{{Short description|British businesswoman (born 1966)}} {{AI-generated|date=December 2025}} {{resume-like|date=April 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} {{Infobox fashion designer | name = Carry Somers | image = | caption = Somers in 2025 | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1966}} | birth_place = Seaton, Devon, England | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | education = Colyton Grammar School, Westminster College Oxford, University of Southampton, University of Essex | label_name = * The Nature of Fashion (Chelsea Green/Rizzoli, Autumn 2025) * A Dictionary of Plant Fibre and Colour (The Churchill Fellowship, 2024) | awards = * Honorary Doctorate, Keele University (2023) * Churchill Fellow (2024) | website = https://www.carrysomers.com/ | known_for = Fashion Revolution, Pachacuti, author of The Nature of Fashion | occupation = Author, social entrepreneur, speaker, researcher and campaigner }}
'''Carry Somers''' (born 1966) is a British author, fashion designer, social entrepreneur, sustainability expert and campaigner. She is founder of Fashion Revolution global movement and was previously founder and director of Pachacuti. Somers is also the author of ''The Nature of Fashion'' (Chelsea Green, September 2025), a history of plant-based textiles and their impact on human societies and the natural environment. She is a Churchill Fellow and holds an Honorary Doctorate of Letters.
== Background ==
Somers was born in Seaton, Devon in 1966 and attended Colyton Grammar School.<ref>{{cite web |title=Colyton Grammar School welcomes alumna Carry Somers to give talk to students |date=2022-04-18 |url=https://colytongrammar.com/131/latest-news/post/222/colyton-grammar-school-welcomes-alumna-carry-somers-to-give-talk-to-students |website=Colyton Grammar School |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref> She has a degree in Languages and European Studies from Southampton University, and a Masters in Native American studies from the University of Essex<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/news/academia-research/essex-chancellor-launches-women-future-appeal|title=Essex chancellor launches Women of the Future Appeal |website=Business Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629025947/http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/news/academia-research/essex-chancellor-launches-women-future-appeal |archive-date=2015-06-29}}</ref> which presented her with the alumnus of the year award in 2009.<ref name="essex.ac.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.essex.ac.uk/honorary_graduates/alumnus/carry_somers_response.aspx|title=Alumnus of the Year Award: Response by Carry Somers |department=Honorary Graduates |website=University of Essex |first=Carry |last=Somers |date=15 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226152026/https://www1.essex.ac.uk/honorary_graduates/alumnus/carry_somers_response.aspx |archive-date=2018-02-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://alumni.essex.ac.uk/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=10 |title=The difference an Essex graduate can make |magazine=Essex:Effect |issue=1 |pages=6–7 |via=alumni.essex.ac.uk}}</ref> Somers set up fair trade fashion brand Pachacuti in 1992 and founded Fashion Revolution in 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/apr/24/fashion-revolution-week-seven-ways-to-get-involved |title=Fashion Revolution Week: Seven ways to get involved |newspaper=The Guardian |date=24 April 2018 |last1=Blanchard |first1=Tamsin}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/fashion/meet-the-sustainable-revolutionists-a4119051.html |title=Meet fashion's sustainable stars transforming the way we dress |date=17 April 2019 |work=Evening Standard |first1=Karen |last1=Dacre |first2=Emma |last2=McCarthy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/the-women-leading-sustainable-revolution |title=Who Are the Women Leading Fashion's Sustainable Revolution? |date=20 April 2020 |website=British Vogue |first=Emily |last=Chan}}</ref> In July 2022, Somers was awarded an honorary doctorate by Keele University.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/news/2022/june/summer-graduation/honorary-degree-recipients.php |title=Keele announces honorary graduates |date=23 June 2022 |website=Keele University}}</ref>
== Career ==
=== Author and Consultant === Somers’s works across textiles, sustainability, and cultural history, with a focus on public engagement and education. Her book The Nature of Fashion (Chelsea Green/Rizzoli 2025) examines the relationship between plants and textiles, and investigates the ecological implications of material choices across the fashion industry.
She has collaborated with institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on events like the Material World Festival, which highlights the cultural and ecological significance of plant-based materials. In 2025, she was a lead artist at Kew's Community Open Week. In 2024, she was closely involved in shaping The Good Clothes Show,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://se.fashionnetwork.com/news/Sustainable-upgrade-the-good-clothes-show-set-to-launch-in-september,1642254.html |title=Sustainable upgrade: The Good Clothes Show set to launch in September |date=16 June 2024 |first=Nigel |last=Taylor |website=Fashion Network}}</ref> a national event promoting sustainable fashion practices.
Somers is also associated with League of Artisans, a collective that supports contemporary and heritage textile practices through community projects such as Leek Textile Week.
=== Fashion Revolution ===
Somers founded Fashion Revolution following the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-32446811 |title=People are wearing clothes inside out to mark Fashion Revolution Day |department=BBC Newsbeat |first=Amelia |last=Butterly |work=BBC News |date=24 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/fashion-revolution-day-wear-your-clothes-inside-out-to-support-worker-welfare-10201838.html |title=Fashion Revolution Day: wear your clothes inside out and ask #whomademyclothes to support worker welfare |date=24 April 2015 |first=Linda |last=Sharkey |work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/commentisfree/2019/apr/22/who-made-my-clothes-stand-up-for-workers-rights-with-fashion-revolution-week |title=Who Made My Clothes? Stand up for workers' rights with Fashion Revolution Week |first=Tamsin |last=Blanchard |website=The Guardian |date=22 April 2019}}</ref>
Somers has convened roundtable discussions on ethics and sustainability at the UK Parliament, including the 2015 event Ethical Fashion 2020: A New Vision for Transparency<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/opinion/ethical-fashion-2020-new-vision-transparency/ |title=Ethical Fashion 2020: a New Vision for Transparency |website=Total Politics |date=1 July 2015 |url-status=deviated |first=Richard |last=Jones |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811214147/https://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/opinion/ethical-fashion-2020-new-vision-transparency/ |archive-date=2022-08-11}}</ref> and Fashion Question Time, held annually from 2015 to 2018 in Parliament and in 2019 at the V&A.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/23/labour-mp-rushanara-ali-rana-plaza-was-a-man-made-disaster |title=Labour MP Rushanara Ali: 'Rana Plaza was a man-made disaster' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 April 2018 |last1=Ferrier |first1=Morwenna}}</ref>
Somers speaks in the UK and internationally on supply chain transparency, workers' rights, and environmental issues in fashion.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://lifesciences.exeter.ac.uk/news/archive/2014/title_374827_en.html |website=University of Exeter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226032149/http://lifesciences.exeter.ac.uk/news/archive/2014/title_374827_en.html |archive-date=2018-02-26 |title=Factory disaster marked with Fashion Revolution Day |department=College of Life and Environmental Sciences |date=24 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/a36da58d-b7ef-4e76-a6e4-1e2441cdf171/ |title=The Future of Sustainable Fashion |website=Oxford Talks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226211540/https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/a36da58d-b7ef-4e76-a6e4-1e2441cdf171/ |archive-date=2018-02-26 |date=28 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.dochas.ie/news/ireland-gives-two-thumbs-development-european-year-development-launch-ceremony-dublin-castle |title=Ireland gives two thumbs up for development as The European Year for Development Launch Ceremony in Dublin Castle scoops two awards |website=Dóchas |date=2 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120024124/https://www.dochas.ie/news/ireland-gives-two-thumbs-development-european-year-development-launch-ceremony-dublin-castle |archive-date=2017-11-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-spin-off.com/news/stories/Tradeshow-Bangladesh-Denim-Expo-plugs-transparency-for-its-next-edition--13771 |title=Trade show preview: Bangladesh Denim Expo |website=The Spin Off |first=Maria Cristina |last=Pavarini |date=November 2, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishcouncil.es/en/events/carry-somers-bilbao-bizkaia-dweek-2017 |title=Carry Somers at Bilbao Bizkaia DWeek |website=British Council}}</ref><ref name="elcomercio.com">{{Cite web |url=https://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/entrevista-carry-somers-mujeres-moda.html |title=Carry Somers: 'Las mujeres están liderando el cambio en la industria de la moda' |date=9 February 2020 |lang=es |work=El Comercio}}</ref>
In 2020, Somers joined the all-female research voyage eXXpedition, sailing over {{convert|2,000|miles}} through the South Pacific Gyre from the Galapagos Islands to Easter Island to study plastic and toxic pollution in marine environments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://exxpedition.com/|title=eXXpedition - All-women voyages exploring the impact of plastics in our ocean.|website=eXXpedition}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2025}}
In February 2022, Somers appeared on a billboard campaign during New York Fashion Week spotlighting women-led social enterprises in fashion. Her image featured on the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square and outside the United Nations.<ref>{{cite press release |website=Pvblic Foundation |url=https://www.pvblic.org/post/conscious-fashion-campaign-new-york-honorees |title=Meet the Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York 2021 Honorees |date=22 November 2021}}</ref>
She collaborated with garden designer Lottie Delamain on the Textile Garden for Fashion Revolution, which was awarded a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/209945bb-43d4-4ebc-8e7a-c16fc7d11a0e |title=What does it really cost to make your clothes? |newspaper=Financial Times |date=7 June 2022 |first=Yasmin |last=Jones-Henry |others=Photography by Alexander Coggin}}</ref>
=== Pachacuti === Somers founded hat brand Pachacuti in 1992,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.triplepundit.com/2014/01/fashion-revolution/ |title=Interview: Carry Somers of Pachacuti on the Fashion Revolution |website=TriplePundit |date=2014-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616200844/https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2014/interview-carry-somers-pachacuti-fashion-revolution/46621 |archive-date=2021-06-16}}</ref>. It was the first business to be verified under the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) Sustainable Fair Trade Management System,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://search.standardsmap.org/assets/media/SustainableFairTradeManagementSystem/English/AtAGlance_EN.pdf |title=Sustainable Fair Trade Management - WFTO |website=Standards Map |publisher=International Trade Centre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713052232/http://search.standardsmap.org/assets/media/SustainableFairTradeManagementSystem/English/AtAGlance_EN.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite newsletter |magazine=Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) |url=http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/pdf/newsletter/newsletter_09_3.pdf |date=December 2009 |title=EMAS and Fair Trade: the Integrated Management System for Sustainability}}</ref> which certifies ethical and sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fairtrade.net/fileadmin/user_upload/content/2009/about_fairtrade/2011-06-28_fair-trade-glossary_WFTO-FLO-FLOCERT.pdf |title=Fair Trade Glossary |date=2011-06-28 |author1=World Fair Trade Organization |author2=Fairtrade International |author3=FLO-CERT |access-date=31 July 2015 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924005954/http://www.fairtrade.net/fileadmin/user_upload/content/2009/about_fairtrade/2011-06-28_fair-trade-glossary_WFTO-FLO-FLOCERT.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Pachacuti’s products were labelled Verified Fair Trade (WFTO UK0001-2009 to 2012).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/14/pachacuti-fair-trade-fashion|title=Pachacuti: a fair-trade fashion pioneer|first=Rachel|last=Holmes|date=14 December 2009|website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csr360gpn.org/magazine/feature/pachacuti-sustainable-fair-trade-management-system |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226171121/http://www.csr360gpn.org/magazine/feature/pachacuti-sustainable-fair-trade-management-system/ |archive-date=2010-12-26 |title=Pachacuti – Sustainable Fair Trade Management System |date=10 October 2010 |website=CSR360 |first=Carry |last=Somers}}</ref>
Between 2009 and 2012, Pachacuti piloted the European Union's Geo Fair Trade project, which tracked over 60 social, economic, and environmental indicators. The initiative mapped the GPS coordinates of 154 weavers’ homes in Ecuador, local ''Carludovica palmata'' fields, and regional processing centres.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story |url=http://www.panamas.co.uk/fairtrade/transparency-and-geo-fair-trade/ |website=Pachacuti}}</ref><ref name="hollings.mmu.ac.uk">{{cite web |department=Hollings: The Big Issue |website=Manchester Metropolitan University |url=http://www.hollings.mmu.ac.uk/the-big-issue/CarrySomers.php |title=Carry Somers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909201050/http://www.hollings.mmu.ac.uk/the-big-issue/CarrySomers.php |archive-date=2015-09-09}}</ref>
In September 2013, at London Fashion Week, Pachacuti and People Tree Ltd. became the first brands to launch products under the WFTO Fair Trade Guarantee System.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1947&Itemid=314 |website=World Fair Trade Organization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001081153/http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1947&Itemid=314 |archive-date=2013-10-01 |title=Fair Trade at London Fashion Week}}</ref>
=== Media and Public Appearances ===
Somers has appeared on UK and international television and radio to discuss ethical fashion, sustainability, and transparency. Her media contributions include interviews on BBC World Business News, BBC Breakfast, Radio 4, and international broadcasters such as Newstalk ZB (New Zealand) and WBUR (United States).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/mary-creagh-and-carry-somers-on-proposed-british-penny-tax-on-fashion-industry/ |title=UK aiming to clamp down on fashion waste |work=Newstalk ZB |date=24 Feb 2019 |author=<!--staff byline; no author given-->}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2vt5TYlXrZwmB0q9Tx6xgTg/swapping-second-hand-and-sustainability-mary-portas-on-the-future-of-fashion |website=BBC Radio 4 |title=Mary Portas on the future of fashion}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/12/03/fast-fashion-devastates-environment |title=The Environmental Cost Of Fashion |date=3 December 2019 |work=WBUR |first1=Robin |last1=Young |first2=Allison |last2=Hagan}}</ref>
She has been profiled or interviewed in international publications including Forbes, Vogue, Newsweek, El País, the Financial Times, and The Daily Telegraph, where she has spoken on the future of sustainable fashion and the impact of the Rana Plaza disaster.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanprice/2018/04/23/how-two-entrepreneurs-became-unexpected-activists-and-started-a-fashion-revolution/ |title=How Two Entrepreneurs Became Unexpected Activists And Started A Fashion Revolution |date=2018-04-23 |work=Forbes |first=Susan |last=Price}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/rana-plaza-fifth-anniversary-how-has-fashion-industry-changed|title=5 Years On From The Rana Plaza Collapse, How Much Has Actually Changed? |date=23 April 2018 |first=Jake |last=Hall |work=British Vogue}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsweek.com/world-environment-day-how-rana-plaza-disaster-changed-fashion-forever-957141|title = How the Rana Plaza Disaster Changed Fashion Forever |work=Newsweek |date=Jun 5, 2018 |first1=Kashmira |last1=Gander |first2=Chiara |last2=Brambilla}}</ref>
In addition to academic and design conferences, Somers has presented on cruise lecture circuits in Latin America and the Caribbean, speaking on topics such as textiles, traditional dress, indigenous craft, and fair trade practices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.essex.ac.uk/events/2020/06/18/after-essex,-c-,-in-conversation-with-carry-somers|title=After Essex: In Conversation with Carry Somers |date=2020-06-18 |website=University of Essex}}</ref><ref name="hollings.mmu.ac.uk"/>
=== Lectures and Presentations ===
Somers has spoken at conferences and public forums on fashion, sustainability, and ethics. She has delivered keynote addresses and participated in panels at events including The Economist Impact Summit in Athens, The King’s Foundation sustainability conference, and the Textile Society’s annual conference. Internationally, she has spoken to audiences across Latin America, including Trimarchi design festivals.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.candafoundation.org/latest/news/2018/11/sustainability-and-social-responsibility-priority-issues-at-the-latin-american-fashion-summit |title=Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Priority Issues at the Latin American Fashion Summit |date=13 November 2018 |website=Canda Foundation}}</ref> S
=== Publications === Somers is the author of ''The Nature of Fashion'' (Chelsea Green/Rizzoli 2025), a book exploring the relationship between plants, textiles, and the ecological consequences of material choices.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Somers |first=Carry |title=The Nature of Fashion: A Botanical Story of Our Material Lives |url=https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781915294791/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |publisher=Rizzoli |location=New York |isbn=978-1-915294-79-1}}</ref>
In 2024, she published A Dictionary of Plant Fibre and Colour, based on research undertaken during her Churchill Fellowship.<ref name="Churchill Fellowship">{{cite web |last1=Somers |first1=Carry |title=A Dictionary of Plant Fibre and Colour |url=https://www.churchillfellowship.org/ideas-experts/ideas-library/a-dictionary-of-plant-fibre-and-colour/ |website=Churchill Fellowship |date=2024 }}</ref>
Earlier works include 2015 introduction to Fixing Fashion, a critique of consumerism and fast fashion, and contributions to the 2014 publications Working Ethically, a guide for socially responsible business owners, and Sustainable Luxury and Social Entrepreneurship, an edited volume on ethical enterprise in the luxury sector.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.acblack.com/Working-ethically/no_author/books/details/9780713675481|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120716235846/http://www.acblack.com/Working-ethically/no_author/books/details/9780713675481|archive-date=2012-07-16|url-status=dead |title=Working ethically: Creating a sustainable business...without breaking the bank |isbn=9780713675481 |date=September 2007 |publisher=A & C Black}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://gre.presswarehouse.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=395400 |title=Sustainable Luxury and Social Entrepreneurship: Stories from the Pioneers |volume=1 |editor-first1=María Eugenia |editor-last1=Girón |editor-first2=Miguel Angel |editor-last2=Gardetti |isbn=978-1-78353-063-2 |date=May 2014 |publisher=Greenleaf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070347/https://gre.presswarehouse.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=395400 |archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref>
== Business accomplishments == In 2023, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research plant-based fibres and dyes.<ref name="Churchill Fellowship" /> In 2022, she received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Keele University for her leadership in fair trade and sustainability, and was named an honoree by the Conscious Fashion Campaign in New York.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/business-features/conscious-fashion-campaign-new-york-announces-10-women-led-honoree-organizations-1234997252/ |title=Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York Announces 10 Women-led Honoree Organizations |date=16 November 2021 |work=Women's Wear Daily |author=<!--staff byline; no author given-->}}</ref>
She won the Luxury Sustainability Award at the 2020 Luxury Law Awards<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://luxurylawsummit.com/2020-winners/ |title=2020 Winners |website=Luxury Law Summit |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907201056/https://luxurylawsummit.com/2020-winners/ |archive-date=2020-09-07}}</ref> and has been included in several “most influential” lists, including The Progress 1000 by the Evening Standard in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/the1000/the-progress-1000-londons-most-influential-people-2016-equality-champions-a3338116.html |title=The Progress 1000: Equality Champions |date=7 September 2016 |work=Evening Standard}}</ref>
Other awards include the Observer Ethical Award (2011),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Conner |first1=Megan |last2=Forster |first2=Katie |last3=Cumming |first3=Ed |title=Observer Ethical Awards: 10 years of winners |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2015-03-08 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/08/past-observer-ethical-award-winners |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref> Source Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Fashion (2013), and recognition from the University of Essex as Alumna of the Year (2009).<ref>{{cite web |title=The 2009 Alumnus of the Year award was awarded to Carry Somers |url=https://www.essex.ac.uk/alumni/awards/alumnus-of-the-year/2009 |website=University of Essex |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref> In 2007, she was invited to Buckingham Palace in recognition of her contribution to UK business.
== See also == *Ethical consumerism *Social entrepreneur *Social enterprise
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Commons category-inline}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20200304002404/https://www.fashionrevolution.org/ Fashion Revolution] * [http://www.panamas.co.uk/ Pachacuti]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somers, Carry}} Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Essex Category:People from Seaton, Devon Category:English businesspeople in fashion Category:Alumni of the University of Southampton