FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEPLOY x Custom Collaborative Partner for Climate Week NYC2025 with ‘Fit for Purpose: Shaping Sustainable & Social Change through Fashion’ impact capsule & event programme.
15 September 2025 | Acclaimed British sustainable brand DEPLOY—the world’s highest-scoring fashion B Corp (176.8), and Custom Collaborative—the beacon non-profit of New York’s Garment District are partnering on their F/W2025 event showcase & impact capsule entitled: ‘Fit For Purpose: Shaping Sustainable & Social Change through Fashion’.
Launching DEPLOY’s F/W2025 Collection at its Chelsea PopUp (9/25-10/5) with a design collaboration of vintage capsule occasion dresses repurposed by Custom Collaborative’s Fashion Training Institute Graduate designer-tailors. This groundbreaking partnership manifests the joint efforts of DEPLOY’s 360° Sustainable Compass & Custom Collaborative’s proven Social Impact in demonstrating the power of purposeful circular design, mindful resource conservation, and meaningful women’s empowerment; driving change from the ground up at individual, societal, and planetary levels.
Each vintage DEPLOY piece showcased will be one-of–a-kind, reimagined by Custom Collaborative’s female artisans; learning and applying DEPLOY’s innovative zero-waste design process & signature multifunctional features, and will be auctioned at the VIP Event on 30/9 featuring a fireside conversation with the two award-winning Founder-Entrepreneurs Dr. Bernice Pan (DEPLOY) & Ngozi Okaro (Custom Collaborative). Proceeds of the auction will go towards Custom Collaborative’s social mission in empowering marginalised women through economic entrepreneurship & workforce development in New York’s Garment District.
"Our partnership is a model for what fashion can look like when environmental sustainability and worker equity come together. By investing in zero-waste education and skills training, we’re pushing the industry toward a future where women are centered, resources are respected, and circularity drives lasting change." _Ngozi Okaro. Founder, Custom Collaborative.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
1. DEPLOY F/W2025 POPUP: Sustainable Fashion Collection & DEPLOY x Custom Collaborative Capsule will be showcased at its Chelsea NYC PopUp 9/25-10/5 (11am-7pm daily) @ Neighbor, 176 9th Ave. (Open to Public. DETAILS).
This award-winning circular collection features rich tones of Emerald & Holly Greens, Scarlet Reds & Purpleheart, each pairing beautifully with the all-time favourites of Twilight, Peacoat & Tanzanite Blues or lighter neutral tones of Aloe & Moonstone for seamless season-after-season styling. Smart casual as Fall/Winter orders, the collection features signature tailored jackets with a flatteringly easy fit & cool utilitarian flair to assemble with eco-denim cargo pants or midi-skirt. Contrast colour piping highlights DEPLOY’s craftsmanship & zero-waste in one marvellous stroke to embellish a radiating Detox Cotton maxi-skirt & Tencel shirt-dress. And smocking detailing for 100% silk Georgette & reversible Crêpe de Chine top (all hand-washable) finishes the ultimate sustainable style; turning principles into 360 sustainability practice with purpose & perfection.
2. ‘FIT FOR PURPOSE: Shaping Sustainable & Social Change through Fashion’ Capsule Exhibition & Thought Leadership Events Info
> THURS. 9/25 6-9PM | Climate Week NYC Event: ‘Fit for Purpose’ Capsule Exhibition Launch & Collection Private View | Neighbor, 176 9th Ave, Chelsea NYC | The DEPLOY x Custom Collaborative capsule will be exhibited alongside DEPLOY’s F/W2025 Collection for press preview. | PRESS TICKETS: Request Here
> TUES. 9/30, 6-9PM | DEPLOY x Custom Collaborative VIP Event presented by GEILS Team of Corcoran Group: Founders Fireside Chat & Salon Catwalk | Lazzoni Chelsea NYC 154 W18th St. 10011 NY | Hear from visionary Founders Dr. Bernice Pan (DEPLOY) x Ngozi Okaro (Custom Collaborative) + DEPLOY F/W25 Salon Catwalk, Capsule Auction & Private Shopping. Invitation Only | VIP PRESS TICKET: Request Here.
Press contacts:
For further information or to request an interview with either Founder, please contact
DEPLOY: Claudia Simms Abram | E: csimms@deployworkshop.com
Custom Collaborative: Danielle Healey | E: danielle@customcollaborative.org
The Geils Team: Maura Geils | E: MDG@corcoran.com
About DEPLOY: A strategic action plan to reform fashion—DEPLOY is a pioneering brand founded in 2006 as a blueprint for 360 Sustainability. Blending artistry with precision, rigour & unrivalled craftsmanship, we design to make a difference: Maximising benefits for people whilst minimising the depletion of our planet. Sustainable by design, DEPLOY is an award-winning ethical fashion brand hailed as ‘Best of British’. It is the world’s highest-scoring B Corp fashion-apparel brand (176.8); actively contributing to 12 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. | @DEPLOY_London | deployworkshop.com | Watch Brand Video
About Custom Collaborative: Custom Collaborative trains, mentors, and advocates for no/low-income and immigrant women to build the skills necessary to achieve economic success in the sustainable fashion industry and broader society. Winner of the $1M New York City Regeneration Grant for reviving skills of the trade in the historic Garment District, Custom Collaborative envisions a world in which all women possess the skills, confidence, and agency to design their futures and contribute to a sustainable world, regardless of race, age or economic background. | customcollaborative.org
About The Geils Team: Led by Maura and Rob Geils, The Geils Team are trusted real estate advisors with The Corcoran Group in Manhattan, Brooklyn and particularly the West Village where they live. Known for their expertise and deeply personalised approach, they view New York living as an intersection of culture, community, and enduring impact. Through their ongoing support of DEPLOY, they curate experiences in sustainability, craftsmanship, and social purpose, engaging individuals committed to shaping a lasting legacy for the communities of NYC and beyond. | The Geils Team