Isaboko by Isabella Li Kostrzewa
Isaboko
(
Private sector
)
#SDGAction59396
Description
The objective of this initiative is to transform the fashion system by building a circular, inclusive, and community-centered approach to clothing design and production. Through upcycling waste textiles, designing for longevity and adjustability, and hosting educational workshops, we aim to make sustainable fashion accessible and aspirational — not just for conscious consumers, but for everyone. Our gender-free design philosophy directly challenges binary fashion norms, which often reinforce rigid gender roles and contribute to systems of inequality and gender-based violence. By designing beyond the binary, we create space for self-expression and bodily autonomy — essential components of gender justice. In parallel, we prioritize ethical employment of female artisans in New York City, supporting economic empowerment and skill-building in a historically undervalued labor force. Our work is rooted in material reuse, radical transparency, and the belief that fashion can be a tool for cultural memory, climate action, and collective imagination. By connecting people through shared practices of repair, creativity, and storytelling, we seek to empower individuals to see themselves as active participants in building a more just, sustainable future. This commitment aligns most directly with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
This initiative is carried out through an integrated approach that combines sustainable design, community collaboration, and public education. We start by sourcing post-consumer and waste textiles from local partners and surplus streams, which are then reimagined through upcycling, zero-waste patterning, and adjustable, gender-free silhouettes. Garments are developed in close partnership with NYC-based female artisans, who support ethical small-batch production. Each piece is designed with longevity and repairability in mind, centering the wearer’s evolving body and identity. Beyond clothing, we implement our mission through workshops, public talks, and educational collaborations — creating space for dialogue around fashion, sustainability, and social justice. These programs empower participants to engage hands-on with circular design practices and help shift cultural narratives around waste and worth. Through every step — from sourcing and making to sharing and teaching — we prioritize low-impact, values-driven methodologies that reflect our commitment to climate action, gender equity, and responsible production.
Capacity-building is central to our mission. We regularly lead workshops and educational programs that teach circular design principles, upcycling techniques, and zero-waste methodologies to students, emerging designers, and community members. These sessions are offered in partnership with institutions such as thirdspace, BK Rot, The nonbinarian Bookstore and other community-based organizations. We also support capacity-building through our collaborations with local female artisans, ensuring skill-sharing, fair compensation, and long-term relationship development. In terms of technology transfer, we are developing open-source patterns, guides, and digital resources that make our sustainable design processes more accessible to a wider audience — especially to those without formal design training. By sharing our systems publicly, we aim to foster a more equitable and decentralized approach to fashion innovation.
This initiative is artist-led and independently operated, with decisions grounded in values of sustainability, equity, and community accountability. All design, production, and educational initiatives are overseen by founder Izzy Li Kostrzewa, who works closely with a small network of skilled NYC-based female artisans and collaborators. Coordination takes place through regular communication and shared planning sessions with production partners, collaborators, and community members. As part of our commitment to transparency and continuous learning, we remain open to feedback from workshop participants, peers in the sustainable fashion space, and the communities we serve. Our governance prioritizes equity over hierarchy, seeking to build systems that center care, mutual respect, and long-term relationship-building.
We assess impact through a combination of material tracking, community feedback, and ongoing self-reflection. On the quantitative side, we track the weight and volume of textile waste diverted from landfill, the number of garments produced using upcycled materials, and participation rates in our workshops and educational programs. Qualitatively, we evaluate success through participant reflections, repeat engagement, and partnerships formed through our community events. We also track the longevity and adaptability of our garments — measuring impact not just at the point of sale, but through continued wear, care, and repair. Our critical assessments are rooted in values, not just metrics. We define success as a shift in mindset: when individuals begin to see waste as material, when wearers feel affirmed in their identities, and when fashion becomes a tool for connection rather than consumption. As we grow, we aim to implement more formal systems for evaluation, including anonymous surveys, digital tracking of shared open-source patterns, and deeper data collection on artisan engagement and income equity.
Bevisioneers Fellowship (Mercedes-Benz Foundation), Materials for the Arts, Remake
SDGS & Targets
Goal 5
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
5.1
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
5.1.1
Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex
5.2
5.2.1
Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
5.2.2
Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence
5.3
5.3.1
Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
5.3.2
Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4
Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.4.1
Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location
5.5
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
5.5.1
Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
5.5.2
Proportion of women in managerial positions
5.6
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
5.6.1
Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care
5.6.2
Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education
5.a
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
5.a.1
(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
5.a.2
Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control
5.b
5.b.1
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
5.c
Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
5.c.1
Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment
Goal 11
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
11.1
By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
11.1.1
Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing
11.2
11.2.1
Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
11.3
11.3.1
Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate
11.3.2
Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically
11.4
Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
11.4.1
Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)
11.5
By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations
11.5.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
11.5.2
Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global domestic product (GDP)
11.5.3
(a) Damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters
11.6
By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
11.6.1
Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities
11.6.2
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)
11.7
11.7.1
Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
11.7.2
Proportion of persons victim of non-sexual or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months
11.a
Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
11.a.1
Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space
11.b
By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels
11.b.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
11.b.2
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
11.c
Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials
Goal 12
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
12.1
Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
12.1.1
Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production
12.2
By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.2.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
12.2.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
12.3
By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.3.1
(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index
12.4
By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
12.4.1
12.4.2
(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment
12.5
By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.5.1
National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
12.6
Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.6.1
12.7
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
12.7.1
Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans
12.8
By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.8.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
12.a
Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
12.a.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
12.b
Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
12.b.1
Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability
12.c
Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities
12.c.1
Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP
Goal 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.1.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
13.1.2
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
13.1.3
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
13.2
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.2.1
Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
13.2.2
Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
13.3
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.3.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
13.a
Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.a.1
Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025
13.b
Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
13.b.1
Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
SDG 14 targets covered
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Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
Share
Timeline
Entity
Region
- North America
Geographical coverage
Other beneficiaries
• Wearers who seek gender-free, sustainable clothing that affirms their identity and adapts with their lives. • NYC-based female artisans who gain fair-wage employment, skills development, and creative collaboration through ethical garment production. • Students, youth, and community members who participate in workshops and learn hands-on circular fashion practices. • Emerging designers and creatives who access our open-source tools, resources, and frameworks for sustainable design. • The broader public, as we help shift mainstream narratives around waste, consumption, and gender expression in fashion. At a systems level, our work contributes to reduced textile waste, more equitable creative labor practices, and a fashion culture rooted in care, creativity, and climate justice.
More information
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