Kelly Drennan, Founding Executive Director, Fashion Takes Action
Kelly Drennan is a systems thinker, thought leader and disruptor who founded Fashion Takes Action (FTA), out of her desire to create a better, more sustainable future for her then, two young daughters. FTA’s role is to remove the barriers to sustainability that exist for the entire fashion system – for those who make, sell, buy, wear, care, repair, reuse, collect, rent, resell and recycle clothes.
As such, Kelly is passionate about collaboration and bringing together multiple perspectives in an effort to bring about systems-level change. Since 2016 she has convened several multi-stakeholder groups through various circularity projects that aim to increase textile waste diversion and explore opportunities for reduction, reuse and recycling. In addition she has published Canada’s Textile Recycling Feasibility Study and led a recycling pilot project that resulted in a laundry hamper made from post-consumer polyester clothing.
In 2014, Kelly created the annual World Ethical Apparel Roundtable (WEAR) Conference, hosting hundreds of industry experts in Toronto in an effort to motivate and inspire brands across North America. Kelly is a sought-after speaker herself, having given hundreds of presentations to industry, academics and citizens, including a TED talk as part of the Global TEDx Countdown on climate action, and twice a speaker at Elevate.
In 2017, Kelly was the recipient of the prestigious Clean 50 award given to Canada’s climate leaders, where she was recognized for Education & Thought Leadership, and was the first recipient of the award for the fashion industry. In 2022 Kelly won the Sustainability Award given out by the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA). She resides in Toronto with her husband and two daughters.