Published 16 December 2019 ● Last Updated on 15 June 2021
Our monthly feature called Readers’ Corner was started in October 2019. Here we ask eco warriors from Singapore to tell us their eco inspiring books that had an impact on the way they see things. The overwhelming response from our readers makes us hopeful that you will read some of these books to start off on your own sustainability journey – one book at a time.
This month we feature eco warrior Agatha Lee who is fondly known as Agy in Singapore. Agy wears many caps when it comes to founding eco conscious brands – she is the founder of Agy Textile Artist and co-founder of The Green Collective SG. As someone who is fiercely passionate about sustainability in the fashion industry, Agy was a part of the founding team of Connected Threads Asia – a platform created to enable a more sustainable world of fashion. This month, she shares with us her favourite eco book – Brave Girl by Michelle Markel. Based on a true story, this picture book tells the story of Clara Lemlich, an immigrant in the United States, who led one of the biggest strikes for rights of women in the garment industry in 1909.
Agatha Lee is the Founder of Agy Textile Artist and Co-Founder of The Green Collective SG and Connected Threads Asia.
In conversation with Agatha Lee:
SG| Tell us a bit about yourself and your work.
AL |I’m a textile artist who is passionate about the environment, and I also cofounded and run The Green Collective SG, a one-stop-shop housing eco-friendly products in Funan Mall that makes adopting a sustainability lifestyle easier for Singaporeans while empowering sustainable entrepreneurs creating measurable positive impact.
SG | Can you recommend a book – fiction or nonfiction – which centres around our planet or our environment – that you love, or are inspired by?
AL | Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel
SG | Your version of what the back cover should read to convince everyone to pick it up right away!
AL | It’s already very colourful collage and it attracts kids. Wouldn’t change a thing!
SG | When did you first read this book? Do share one or few lines from the book that strike a chord with you.
AL | I read it in 2015 to explain to my son what Fashion Revolution is all about. It is a simple read and the book is inspirational so what struck a chord with me is not a particular sentence but the messages behind the book, which are valid in environmental advocacy,
- Always value the people who work for you, and treat them well.
- Question authority when you have a valid reason.
- Never give up
SG | If you were the author of this book, is there anything that you would have done differently?
AL | Add a page or two for the parents who are reading the book with their kids and may be unfamiliar with the current situation of the fashion industry today.
SG | If you could change the title of the book, it would be called ____________________.
AL | I would probably be ‘Girls Striking for Good’. But, honestly, it already has a great title!
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