ABOUT

Being in business is a challenge, especially when you're trying to do things the right way—with ethics, sustainability, and purpose. But it's worth it, and I’m here to help make the journey a little easier.

And if you’ve landed here, chances are you’re pretty fed up with the way business has been done in the past. Maybe you’ve started your own sustainable fashion, beauty or lifestyle brand because you want to prove there’s a better way.

You’re trying to build something meaningful. Something that reflects your values. Something that makes the world a better place.

But maybe you also feel overwhelmed, exhausted and slightly bamboozled by the business side of things. Maybe you’re wondering how the hell you’re supposed to make enough sales, grow your brand and keep going without selling out your values or losing yourself in the process.

You’re in the right place. Things are going to get a heck of a lot easier from here.

Because I’ve been in the trenches, a few times, and I know what it’s like.

I know what it’s like to desperately want to change the world, but feel completely helpless because the problems are so big. I know what it feels like to work 14-hour days and flop into bed at night so drained and so empty, but somehow still full of determination to wake up and keep pushing.

I know what it’s like to struggle. To be broke. To not be able to pay my own rent. To wonder whether caring this much about doing things differently is actually compatible with building a profitable business.

Damn, it is hard doing something good for the world. I feel you.

And we might not know each other yet, but I think we’re going to be friends, you and I.

So I want to share a little bit about my journey, because it’ll help you understand why I’m so passionate about helping you with yours.

I started my first circular fashion label when I was 18, and by 22, I was running my own fashion events and PR company for independent brands.

A few years later, I launched Australia’s first online store exclusively for Australian-made brands, and in 2014, I founded The Fashion Advocate.

It started as a blog, grew into a print magazine, then evolved into a much bigger movement for ethical and sustainable living.

The Fashion Advocate became one of Australia’s largest online stores for ethical and sustainable fashion. We hosted three of the country’s largest sustainable fashion runways, opened two beautiful ethical fashion stores in Melbourne and worked with some of the most innovative independent designers and makers in the industry.

When 2020 shook things up, we even launched Australia’s first biodegradable, plastic-free and elastic-free organic cotton face masks.

Since then, I’ve won 18 awards for the impact I’ve had through The Fashion Advocate.

But beyond the numbers and accolades, what I’m most proud of is how I’ve pushed the conversation forward.

It was never about just selling products.

It was about proving there was a better way to do business. A way that considered people and planet as well as profit. A way that challenged what we were being told to buy, how things were being made and what success was supposed to look like.

We were talking about sustainability long before most of the industry had worked out what the word meant.

And somewhere along the way, I learnt something incredibly important.

Having a good product and doing good things isn’t enough to make a business successful.

You still need people to want what you sell. You still need to understand why people buy. You still need to know how to communicate your value, build an audience, make sales and run a business that can actually keep doing all the good things you started it to do.

And I learnt a lot of those lessons the hard way.

I’ve been in debt and stressed out of my mind. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve followed advice that didn’t work for me. I’ve also built a sustainable business to $30k months and more than $500k in sales without relying on ads, without a business degree, without investment.

And every version of my business taught me something about what actually makes a purpose-driven brand thrive.

Then I became a mother, and my perspective shifted again.

I wasn’t just thinking about the business I wanted to build anymore. I was thinking about the kind of world I wanted my children to inherit.

And I knew it was time to evolve again. Because a snake that doesn’t shed its skin dies.

So I did. Today, my work has expanded beyond fashion.

I mentor the founders behind sustainable fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands who are trying to build businesses that make money and make a difference.

The people with the big ideas. The good products. The slightly delusional belief that business can be done better.

And I share what nearly two decades of building, failing, figuring it out, growing, selling, storytelling, experimenting and starting again has taught me.

The things that have actually worked for me and the sustainable brands I’ve helped along the way.

Because I don’t believe sustainable founders need to become better at being more, doing more, posting more.

I think they need to become bloody good at being more themselves in business. More human. More focused on understanding people, building trust, and telling stories. 

Because the better your business does, the more power we have to change the world.

And that’s what I’m here for.

Claire Goldsworthy.
Sustainable business mentor, founder and professional giver-of-a-sh*t.