BIO
(This BIO was a group contribution created by REM, a student consultancy program at Princeton University! Thank you, Taryn Hipwell!
Taryn Hipwell is a global speaker, passionate consultant, and consumer engagement specialist in the realm of sustainable plastic-free, toxin-free, healthy fashion. She is the author of How to Shop for Shi(f)t and the founder of Beyond the Label, which started as a partnership with TEDxLA to educate locals on the true health, social, and environmental costs of their fashion purchases.
Taryn is committed to creating fun, authentic, and bold experiences that shatter stereotypes, shift perceptions, and change lives. She has spoken about sustainability, transparency, circularity, diversity, and toxins in fabrics to over 10,000 students at 30 top fashion schools and universities around the world, including the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Parsons, NYU, UCLA, and YOUNGA, a first-of-its-kind global youth takeover of the United Nations.
Taryn has consulted for Triarchy (low-water, sustainable, transparent denim brand), SITA Couture (sustainable, locally made, women-owned lifestyle brand), and VirtYouUs (sustainable luxury online marketplace). She taught Sustainability and the Fashion Industry at FIDM for 8 years, yet her efforts to awaken and empower go way beyond the traditional classroom. Taryn has produced and emceed the Beyond the Label Fashion Show + Tell twice in partnership with the City of Santa Monica, Sustainable Works, and Santa Monica College (SMC), where she serves as an advisory board member. She has taken students, colleagues, and influencers on Fashion Field Trips to meet sustainability leaders and passionate staff at Reformation, Groceries Apparel, and Patagonia to gain firsthand knowledge about positive production.
Taryn’s journey in toxin-free fashion started when she acknowledged her hypersensitive allergies to chemicals used in fabric production including farming, fiber extraction, and the dye process. Her unique shopping perspective ignited into radical compassion when she saw a film that showed pre-teen kids dying from leukemia due to pesticide run-off from a farm into a local river. The company chose to pay off the medical bills instead of changing the product. Last summer, the harms of unhealthy polyester, fast fashion, and beauty products hit home even more when she lost a friend to cancer.
Taryn has adopted a humanist approach to environmental issues, making her messaging bold yet relatable and actionable. She challenges her audience to make responsible decisions after informed deliberation, offering tools to find healthy, sustainable replacements for our favorite fashion items. Taryn’s powerful passion for non-toxic fashion compelled her to become a writer and speaker despite visual and verbal dyslexia. She has found ways to use her learning disability and allergies to toxins to thrive and instigate change! As a mentor for youth, consultant for brands and market places, and moderator for panels, Taryn envisions and fosters relationships where people embark on journeys of growth as their true vulnerable selves, freely seek and offer help, and hold each other accountable.
Taryn Hipwell is a global speaker, passionate consultant, and consumer engagement specialist in the realm of sustainable plastic-free, toxin-free, healthy fashion. She is the author of How to Shop for Shi(f)t and the founder of Beyond the Label, which started as a partnership with TEDxLA to educate locals on the true health, social, and environmental costs of their fashion purchases.
Taryn is committed to creating fun, authentic, and bold experiences that shatter stereotypes, shift perceptions, and change lives. She has spoken about sustainability, transparency, circularity, diversity, and toxins in fabrics to over 10,000 students at 30 top fashion schools and universities around the world, including the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Parsons, NYU, UCLA, and YOUNGA, a first-of-its-kind global youth takeover of the United Nations.
Taryn has consulted for Triarchy (low-water, sustainable, transparent denim brand), SITA Couture (sustainable, locally made, women-owned lifestyle brand), and VirtYouUs (sustainable luxury online marketplace). She taught Sustainability and the Fashion Industry at FIDM for 8 years, yet her efforts to awaken and empower go way beyond the traditional classroom. Taryn has produced and emceed the Beyond the Label Fashion Show + Tell twice in partnership with the City of Santa Monica, Sustainable Works, and Santa Monica College (SMC), where she serves as an advisory board member. She has taken students, colleagues, and influencers on Fashion Field Trips to meet sustainability leaders and passionate staff at Reformation, Groceries Apparel, and Patagonia to gain firsthand knowledge about positive production.
Taryn’s journey in toxin-free fashion started when she acknowledged her hypersensitive allergies to chemicals used in fabric production including farming, fiber extraction, and the dye process. Her unique shopping perspective ignited into radical compassion when she saw a film that showed pre-teen kids dying from leukemia due to pesticide run-off from a farm into a local river. The company chose to pay off the medical bills instead of changing the product. Last summer, the harms of unhealthy polyester, fast fashion, and beauty products hit home even more when she lost a friend to cancer.
Taryn has adopted a humanist approach to environmental issues, making her messaging bold yet relatable and actionable. She challenges her audience to make responsible decisions after informed deliberation, offering tools to find healthy, sustainable replacements for our favorite fashion items. Taryn’s powerful passion for non-toxic fashion compelled her to become a writer and speaker despite visual and verbal dyslexia. She has found ways to use her learning disability and allergies to toxins to thrive and instigate change! As a mentor for youth, consultant for brands and market places, and moderator for panels, Taryn envisions and fosters relationships where people embark on journeys of growth as their true vulnerable selves, freely seek and offer help, and hold each other accountable.
ADVISING, AWARDS & HONORS
- 2012-2023 - Anakazi Center / Rethinking Business Development For Women (Zambia) - Sustainable Fashion Educator, Curriculum Development, and Advisory Board Member
- 2016-2023 - Santa Monica College Fashion Department - Advisory Board Member
- 2022-2023 - The Fashion Connection - Advisory Circle
- 2017-2020 - Infinite Flow / A Wheelchair Dance Company - Advisory Board member
- 2018-2020 - Fashion Revolution USA - Advisory Board Member
- 2016-2018 - UN Women Los Angeles - Fashion Chair
- 2017 - Gratitude International Visions and Dreams Fulfilled - The Eco Gratitude Award
- 2016 - Sustainable Business Council of Los Angeles - Best Public Advocate for Sustainability Award Finalist
- 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 - Los Angeles Business Journal - Women Making a Difference Award Nominee
- 2014 - UN Women USA LA "Safe Cities LA" (United Nations) - Certificate of Appreciation for Valuable Contribution - Creative Expression & Emotional Well Being
- 2013 - Dress for Success - Certificate of Appreciation for Commitment to the Betterment of Women's Lives
- 2008 - Warner Bros. - Emerging Professionals plaque
