Page 51 - S Summer 2024

Photographed by Denis Gutiérrez-Ogrinc.
Future Purpose
Purpose Collective is here to steer fashion
toward a better future.
By Robyn Bell
C hanging an entire industry’s approach to sustainability may seem
like an impossible task for most, but the women behind Purpose
Collective are determined to revolutionize how fashion operates at
every level.
Elizabeth Cabral and Julia Perry have spent decades gaining expertise
in fashion, film, and art and, since 2020, are using that wisdom to create
meaningful change in an industry known to produce high amounts of
waste with unmonitored supply chains.
While the two didn’t begin this work until the early days of the
pandemic, they’ve been friends and colleagues for years. Having admired
the other’s career from afar, they’ve finally come together with a shared
vision of sustainable fashion at every level.
Cabral spent years as the fashion director at Flare magazine and as
a stylist in New York. Perry worked in the film industry for most of her
career, with positions at MGM and 20th Century Fox, but wanted to make
a change to fashion.
They both found themselves searching for a new challenge—one that
would utilize their skills and have a positive effect on the world.
Perry knew Cabral’s fashion knowledge would complement her skill
set, and says she was “always keeping Liz really close” to guide her in her
transition to the fashion industry.
So when Perry began to discuss a new initiative with the UN’s Deputy
Secretary-General Amina Mohammed to create accountability and
sustainability throughout supply chains, she knew Cabral would be the
ideal partner. Cabral was on board from the get-go.
“She sort of lured me into this opportunity to start something very
purpose driven in the way of sustainability with the United Nations,”
said Cabral. “And I was like...check, check, check—this is everything I’m
personally and professionally interested in, so why not do that?”
The two founded the fashion branch of SustainChain, guiding the
initiative in its infancy. They’re still working in advisory roles there, but
have switched their focus to their latest venture, where they’ve brought
their learnings from SustainChain.
Purpose Collective is a creative agency that brings together industry
leaders to innovate in moving fashion toward a better future. Through
creative storytelling, the agency aims to highlight the human aspect of
sustainability issues.
From smaller companies to big-name brand partners such as L’Oréal,
Purpose Collective has a massive impact. Perry points out that the small
and medium brands shouldn’t be counted out—in fact, these brands can
often lead the way.
“You take a few thousand small and medium brands [working
sustainably]—that’s a huge impact,” Perry says. “I think that’s where the
tsunami happens with sustainability and the real change comes.”
This change isn’t going to happen overnight—the fashion industry faces
many challenges enacting the necessary improvements. But conversations
around sustainability are becoming more and more commonplace, and
Cabral says that she and Perry are “resolutely optimistic” about the future.
“I think you have to be,” Cabral says. “And that’s what keeps us doing
the work that we’re doing.”
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