Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Penn.
Maya, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a 20-year-old CEO, environmental activist, artist, animator, eco-designer and three times TED Speaker. I founded my sustainable fashion brand Maya’s Ideas in 2008 at just eight years old. I’ve always had a passion for art and design, including fashion design. I’ve also always had a passion for nature and eco-friendly living. So when I had an idea to start a fashion line, I was naturally inclined to start doing my own research on the fashion industry and its environmental impacts. What I discovered was mind-blowing, and I was shocked that sustainable fashion wasn’t in the mainstream, so when I created my fashion brand, I knew I wanted to make my pieces eco-friendly. I didn’t start out with seed money, loans, or grants. What I did have was the creativity to make things work. I created my designs from organic, recycled and vintage materials and sold them online to customers around the world.
10% of my profits go to local and global charities and environmental nonprofits, all the rest of the money I made from my sales went back into my business. About two years later when I was 10 years old, Forbes Magazine reached out to me because they wanted to feature me and my company in one of their articles. That’s when everything started to snowball. I was invited to give three TEDTalks on sustainability and my company by the time I was 13 and my global TEDWomen Talk went viral worldwide with nearly two million views. I started my nonprofit called Maya’s Ideas 4 The Planet, where I’ve designed, created and shipped eco-friendly sanitary pads to women and girls in healthcare facilities in Haiti, Senegal, Somalia, and Cameroon. By the time I was 16 I received a commendation from President Obama for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship, and I published a book with Simon & Schuster called “You Got This!” and my book is now being used in schools around the world as curriculum to teach social entrepreneurship, sustainability and giving back. I’m incredibly grateful that this one idea I had at eight years old has now transformed into a way for me to not only make a difference for our planet and environment but also inspire more young future industry leaders and creatives.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In the beginning, when I started my company in 2008, sustainability and social entrepreneurship were not commonplace. Many of my customers supported my brand simply because they loved my designs aesthetically, but there was still a lot of education to consumers that had to be done. People had no clue that the fashion industry produces more carbon emission than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, or that on average it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one T-shirt or that toxic dyes are running off into water supplies. That’s not even scratching the surface of the ethics issues in the fashion industry. Eco-friendly and ethical fashion was a lot to unpack for many consumers, but there has been an intense shift in the right direction since then as more people become aware of these issues. The global eco-fibers market size is expected to reach $69.0 billion by 2025. Fashion has become a huge sector of sustainable living, and sustainability is the future for all industries. Because of that, my brand has been at the forefront both environmentally and economically.
Maya’s Ideas – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Maya’s Ideas is an award-winning environmentally sustainable fashion brand creating eco-friendly, artisan crafted, accessories and clothing made from organic, recycled, and vintage materials. Me and my eco-friendly designs have been featured in Forbes, NYLON, Marie Claire, Business Insider, Grist, Wired, TIME, O Magazine, The View and more. Maya’s Ideas is always experimenting and on the cutting edge of sustainability, even utilizing innovative sustainable practices and technologies such as biofabrication. Along with sustainable clothing, we also produce eco-lifestyle products, including an organic hair growth elixir and moisturizing, antibacterial hand balm.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success is not only meeting your goals but also helping others to achieve theirs. It’s always been crucial to me to use my journey and experience to lift up, educate, and inspire others that are on their journey to success. That is how I measure it by how it can help others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mayasideas.com
- Email: mpenn@mayasideas.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mayasideas
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/mayasideas
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayapenn/
Image Credit:
Andrew T. White (for both Nylon photos)
Deidre Penn
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
