A Bermudian was selected for prestigious list “Forbes 30 Under 30”, a coveted title of ambitious millennials, for her part in “disrupting” the way we shop.

Chosen by a panel of judges that included fashion giant Tommy Hilfiger, Natasha Tucker was invited to the summit after making the inaugural Retail and E-Commerce category Under 30 list this year.

In April 2014, Ms Tucker launched Rêve En Vert, an e-commerce site that sells sustainably, ethically made high-fashion and lifestyle labels. This past year, she and cofounder Cora Hilts, started producing their own luxury basics in organic, Pima cotton under the label REV.

Committed to driving awareness of how consumers think about the fashion industry, Rêve En Vert eschews the production methods of massive, multinational retail clothing companies, exclusively featuring designers who operate their businesses with respect for the consumer, the worker and the planet.

Ms Tucker said: “To us, sustainable luxury is quality fashion made from a place of consciousness. We don’t sacrifice style for ethics.”

Clare O’Connor, staff writer at Forbes said: “Forbes has been seeking and celebrating millennial game-changers for five years now, with 600 Under 30 entrepreneurs in 20 fields from music to manufacturing to venture capital represented on our 2015 list.

For two years, we’ve convened more than 1,500 young people, including many of these list members, in Philadelphia at Forbes’ Under 30 summit for three days of keynotes, panels, networking, and fun events including food and music festivals.”

This year’s headliner was Elizabeth Holmes, who at 31 is the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire. Her groundbreaking biotech company Theranos, has revolutionised how we test blood, earning her a net worth of $4.5 billion.

Ms Tucker described her as “an extraordinary woman” and said: “It was amazing to hear her speak.

“These are companies that are doing things that are somewhat disruptive. We definitely didn’t expect it or see it coming, but it was an amazing thing obviously to have been considered for and then obviously elected for.”

She described the summit’s set-up as “dynamic”, adding: “They have a lot of panel discussions and talks that were much more pertinent, I think, to people that were recipients of awards.

“We went to one that was called ‘how to be a boss when you haven’t had a boss’ and another was ‘how to start up without breaking down’, which was an amazing talk by a doctor who was from the Mayo clinic who helped people to manage stress and avoid burnout.

“It’s geared, I would say, to people on two levels. One is very aspirational, seeing people who have made it in different industries and hearing very high level conversations on stage. And then, on another level, it’s this very pragmatic, fun, takeaway information for young people who have started businesses to hear, from the horse’s mouth, other very successful entrepreneurs but on a more day to day, organisational or functional level, as far as business is concerned.

“It was just really inspiring to have that honest and transparent element to the conference as well as the higher level panel discussions.

“In terms of what it means from a start-up perspective, it is huge validation and the seal of approval as far as what you’re doing is concerned and the traction that you get from that.

“And preparing us to go into our first fundraise because what did become quite apparent is that there were lots of people there who’d done amazing things with already established companies or at least with a lot of funding behind them. We didn’t have any of that so for us it’s been integral really in terms of being able to go into pitch meetings now looking for that first seed raised of capital.

To be able to say, we haven’t been around for long, but this is what we have managed to achieve so far. So, I’d say it’s this sort of stamp you get as far as the company is concerned, which is so helpful for start-ups.”

Ms O’Connor said: “I was pleased when I saw a fellow Bermudian’s name cross my desk during the nomination period. Ultimately, our judges for the retail category ­— fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger, billionaire Spanx inventor Sara Blakely and Neil Blumenthal of billion-dollar eyewear start-up Warby Parker — selected Tucker and Hilts to make the 30 Under 30 list, whittled down from an impressive longlist of young movers and shakers reinventing the way we shop.”

“I think Rêve en Vert’s proposition really resonates with today’s consumers, many of whom would rather invest in clothing with transparent, ethical sourcing than buy throwaway fast-fashion pieces from a murky supply chain often built on the backs of under-compensated workers making apparel that isn’t produced in an environmentally sound way.

“I’m seeing more focus from young entrepreneurs on showing shoppers where exactly their clothing is made. Also on this year’s retail Under 30 list was Michael Preysman, founder of Everlane, which sells simple, well-made clothes and accessories online with what they call “radical transparency” — you know exactly which factory in which city your tank top came from, with information on how its workers are treated.

“I think that while H&M, Zara and the like have the resources and scale to keep growing, there’ll always be room in the market for sustainable companies like Rêve en Vert and Everlane, especially with millennials’ buying power on the rise. What Reve en Vert shows is that ‘eco’ can be chic.”

Ms O’Connor outlined her as “one of several impressive young Bermudian women I’ve been watching from afar as they build businesses from scratch”. She also recognised the success of TABS’ Rebecca Hanson and Anna Mackenzie of Cuckoo cereal.

http://www.forbes.com/30under30/#/

www.revenvert.com