Heather Chaplet is a textile designer based in Burkina Faso, producing handmade, organic cotton helping to limit the environmental and ethical damage of the fashion industry. She is the daughter of MacKenzie-Childs co-founder Victoria MacKenzie-Childs.[1][2]
Biography
editChaplet graduated with a degree in theater from Brown University, initially working in set and costume design before looking to pursue a career with a more humanitarian impact.[1]
In 2009 she founded Xoomba with her musician husband Nils. Based in one of the poorest countries in Africa, Burkina Faso, Chaplet was initially drawn to the area because of her prior training in African dance. In 2011 the company's first production of 100% fair-trade cotton debuted, and clothing collections for men, women and children followed suit, including a baby line constructed from kapok.[3][4]
In 2023, Xoomba received a grant from the European Union, administered by the Burkinabè Foundation for Culture and Tourism, along with the SELCO Foundation, to provide Chaplet's team with solar loom makers they use for major textile projects in India. [citation needed]
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation actively supports the economic and agricultural productivity of Burkina Faso.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Out of the Box: Heather Chaplet". Textile Exchange. June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Heather MacKenzie-Childs weds Mr. Chaplet". New York Times. September 27, 1998.
- ^ "Heather Chaplet: Towards a More Sustainable Fashion Industry". Brown University. September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Victoria MacKenzie-Childs and daughter Heather Chaplet are Changing the World One Think Tank at a Time". TodaysCNYWoman.com. May 10, 2012.
- ^ "Bill & Melinda Gates Support of Burkina Faso". Bill & Melinda Gates. September 26, 2023.