Runa Ray: Stitching Together a Fashion Revolution

"I think we need an entire revolution in the fashion industry,"
says⁠ Runa Ray⁠, my first guest of 2025. And she is making it
happen—as a designer, activist, and visionary. Her journey spans
the⁠ Global Peace Flag Initiative⁠, endorsed by the United Nations
and hailed as the largest art movement for peace and climate
action, to presenting collections at Monte Carlo Fashion Week, the
Grammy Awards, and shaping policy at the World Bank. Through
pioneering innovations like algae-based textiles, zero-stitch
techniques, and plant-based dyes, Runa challenges both designers
and consumers to rethink their role in the system. She shares
profound insights: witnessing coral graveyards in the Maldives,
confronting the staggering waste of the fashion industry, and
advocating tirelessly for an integrated ocean system. Born in India
and refined by her work with Dior and Galliano in Paris, Runa has
turned couture into a powerful tool for change—blending
sustainability, peacebuilding, and innovation to redefine the very
purpose of fashion. Runa is stitching together peace,
sustainability, and transformation—one design at a time.