Fashion nonprofit Custom Collaborative opened its doors on Halloween 2016. Nearly a decade later, the organization has grown into a 10,000-square-foot space in New York's Garment District. Founder and CEO Ngozi Okaro joins us to discuss their latest cohort, 15-week Training Institute, and digital design program—integrating technology and sustainability to prepare participants for long-term industry success.

Ngozi has also been active on advocacy at the local, state, and federal level—including manufacturing in New York's Garment District, fair labor, and environmental sustainability. She shares her outlook for fashion designers and industry professionals committed to these principles as the federal administration continues to promote policies that are anti-environment, anti-human rights, and pro-tariff.

Connect with Ngozi Okaro on LinkedIn. Follow Custom Collaborative on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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The U.S. fashion industry is under siege—from tariffs threatening apparel sourcing to changes in U.S. immigration policy. But there's a related crisis that needs attention: the lack of accountability and transparency to support brands and creators.

In this episode, Kenya Wiley sits down with Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke of New York's 9th Congressional District, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Co-Chair of the Congressional Creators Caucus, and senior member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congresswoman Clarke has been leading the fight on Capitol Hill on issues critical to the business of fashion—including sending a bipartisan, bicameral letter to DHS challenging the $100,000 H-1B visa fee increase. But as she explains, international trade and immigration are only part of the story.

We also discuss how AI in fashion is scaling to $17 billion in the next few years with no guardrails or regulation coming out of Washington, the Federal Trade Commission's inability to act with only two commissioners, why Congresswoman Clarke launched the Congressional Creators Caucus, and as we celebrate Black History Month, Rep. Clarke shares the CBC’s top legislative priority: voting rights.

Producer: Kenya Wiley

Associate Producer: Argin Hutchins IV

Connect with Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made immigration enforcement a top priority. But the Department also oversees several critical areas impacting the business of fashion: seizing and investigating counterfeit goods, collecting tariffs, processing visa petitions for fashion talent, and identifying and managing cyber risks.

In this episode, Kenya Wiley sits down with John Tobon, former Assistant Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of DHS, to talk through what the current focus on immigration enforcement means for IPR violations, visa processing, cyber risks, and other areas critical to fashion and retail. John Tobon brings his three decades of experience in federal law enforcement to the discussion—from serving as a special agent at the United States Customs Service, to learning via email (yes, email!) that his agency had been dissolved and he was now part of the newly created Department of Homeland Security.

John also breaks down how the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) can be helpful for large and small brands, what multinational companies should do when working with several agencies simultaneously, and what's necessary for Congress to hold DHS accountable right now—through the power of the purse and legislation.

Producer: Kenya Wiley

Associate Producer: Argin Hutchins IV

Connect with John Tobon on LinkedIn

Tobon Consulting

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