Meet Jordana Guimarães, Co-Founder of Fashinnovation, “a New York-based platform where Fashion, Technology & Entrepreneurship connects via discussion with the agents of change”.
When you do something in life – not for yourself, but for others – the world leads you on a meaningful and fulfilling journey.
Jordana Guimarães has been a part of the fashion industry long before she and her husband started Fashinnovation. It was her husband, Marcelo Guimarães’ idea to develop a platform to connect entrepreneurs and innovators in fashion through panel talks. They are focused on Sustainability, Entrepreneurship & Technology in the fashion industry on a global scale. Since its launch in 2018, Fashinnovation has hosted 450+ speakers until now. She is also the brainchild behind The NYLON Project, a non-profit that is trying to give a face to homelessness through the voices of fashion influencers. To further this cause, Guimarães is coming up with a book called It Can Be You wherein “45 influencers participated in sharing stories of struggle and perseverance which has been contrasted to similar journeys with different circumstances of those who are today homeless”. It is an initiative to help people understand the real issues around homelessness and empathize more to want to help more. The book is all set to be published in May 2021.
Guimarães grew up in Rio de Janeiro around strong women. She is the oldest of her four sisters and her humble upbringing encouraged her to give back and inspire. Prior to starting Fashinnovation, she worked as a Marketing, Sales & Public Relations Director in the lifestyle & fashion industries for over 15 years. Jordana’s work requires her to travel and even live in different cities and countries around the world. This gives her a chance to embrace their culture. She often feels that she is living a gipsy lifestyle and is an adventurer at heart. She works according to her passion and intuition and never takes no for an answer.
Talking more about her organization, she says, “It’s a platform connecting people in fashion from around the world, and the events hosted to focus on sustainability and other topics such as inclusivity, women empowerment, etc. that not only improve the fashion industry but also make the world a better place. During Covid, we pivoted our physical events online and made registration FREE for anyone who wants to attend. To this day, it’s FREE for everyone – which allows those that need the inspiration to attend and walk away with lots of it. It also allows the big brands to collaborate with smaller brands – especially on the tech side – that can help them improve their business models and adapt innovations towards sustainability”.
In the initial years of her career, she looked for ways for people to take her seriously. Presently, she is working to grow the company whilst maintaining her and her husband’s authenticity. The customer response towards her venture has been “incredible and very humbling”. Guimarães often receives emails from people thanking her for the work she does. Fashinnovation has collaborated with the United Nations and executives from brands like Levi Strauss, Louis Vuitton, etc. They have been featured on Business Insider, Forbes, VOGUE, WWD, Daily Mail and have partnered with top institutions such as FIT, Parsons School of Design.
Jordana is a true fashion enthusiast and understands the power of fashion to initiate revolutionary changes in society and consequently the world. Everything she does is a way to inspire and have a positive impact on the lives of others. When asked about her ultimate motivation mantra, she says, “GO FOR IT and Don’t Be Afraid! Everything in life is possible if you do it with passion, perseverance, and genuinity!”