Growing up near Lake Simcoe gave Prima an understanding of its ecosystem – and an intuitive connection to the natural world that never quite let go. After earning a diploma and getting her start in Toronto’s fashion industry, she felt a persistent pull toward environmental impact work, inspiring her to bridge the worlds of fashion, policy, science, and sustainability.
This led her to the Sustainable Environmental Management program in York’s faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, where she completed a placement as a Communications Coordinator for Fashion Takes Action in her third year.  

“Sustainable fashion is still a small industry in Canada, and too often it’s overshadowed by greenwashing from major brands,” says Prima. “Most sustainability programs focus on food or energy, but clothing is something we interact with every day, and many people don’t know how to engage with it responsibly. That gap is what inspired me to step into this work.”

Fashion Takes Action (FTA) is a Canadian non-profit working to make the fashion industry more sustainable by teaching people about the environmental impact of clothing and working with companies to reduce waste and improve practices. The organization offers education programs, research, and tools that support both consumers and industry in making more sustainable choices. 

In her role, Prima supported research, communications, and educational projects that helped strengthen FTA’s mission to reduce the environmental and social impacts of clothing.  

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"My Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) placement with Fashion Takes Action significantly enhanced my personal, academic and career development by broadening my understanding of what the Sustainable Environmental Management program can lead to beyond the classroom."

Prima developed her technical and organizational skills as she worked to streamline workflows and enhance project timelines. She is recognized for her contribution to creative solutions, including proposing an interactive Google Map showcasing secondhand clothing stores across Canada, an initiative designed to increase public access to sustainable shopping options.  

A standout achievement during her role was transforming the organization’s “My Clothes My World” education program content into interactive, teacher-ready unit plans, with a goal of expanding the program’s educational impact. Her research contributions also supported a project focused on understanding the clothing cycle and recycling knowledge within underserved and Indigenous communities.

Prima emphasizes that her placement allowed her to connect her academic foundation from the Sustainable Environmental Management program with real-world applications. “I applied the research and critical thinking skills developed in my coursework, while strengthening an area I previously found challenging: learning to conduct focused, efficient research and shift more quickly into analysis and written output instead.”

She also notes that her role empowered her to connect her creative and industry background to key business event objectives. While helping plan FTA’s ReMode Montreal event, Prima used her personal fashion network in Toronto to connect Montreal-based creatives and recruit vendors. This experience brought together her academics, career development, and personal passion in new and exciting ways. 

By sharing her experiences, Prima is excited to make sustainable fashion a more visible career pathway for fellow students.