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Ritu Jadwani

PhD student, sustainable entrepreneurship research assistant, ethical designer, social entrepreneur, educator

Ritu Jadwani is a doctoral student and Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), specializing in merchandising and sustainable entrepreneurship.12 Her academic and professional work focuses on several key areas:

Academic Pursuits

Jadwani is pursuing a Ph.D. in merchandising at UNL's Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design in the College of Education and Human Sciences.1 Her research interests include:

  • Sustainable entrepreneurship
  • Ethical fashion design
  • Supporting underrepresented women in entrepreneurship
  • Working with refugee women to understand their challenges in entrepreneurship

Sustainable and Ethical Fashion

Jadwani is passionate about promoting sustainable and ethical fashion practices:

  • She showcased a sustainable ethical collection at Omaha Fashion Week in the emerging designer category.1
  • Her designs feature hand block printed natural dyed fabrics using the "Ajrakh" technique from Gujarat, Western India, and hand-woven double ikkat fabrics from Southern India.1
  • She creates contemporary looks that blend modern and traditional styles, incorporating Indian textiles and crafts.1

Social Entrepreneurship

Jadwani is the founder of Namaste NYC, an initiative that supports women in India:

  • The project works with physically disabled women and victims of domestic violence and abuse.1
  • It provides training in sewing and hand embroidery to help women become financially independent.1
  • Namaste NYC produces handcrafted ethical accessories like scarves, clothing, and handbags, paying fair wages to the artisans.1

Awards and Recognition

Jadwani has received several accolades for her work:

  • She earned the Promising Leader Award for a graduate student at UNL.3
  • Jadwani was honored with the Promising Graduate Student Leader Award at the Nebraska DEI Impact Awards.45

Through her research, design work, and social entrepreneurship, Ritu Jadwani aims to promote sustainable practices in the fashion industry while supporting underrepresented women and preserving traditional crafts and textiles.1

Highlights

May 23 · linkedin

Thank you, Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women for honoring me with the 2024 Chancellor's Outstanding Contribution to Women Award! This award is presented annually to individuals who, through their dedicated efforts, make the University of Nebraska-Lincoln a place where women can thrive and succeed. It not only recognizes the positive efforts for women on the campus but also how much the initiatives are inspiring others!

It was an honor to receive the award from Chancellor @Rodney D. Bennett, and share the stage with other inspiring women Professor @Dena M. Abbott and Furqan Mahdi.

This would not have been possible without the continued support of my advisor, Professor Jennifer Johnson Jorgensen, Professor Maria Rosario T. de Guzman, Professor Na Young Jung Professor Surin Kim, Pat Tetreault, and everyone else at the Nebraska College of Education & Human Sciences and beyond. I am truly grateful to my family and friends, who have been a part of this journey!

#grateful #womensupportingwomen #chancellorswomenaward #letsmaketheworldabetterplace #womenempowerment

May 7 · linkedin

As a part of Lincoln Earth Day, Assistant Professor Na Young Jung and I led a Nebraska Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design table event. We shared about fashion sustainability and how consumers can be more mindful in their practices by using fewer clothes, swapping clothes, and repairing clothes for a conscious mindful consumption pattern.

We had two posters – Environmental Impact in the Fashion Industry and How to be More Sustainable, and Repair, Don’t Replace – to generate consumer awareness on sustainable fashion.

Nebraska Recycling Council was able to directly re-home over 500 items of clothing, and donate 435lbs of leftover items to Goodwill! Thank you Haley Nolde for creating this initiative.

Thank you to everyone who came to the event and supported us!

Nebraska College of Education & Human Sciences University of Nebraska-Lincoln

#sustainability #recycling #education #consumer #tmfd #unl #cehs

Related Questions

What inspired Ritu Jadwani to start Namaste NYC?
How does Ritu Jadwani's research at UNL support refugee women entrepreneurs?
What are the key elements of Ritu Jadwani's sustainable ethical collection?
How does Ritu Jadwani incorporate traditional Indian crafts into her designs?
What challenges does Ritu Jadwani face in her sustainable entrepreneurship research?
Ritu Jadwani
Ritu Jadwani, photo 1
Ritu Jadwani, photo 2
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Location

United States