Faculty

Profile

Naika Colas is a New York City Sustainable Design Strategist and founder of the Eco-Friendly Fashion brand; Jacques Louis, which focuses on creating trendy pieces for consumers using natural fibers, dead-stock fabrics, rPET materials and recycled textiles. She seeks to change the way disadvantaged communities perceive environmental sustainability with the aim of adopting lifestyles of health and environmental sustainability. She specializes in environmental sustainability, social impact, community development and fashion design. Her work examines the relationship between nature and human experiences. She has more than 10 years of experience in fashion design, triple bottom line, and branding. Apart from fashion design and education, she works full-time at retail merchandising brand, Ovation In-Store as a Director of Sustainability and Marketing Lead.

Naika earned her master's degree in Design Management from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her teachings focus on empathic modeling, environmentally conscious production, and inclusive design. Naika is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, initiated in the fall of 2007. She is on the board of two non-profit organizations, Kay Tita and Impact Hub, located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She is a two-time grant recipient of Pratt Institute's Graduate Student Engagement Fund for design workshops facilitated in Tanzania and Haiti. Her fashion design work was featured in Essence Magazine's 2019 Global Fashion Edition.

Degrees Held

Master of Professional Studies, Design Management - Pratt Institute

Bachelor of Science, Biology/Chemistry, Marine Biology Minor - Fairleigh Dickinson University 

Professional Affiliation

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated

Margot Community Mentor

NYC Fair Traide Coalition - Board Member

New York Fashion Workdforce Development Coalition - Governance Board

Recent Publications

Bridging Opportunities: Empowering Women in Tanzania's Coffee Sector Through Creative Enterprise Leadership Skills

https://www.catalystreview.net/research-in-action-2/

Performances and Appearances

May 2023 NYC Fairtrade Coalition Sustainable Design and Merchanidising Forum @ Kent State University - Keynote Speaker

April 2023 Sumner High School St. Louis, Missouri - Guest Speaker

April 2023 NYC MWBE Workshop Facilitator - Custom Collaborative + NYC Garment District Alliance

March 2023 Sustainable Fashion + Business Strategy - Custom Collaborative

August 2022 TechStars Port-au-Prince Start-Up Week Sustainable Fashion + Design Strategy - Impact Hub Haiti

August 2021 TechStars Port-au-Prince Start-Up Week Sustainable Fashion + Design Strategy - Impact Hub Haiti

August 2020 My Street Labs Understanding Design Processes - Kay Tita Org.

August 2019 TechStars Port-au-Prince Start-Up Week Sustainable Fashion + Design Strategy - Impact Hub Haiti

August 2018 TechStars Port-au-Prince Start-Up Week Sustainable Fashion + Design Strategy - Impact Hub Haiti

December 2018 Guest Speaker/Mentee - I AM PROJECT Philly

September 2018 Guest Speaker Sustainable Fashion Design and Environmental Justice - NYC Public Library Morris Park

May 2018 Sustainable Fashion and Innovation: Tommy Hilfiger Social Innovation Challenge - Impact Hub Amsterdam

July 2017 Leading Creative Enterprise "Haitian Girls Pop" - Pratt Instistute Catalyst Magazine 

Research Interests

Gender Equality - Quality Education - Climate Action

Sustainability - People, Planet, Profit + Culture

Social Impact - Funding, Resource Allocation, Rural Income Generating Activities

Sustainable Fashion Design - Biomimicry Design - Systems Thinking - Regenerative Supply Chain Management - Social Justice

Awards And Honors

Pratt 2018' DM Sustainability Guru

2x Graduate Student Engagement Fund Awardee 2017 & 2018 - Pratt Institute

2019 IFundWomen • Caress Dreams Fund Grantee