This book is largely a synthesis of my reading from across a wide range of subjects. It is my contribution towards the envisioning of a more equitable world in the clothing industry and a more compassionate business ethos.

I feel no need to argue the case for these things. I simply appeal to the common sense and decency I know is in each of us, wherever we are placed in the industry, or in the business world, to use our own individual capacity to enact change where we can.

For every paragraph of text there is a picture to draw the eye, for every new idea there is something beautiful or striking to counterpoint its arrival. When what I have to say might bring fear or trepidation, there is a sequence of colours or a composition of images that will arrest… drawing the reader in, and assisting them forward.

If my words are sharp, the tender embrace of a beautiful woman’s gaze might bring light relief. If my tone is steely, the lively embellishments constrained in cubes of delight, might draw the eye and restore.

When the raw truth of a suggestion that something is sorely amiss in our world strikes at the heart, I have provided something of beauty in the visual form, to stroke the jagged wound of the unwelcome.

The fundamental changes required to move beyond our current consumerist lifestyles will be all encompassing, as would the shift towards a trading culture that supports genuine, holistic win-win transactions.

A central theme involves the crucial role of infusing the feminine leadership skill set into our political and business realms, and the uploading of the feminine attributes and values into all our institutions of power.

My observations and experience of the dynamics of the inner life, are my area of expertise brought to bear on the larger narrative ‘how are we to live’. That’s not an abstract philosophical question, but a necessary and practical one that originates from the coalface of my own experiences.

Choosing a more nourishing narrative as we act to take charge of our own stories, and in the drive towards a truly flourishing connected life, will become a cultural, and existential imperative.

Driven by the need to create for its own sake, my creative life in the visual arts and crafts is inextricably linked to the acute need to express myself in the written form. So much so, that some of my best ideas come forth when I have needle and thread in hand, and as I cut, stitch and weave my imaginings into existence.

Before industrialisation and mass production, the making of things was not separated from the design of those things. Handcrafted items were made in limited numbers in a small studio. Each incarnation would be from the same broad design, though differing slightly, as a direct result of the creative moment it was made in.

As designers in the 3rd millennium it is imperative that we accept the mantle of responsibility to undo the mistakes of our design forebears. We need to embrace the paradigm change required to make our industry a restorative, sustainable one, and to be at our most creative and our most discerning in the choices we make. In essence our most innovative design work is before us.

In restorative manufacturing mode, beautiful garments will become those artifacts in which every aspect of the supply chain has been fully optimised for planetary and people health. As designer’s needs must, we unfurl our unique combinations of beauty, utility and creative expression in their differing proportions onto the marketplace, to meet the precise needs and personal expression of the wearers.

It is my hope that as you navigate through the progression of insights that have taken measure of my own journey, you too will experience the lightning strike of recognition - a call to action so to speak - galvanising both a personal and communal sea-change of activity, as together we all move forward into a more caring and connected world.