Custom Collaborative is a Black woman-led nonprofit dedicated to flipping the script for women with low-income and immigrant women by providing them with the resources to flourish in the sustainable fashion industry.
Through hands-on training, mentorship and fierce advocacy, Custom Collaborative recasts talented women into entrepreneurs and skilled professionals, putting them on a path to financial independence and industry impact.
Meet Ngozi Okaro: The Powerhouse Leading the Charge
Ngozi Okaro is a licensed attorney and alum of Morgan State University, the Fashion Institute of Technology and Georgetown Law. She founded Custom Collaborative to challenge the status quo. She saw a gap in the market—women struggling to find fair-paying work and fashion failing to cater to real bodies—and she stepped up to bridge that gap.
With a deep commitment to equity and sustainability, Okaro is all about making business spaces that put people and the planet first. She’s a connector, a strategist and a leader who works across industries to create real opportunities for women. Before founding the Custom Collaborative, Okaro led initiatives at powerhouses like the National Urban League, INSEAD and Yale University.
As the Executive Director, Okaro continues to push for fairness across the board—economically, environmentally and socially— and her impact is indisputable as her accolades will prove.
Over the course of the career, Okaro has been recognized as a Goldman Sachs Black Woman Impact Leader (2022) and honored by the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Office for Partnerships (2021) for her commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Crain’s named her a Notable Women Business Owner, and she’s been a 2022 AARP Purpose Prize Fellow. The accolades keep stacking—SOCAP and Kate Spade’s “World-Changing Women in Conscious Business” (2020), NYC Fair Trade Coalition’s “Changemaker of the Year” (2019), and New York Women’s Foundation’s “Spirit of Entrepreneurship” award, to name a few.
When did you start and why?
I started Custom Collaborative in October 2016 because I wanted to create opportunities for women who had been marginalized to earn money doing work that they liked.
How does your business feed the community?
My business supports the community because it unlocks potential that creates jobs, great clothes and supports the environment. All of our participants learn about sustainability and are then able to practice and share their education.
What have been your biggest challenges in business?
My biggest challenges have been in getting the fashion community to know that Black and brown women are creatives, and can add serious value to their companies. A real challenge has been opening up space for those who are not well-connected. Some have a stereotype that we can only sew clothes, not design and innovate. It sounds crazy, I know, but that is what I have discovered.
Where do you see your business in five years?
In five years I hope that Custom Collaborative is working in an additional city – not that New York isn’t great! But there are women across the country who want and need what we offer.
What has been your proudest moment in business?
My proudest moment has been getting our participants’ work seen in Vogue Business, Vogue Poland and Harper’s Bazaar. It is a joy to be part of elevating them so the world can see their expertise and buy their work!
