Jamie Lim (designer)
Jamie Lim, born in Houston, Texas, is an award-winning ecological and ethical designer that uses sustainable materials to make fashion accessories.[1][2]
Background
At the age of two, Lim’s family moved to Kuala Lumpur and seven years later, the family moved to Hong Kong. Lim later returned to the US in order to complete her tertiary education.[3]
Career
In 2008, she started her company Kayu Design.[4] Kayu Design began with Jamie Lim’s sunglasses collection, which are made from sustainable bamboo.[5]
The company has a charitable focus and for every pair of sunglasses that she sells, Lim donates $20 to fund sight-restoring surgery in the developing world, through Unite for Sight.[6]
The launch of Lim’s eco-friendly sunglasses in 2008 received a lot of attention in the media. Lim named her first pair ‘Rawa’ after Pulua Rawa – a beach off of the coast of Mersing in Johor.[7]
Lim has just launched a line of clutches, made from shell and straw, handcrafted by women’s cooperatives in Asia. For each clutch that is purchased, Lim donates a backpack and school supplies to Cambodia.[8]
Awards, nominations, etc.
Lim was invited to exhibit her designs at the London Fashion Week in February 2010.[9] In August 2010, Lim was awarded $10,000 by The Earth Awards to help her to take the innovation to market. She is also among the six finalists to compete for the Grand Prize of The Earth Awards 2010 in London in September 2010.[10]