UNDESTRUCTABLE

Background Statement

Undestructable, a 501(c)(3) social enterprise founded in July 2020, exists to improve two social ills that at first glance seem unrelated, but have roots in the same problem—that people and the environment are disposable. Domestic violence and intimate partner violence is one of the consequences of treating people as disposable and Undestructable was founded to restore survivors’ belief in their inherent value and provide them with resources so they can become economically self-sufficient and leave their harm-doers for good. Undestructable’s job-training program also addresses the environmental damage that is a consequence of the accepted practices of the textile, construction, and consumer goods industries—the fashion industry is the world’s second largest industrial polluter. Through Undestructable’s job-training program, survivors earn above-minimum wage while becoming financially literate, entrepreneurs. Once funding is secured to relocate Undestructable into a larger, secure maker space, survivors will be employed and taught design and manufacturing skills to transform reclaimed items and post-consumer waste into beautiful, valuable goods—which is also intended to be a metaphor for the transformation that survivors will undergo as they harness their creativity to design and manufacture useful products, while they process their trauma and begin creating a life that excites them.

Undestructable’s founder is a survivor herself and a former senior apparel designer at adidas. Her lived experience of abuse and first-hand knowledge of the heartbreaking amount of waste produced by the fashion industry fueled her desire to use her skills to become a champion for her fellow survivors as they reclaim their self-worth though this innovative, empowerment-based job training program that simultaneously reduces post-consumer waste destined for landfills. The proceeds of all goods sold are used to pay for Undestructable’s operating expenses so it can become a financially self-sustaining social enterprise.