Inclusive Manufacturing: Making Diversity Your Greatest Asset
Jen Guarino explains how the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC) is empowering women by pretraining them in emerging technology and giving them equity in the factories where they work.
We make 150 billion garments a year worldwide, and 50 billion of them go straight into landfills. This creates a destructive pricing model that’s built on the backs of workers, many of whom are women of color. Jen Guarino believes the key to fixing this waste is to empower workers. As CEO of the nonprofit Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC) in Detroit, MI, she is changing what’s possible for apparel manufacturing by pretraining workers in emerging technologies and giving them ownership in the factories, replacing labor exploitation with economic and social empowerment.
About the speaker
Jen Guarino is the CEO of the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC). Since its founding in 2017, ISAIC has created a world-class model for sustainable, community-empowered ecosystems in apparel manufacturing. She is also a UNESCO Board member for the City of Detroit and recently was VP of Manufacturing at Shinola. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Illustration from the University of Oklahoma.
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