools. Previously, she cofounded India’s leading design organisation, created brands and experiences (noteworthy: integrating design with business at Future Group, creating a global brand – Manipal + Brands), designed a massive global design project that has been recognised as a game changer and worked extensively in activating design for business and design for social change.
Somewhere between founding a New York based analytics startup for emerging designers, studying at FIT in New York, and coffee-ing over the fast fashion dystopia that India was grappling with, Ikkivi was born. Nivi after moving countries - questioned the gap that existed between the emerging and the established, the rooted and the traveler.This inquiry led to her supreme conviction in culturally rich Indian talent and the luxury of being Indian in and away from India. Some of the things that get Nivi's heart racing are postcodes, love of true design and fashion, belief in the borderless lure of Indian sensibilities and an appetite for endless challenges.
Tina is the founder of LBD (Little Black Dress) studio in Bangalore — a fashion boutique she launched after her Masters in Fashion Design & Technology from The London College of Fashion. LBD houses a medley of styles - urban resort wear and fluid silk silhouettes find place amongst jersey jackets and neon trims. The clean lines of her Audrey Hepburn like shift dresses tell of an easy elegance that is Tina's signature style. The LBD experience – which is the only word for being in the place – consists of astute style advice, personal shopping for each thread and button, the old fashioned discipline of dressmaking, trials and fittings in a boudoir – and voila you emerge from the realm of your imagination with just what you had dreamed.
Ayesha was raised in Bangalore, India and educated in the cultural nexus of New York, Paris, and San Francisco. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Ayesha has over twelve years of experience crafting strategy and creative direction for global companies including Apple, Amazon Lab126, Databricks,Facebook, Sephora, The Insight Labs, Transunion and The Smithsonian. Ayesha’s approach to design is thoughtful, considered and comes from a place of inquiry. She orchestrates beauty with meaning and purpose, bringing a vibrant curiosity and insatiable appetite for learning (and unlearning). With a background in brand building, digital design, and marketing, Ayesha has been published in Forbes, Women 2.0, YourStory.in, and Branding Magazine. A passionate advocate for the $20 trillion Female Economy, Ayesha is a speaker, start-up advisor and angel investor who is often invited to judge pitch competitions and interactive/new media award shows.Â