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Whether it's the tale of landing a big account with the help of badly performed french accents and tiny cakes, or landing a job because of taking lessons to dance - on stilts, we think you'll find the amusing misadventures of single mom and Eco-Fashion Designer René Geneva inspiring and motivating.  You will come to understand why the one person that can make the biggest difference in your career is you while at the same time helping communities in need and working in the fairest and greenest ways possible can be successfully fulfilling. 

Below are motivational presentations and educational seminars that are available to your students, employees, fashion groups, and green business alliances. And yes, all are true!

Ms. Geneva has presented and paneled since 2008 and been in business since 1997.  Highlights include:

~Keynote Speaker at Dallas Fashion Mart, Texas
~Fashion presentation and show on behalf of the US Embassy in Vienna, Austria
~Speaker on Fair Trade Manufacture at the WWD Magic Conference in Las Vegas, NV
~Presenter at the National Tribal Conference for Whole Foods Market executives 

Educational Seminars:

How to Green your Fashion Line
Inspiration, ideas, and healthy skepticism regarding the latest organic and eco-friendly textiles as well as other opportunities to green your small business in the realm of fashion.  With explanation of self-initiated programs such as Scraps for Schools, the Sun Power Project, and Fashionably Carbon Neutral, René will entertain different ways of being environmentally aware and active in fashion.

Socially Responsible Manufacturing for the Independent Fashion Design Entrepreneur

Small designers have it tough, and even tougher when it comes time to grow their business.  Learn how to move into apparel manufacturing with grace while maintaining socially responsible values.  René inserts fun into learning with regards to hiring local cut and sew facilities, finding factories abroad, or even starting your own network.  You will also learn the steps necessary to put the back end of your fashion line in order to work with factories both large and small.

Motivational Presentations

Getting on the Plane: Social Initiatives (and Misadventures) in Central America

Join René in a tale about dirt biking in the jungle -- only to break down with no one but monkeys, and a man with an automatic weapon in sight, escaping being sucked out into the sea after jumping off a cliff to swim to the other side -- only to discover there was a well-labeled path to go around, and a largely failed attempt to convince a cantankerous female monkey to unhand her partner.  In between misadventures, she kept wondering: "Why in the world did I get on that plane?"  

But miraculously, she managed to accomplish her original mission: To find a Central American community in need. Days later, the community was helping Rene create sustainable fashion, while Rene was learning -- from them -- how to laugh at yourself. And it was all because she got on that plane.

Successful Serendipity: How I Grew My Career By Accident

Sometimes, success happens my accident. 

René found a job in Switzerland as a fire dancer because she (accidentally) insulted a Hungarian on the street. Her big mouth and love for snowboarding helped earn her a grant to work with the US Embassy in Vienna. And on a crazy whim that she could make a dress literally light up, she landed a spot on WE Television's show "Wedding Masters" -- with Vera Wang.

Was it all simply a matter of being at the right place, and the right time?  Not quite. In this talk, you will hear how accidents can turn into dream career opportunities. As  
René has learned, it's all about keeping your eyes open -- even when you want to squeeze them shut out of embarrassment.

Learning to Exhale: Finding Grace in the Most Awkward (Professional) Moments

Maintaining a poker face in the most difficult of confrontational situations can be an asset, but learning how to feel calm to the core in these moments and reflecting this composure can make life more fun and success less difficult to achieve.

Live a moment in René's shoes as she: attempts to compose herself while trying to push a fish taco through Paris and Nicole (yes -- that Paris and Nicole), attempts to compose herself while the self-titled "Most Famous Man in Fashion" rips her a new you-know-what, attempts to compose herself as she learns that the brownie that she gave that movie producer at work could season an experienced boy band, and yet more awkward moments that teach us life's most valuable lessons and how to exhale for success.

 

On the Path to Success: Failure is an Option

Have you ever found yourself at the top of a roller coaster ride and taken a forever-moment thinking about how and why you are in this place, at this time only to understand you have no choice but to go forward no matter how scary, awful, or exciting it is?  

Listen as René shares stories of: how all 5'2" of her ran after a buff male purse snatcher in the dark streets of San Francisco, hopped on the back of an armed man in an attempt to quell a shooting spree, and ran into her neighbor's flaming apartment to put out a large fire when no one else would -- all with very unintended consequences that would lead her on the path of success.