Mimi Prober

Cross-sector partnerships are imperative for implementing sustainable business practices in the fashion industry. In her capacity as a board member of the Hudson Valley Textile Project, Mimi works with a consortium of universities, farms, mills, and manufacturers, to progress New York’s Fashion Innovation Center. The FIC reifies the New York Textile Act, passed by Governor Hochul, in order to strengthen New York’s sustainable animal and plant fiber industries. This initiative is at the forefront of the national textile sustainability movement. It endeavors to centralize the fashion supply chain and connect local fiber farmers with the fashion industry, at once stimulating the local fiber economy and encouraging sustainable design and production methods. It serves as a launching pad for research on textile processing, prototyping, and material characterization, and as a cradle for companies focusing on innovative uses of natural fibers. Additionally, appointed by New York State’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets, Mimi serves as a representative member with the Natural Fiber Textile Development Workgroup. This organization encourages stakeholders to invest in New York State’s natural fiber textile industry, create jobs in the sector, promote education on the benefits of natural fibers, and increase opportunities to promote these goods within and beyond the state. The Natural Fiber Textile Development Workgroup’s first call to action was a collaborative report, which identifies recommendations and actionable strategies to expand New York’s natural fiber industry. This includes capacity building and infrastructure, grant support for fiber processing, expanded educational programs for current and aspiring farmers, designers, and manufacturers, educational resources for consumers, and expanded collaborations across the supply chain. These strategies can carry the local natural fiber industry with the support of the entire manufacturing ecosystem to new heights. Mimi’s work with the Natural Fiber Textile Development Workgroup models sustainable growth for others in the fashion, home, and lifestyle space. Although much of her focus lies on her local community in New York, Mimi partners with community-engaged organizations and artisans throughout the United States and across the globe. She collaborates on traditional handmade bobbin lace for her ready-to-wear collections from a multi-generational lacemaker’s guild in Kollam, India. Supplying a market for artisanal goods maintains generational craft as a viable source of income, especially for women. This is just one way in which Mimi’s work preserves traditional crafts, which risk obsolescence with the proliferation of machine automation. Mimi’s penchant for antique textiles shines through in her work, which often features reclaimed handwork. Each garment label (or provenance source card) traces the garment’s lifespan and story in detail. For example, she describes the origin