Using her beauty to dazzle in front of the camera is a small part of the deal; the really interesting stuff goes on behind the scenes where the sustainability strategising and amelio- rative product overhauls take place. When Oakes’ agent, Faith Kates, founder and CEO of the Next Modeling Agency, met her for the first time she was blown away. “I said ‘come back in 24 hours, I want to know every single thing about you’,” she marvels.
“Clearly she is incredibly intelligent, and incredibly beautiful, which is an incredible combination. And she is so far ahead of the curve on the sustainability factor.” Kates says that she is constantly turning down work offers from big names, mainly because either their existing or intended per- formance is ideologically incompatible. “They need her more than she needs them,” she explains. “Once Summer puts her stamp on it you know it is legit.”
Summer Rayne Oakes: understands the language of fashion and sustainability
environmental/natural processes from farm to factory (i.e. biomimetic processes, water/energy efficient processes); fair labour and fair trade (i.e. socially-compliant); and handmade and tra- ditional (preservation of crafts and culture). All suppliers must complete a detailed sustainabili- ty questionnaire before they can start showcas- ing. It is free to sign up to the site, which will generate revenue streams from various levels of memberships for designers and suppliers, a small commission on transactions, focused advertising, and data-mining for valuable trend insights. Other diversified monitisation oppor- tunities are also in the pipeline.
“The most successful businesses are of the ‘ah, why didn’t I think of that’ variety,” notes Ron Gonen, founder and CEO of ascendant recycling business Recylebank, and an early Source4Style angel investor.
“Summer has come up with a very simple, very powerful solution. She really understands and speaks the language of both fashion and sustainability and can connect the two in a meaningful manner.”
Oakes describes the business model as “boot- strapped”, and has set a funding target of $500,000 by the end of August, which is most likely to hail from a community of angel investors, although venture capitalist interest has been forthcoming. Either way, Source4Style has been designed for scale and impact. “When we launch it is going to be a game changer for the industry,” she says. “I can’t emphasise enough how much this needs to happen.” Oakes is no stranger to making things happen on her own terms. After graduating from Cornell University, she moved to New York to test the theory that fashion could provide a more direct route to communicate environmen- tal issues to the mainstream.
She immediately set about pioneering a unique “two for one” modelling and consultan- cy service, aligning herself exclusively with brands that shared, or would change to share, her environmental ideals. In the stolid world of fashion where teetotality or vegetarianism are celebrated as radical values, Oakes was, and still is, in a league entirely of her own.
Oakes’ most visible work in this field at the moment is for the Collective Brands company Payless ShoeSource, where she has helped con- ceive and market several lines of affordably priced green shoes under the brand Zoe & Zac, and sustainable bedding and bath product gurus Portico Home, for which she acts as a multi- tasking brand ambassador.
“Summer is brilliant, knowledgeable and a recognized expert in the sustainability arena,” says Payless ShoeSourc CEO, LuAnn Via . “She is the best at what she does, and with her contri- bution, we have made green shoes affordable.” While Oakes’ workload may seem daunting, she is clearly loving every minute of it. When relaxation does come, it is through activities like a stint as guest editor-at-large for UK-based beauty magazine Above, writing, and, in a nod to her etymological roots, maintaining insects. “I feel like I’m working to the fullest capabil- ity of my human being,” she explains. “I feel useful. I’m out there doing as much as I can.” So if Source4Style is Oakes’ latest and most ambitious project to date, it is unlikely to be her last. “I have so many ideas, and I acknowledge that I’m better at charting the course and steer- ing the ship for a little while, then handing over the wheel to somebody else eventually so that I can go out and innovate,” she says. “I want to continually evolve – once you’ve created something, you’ve created it. You have to tell a different story. It’s like ‘all right, I’ve raised the bar. What’s next?’”
Sustainable Business | August/September 2010 | 21
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