Amsterdam’s change champions: Meet Katrin Ley

What steps led you to become managing director at Fashion for Good?

Well, the path was not straightforward, but magically all these dots connected. I worked for many years with big fashion players in the corporate world and strategy consulting. But then I'd done the big players the corporate stuff and asked myself: “where can I have more impact?” So, later, I pivoted to impact investing, joining a network of families investing in startups. This mix of corporate strategy, startup exposure, and impact investment set the stage perfectly for when the Brenninkmeijer family (Laudes Foundation) wanted to change industries through innovation, leading to the inception of Fashion for Good. When the idea of Fashion for Good became more concrete, it was a natural fit for me to be part of it.

What is your mission with FFG? How does this align with creating a positive impact in Amsterdam’s business ecosystem?

As our name says, it is about making fashion a force for good. And this is really a two-pronged approach. On the one side, there is the museum, which is a space to welcome, to educate and inspire visitors, and to tell tangible stories. And the other side is much more global which is about finding the most promising innovators with truly disruptive solutions. It can be a new material, a recycling solution, or a new dyeing technique - really anything around the supply chain that drives change and has a better footprint. For example, the Re-Wear Project which builds on Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity framework - testing and validating methods to advance textile recycling and the resale industry.

Why are you here in Amsterdam? What benefits does the city offer as a place for impact-led businesses?

Amsterdam is really at the forefront of many things regarding entrepreneurship and impact. The city has so many investors, impact funds, like-minded organisations, and fashion brands. Even if they're not located here, they come here regularly because of events, like Kingpins on the denim side. From a logistics perspective, it's just a place where people easily come together, everyone speaks English, and there is a lot of talent here. It’s a bit of a one-stop shop which is a big part of what led us to start here. And looking at circularity and the city’s policy ambitions relating to things like percentage of recycled cotton, extended producer responsibility schemes, the Dutch government is quite pioneering in this way. And other European countries are starting to follow along.

What’s the long-term impact you hope to leave on Amsterdam’s fashion ecosystem?

We are super proud of what we have achieved with the museum, which unfortunately has permanently closed its doors as of June 5th. The good thing is that many other organisations have picked up this idea who are now also working on this topic. Which wasn't the case seven years ago when we started. So there's been a change in the industry in general which will be part of the museum's legacy.

And of course, by making our resources and learnings accessible, we hope to inspire and support other entrepreneurs and organisations in their sustainability journeys. We've put a lot of effort in really gathering all the learnings from the museum, all the tools, into a digital form and packaged it into the Legacy Report: six lessons in six years. We'll also continue to deepen our efforts on our innovation platform, expand our co-working space, and rent out our building for likeminded organisations - for events, workshops, meetings, or pop-up retail space.

What final advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to disrupt the fashion game?

Join the journey - all are welcome! We need all hands on deck. It's not always easy. In impact-driven work, resilience and positive energy are crucial. So we need more folks who really drive with their energy and bring others along. There are many headwinds, but staying motivated is essential. Reflecting on our journey over the past years, it’s clear that collective commitment and perseverance are key to achieving lasting impact.