An award-winning sustainable entrepreneur combining vision, theory and practice, Bernice set her mission to problem-solve using design thinking and creative innovation; having identified the systemic issues of over-consumption early on. She gained her PhD in design management and systems engineering for The Fashion System, after architectural degrees at University of Cambridge and Royal College of Art, and a fashion career in New York and London.
Bernice founded pioneering sustainable fashion brand DEPLOY in 2006 as a strategic action plan to reform fashion. Its novel 3600 Sustainability business model of customised product-service-experience, zero-waste supply chain, on-demand production, creative upcycling, agile retail operation, bespoke after-sale service, and education-humanitarian partnerships increases benefit for people whilst reducing damage for the planet.
Named a ‘Great British Brand’ of the 21st Century and the proud winner of the Marie Claire Sustainability Award for ‘Ethical Fashion Brand of the Year’, DEPLOY certified as one of the world’s highest scoring B-Corps; actively contributes towards 12 of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its exceptional approach in piloting integrated sustainability & Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) for systemic change won international accolades and is widely featured in the media including BBC and Vogue.
Her speaking engagements span from global corporations to top-tier institutions; from Harvard Business Schools and Stanford School of Sustainability, to Royal College of Art and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), from The Institute of Directors and Women on Boards to American Chamber of Commerce and Asia Philanthropic Circle. She taught in Brunel and Kingston Universities, co-founded DEPLOY’s Global Changemakers Series, Brussels Sustainable Fashion Forum, and The WorkWell creative business group. She is a contributing author to several books including the recently published Accelerating Sustainability in Fashion, Clothing & Textiles (Routledge, 2023) which she co-edited.
