An Interview with Sustainability Disruptor, Dominque Drakeford

Dominique Drakeford

is an influencer, writer, public speaker, community organizer, educator, and soon-to-be mother. This month, she’s Custom Collaborative’s first ever Guest Newsletter Editor. Everything she does, she does with style. “My passions are education, advocacy, creating ecosystems and looking good while doing it!” she says. 

Originally from Oakland, California - a hotbed of grassroots activism - Dominique came to New York in 2011 to pursue a Master’s in Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Fashion at NYU. She’s been here ever since and now lives and works in Brooklyn. 

Dismantling systems of oppression through the decolonization of fashion and sustainability is at the heart of Dominique’s work. Over the past 10 years, she’s inspired thousands of people to better their communities by creating avenues for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) leaders and learners to move to the forefront of social and environmental change. Dominique works to provide alternative solutions to systems and movements plagued by white “supremacy”. She’s the Co-Founder of Sustainable Brooklyn, an organization that diversifies the sustainability movement by putting it in the hands of those most impacted by environmental issues. She’s also the Chief Curator at MelaninASS (Melanin and Sustainable Style), an online magazine by and for BIPOC communities focusing on fashion, beauty, wellness and agriculture. Additionally, she founded Black Sustainability - a social media platform that sheds light on historical Black leaders and movements that exemplify true sustainability. Many sustainable fashion movements fail to incorporate essential BIPOC voices and realities that contribute to oppression. Not only does Dominique propel these movements, but examines and redefines the movements themselves to better represent the Black and Brown people on whose backs fashion thrives. 

Sharing common goals with Custom Collaborative, Dominique hit it off immediately with Ngozi Okaro, our Executive Director, when they crossed paths a few years ago. “Experiencing the magic and intentionality that is CC is like no other - and so I interviewed Ngozi shortly after her student’s graduation in Spring 2019 and I’ve been supporting from Brooklyn ever since!” Dominique explained. “I work to redefine sustainability (especially sustainable fashion) and Custom Collab is a pillar in that goal. Their work creates an important standard in the ecosystem of dismantling injustice and amplifying progressive stewardship in the fashion space - especially for communities of color,” she continued. 

As an influencer and leader, Dominique is frequently asked how she envisions an ideal future for fashion, to which she admitted that her answer is ever-changing. “There’s so much that has to change in a reimaged society,” she began. “The next big step for liberation would have to be the complete fall of the root of the system - abolish [the] prison industrial complex, [enact] completely new trade laws, eco reparations for Black folks, and we need BIPOC communities at the highest form of leadership,” she said.

We applaud and appreciate Dominique for her constant work to end racial, economic, and environmental injustice and we join her in the fight. We hope you enjoy this month’s Newsletter featuring Dominique Drakeford!