The past few months, BLACK PEARL has been everywhere from New York to Amsterdam to London, carrying forward our mission: weaving culture into sustainability and making sustainability conversations accessible, creative, and community-driven.
Here’s a closer look at what we’ve been up to…
Rooted in Identity @ Atelier Jolie
Atelier Jolie hosted an intimate evening where Samata Pattinson moderated a conversation with designers Chuks Collins (@chukscollinsofficial) and Thulani Ngazimbi (@theradblackkids). Both are accompanying Ozwald Boateng during his Atelier Jolie residency.
The discussion, “Rooted in Identity: Culture, Sustainability & Style from Africa & Beyond”, explored how heritage shapes design, how resilience fuels creativity, and how fashion can hold cultural memory while driving forward sustainability. Guests gathered afterward to continue the dialogue over food from Eat Offbeat, itself a story of resilience as a refugee-founded culinary company.
➡️ Why this matters: Identity-led design is not only about aesthetics — it’s about purpose, survival, and storytelling that strengthens cultural sustainability.
How Music Mobilizes — Hollywood Climate Summit
At this year’s Hollywood Climate Summit, we partnered with Hip Hop Caucus to spotlight the role of music as a driver of cultural and climate action. The How Music Mobilizes panel brought together artists and organizers who see music not just as entertainment, but as a force to spark social movements, shift norms, and open space for new models of impact.
➡️ Why this matters: Music reaches people at an emotional level where data can’t. It creates movements that are lived, not just learned.
Amsterdam x ZDHC Week 2025
BLACK PEARL joined the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) 10th Anniversary Convention in Amsterdam, an event marking a decade of industry efforts to remove harmful chemicals from fashion supply chains.
We collaborated with AMFI students and faculty to present a sustainable fashion show, showcasing alternative dyeing and coloring techniques that are safer for both people and the planet. From naturally-derived pigments to closed-loop water systems, the collections proved that creativity doesn’t need to come at the cost of ecological harm.
Our Founder delivered a keynote at Impact Day (June 25), reflecting on cultural pathways to systemic change in fashion and spotlighting how design schools can lead the next era of sustainable fashion.
➡️ Why this matters: The way we color and finish our clothes leaves a mark — not just on the environment, but on our own health. Highlighting safer, innovative practices makes visible the hidden costs of “business as usual” in fashion.
Overheated London 2025 and Sustainable Guides with Billie Eilish
BLACK PEARL worked with Billie Eilish, Maggie Baird, and REVERB to launch the first-ever 17-city Sustainable Fashion Guide for the European leg of Billie’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT tour.
Across cities from Stockholm to Manchester, the guides featured:
✨ Vintage & secondhand treasures
✨ Independent, ethical brands
✨ Community repair & upcycling hubs
✨ Inclusive collectives championing circularity & justice
We then followed this up with an edition for Tokyo, Japan. Discover it on billieeilish.com.
In London, through Stitch Society, we curated fashion customization workshops where fans could come to customize, mend, and learn.
➡️ Why this matters: Sustainable fashion isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being part of it. By meeting fans where they are, in the music spaces they love, we’re showing that sustainability is for everyone, and every small choice matters.
Stitch Society Returns — Climate Week NYC 2025
Looking ahead, BLACK PEARL’s Stitch Society is preparing to return to Climate Week NYC (Sept 20–25, 2025) with new partners and activations between the US and Europe. The vision remains the same: “What we make, we protect. What we protect, we keep alive.” Stitch Society is about sharing creative tools and creating experiences which keep sustainability action, part of culture.
➡️ Why this matters: Sustainability solutions aren’t just technical — they’re cultural. We need storytelling, creativity, and community to make change stick.
✨ BLACK Pearls of Wisdom
Culture isn’t copy-paste. Authenticity in design, music, and storytelling is what makes movements last.
Fashion’s hidden costs — from dye chemicals to overproduction — demand visibility. Awareness is the first step to change.
Communities — whether fanbases, students, or diasporas — are powerful engines of sustainability when given the platform.
📖 Explore More
🌍 Billie Eilish Sustainable Fashion Guides
👗 ZDHC Convention Week highlights
🌱 Climate Week NYC 2025 About Stitch Society
Together, let’s keep pushing boundaries — one project, one story, one community at a time.
