- Name: Rachel Faller
- Age: 31
- Current location: San Francisco, California
- Education: BFA, The Maryland Institute College of Art; Fulbright Research, Fair Trade Fashion & Textiles
- Current position: Founder, tonlé
- Organization description: Tonlé is a zero-waste fashion brand, that takes rejected fabrics from traditional clothing manufacturing and diverts it from landfill by turning every last piece of it into new goods from dresses and sweaters to paper.
- Countries I've worked in: United States, Cambodia
- Sector / subsectors: Business, Social Enterprise, Fashion
- Areas of expertise: social enterprise, fashion, textiles.
- Country: Cambodia
- Region: Asia
- Sector: Business, Fashion
- Degree subject: Arts, Business & commerce, Fine Arts
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Tell us about your work and what it entails.Find out how Rachel was able to combine her love of textiles with her social justice values.
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You mentioned that tonlé is a “zero-waste” fashion company. Can you tell us more about that?From sweaters to paper, Rachel talks to us about using every single scrap, down the last fibre.
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So you got a Fulbright Fellowship to study fair trade textiles in Cambodia. How did that turn into owning your own business?
Find out how a one-year project turned into six years and a fashion business.
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Can you tell us more about the process of applying for and receiving a Fulbright Fellowship?Rachel gives her tips on applying for a Fulbright grant.
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This may be a hard question to answer, but what is an average week like running tonlé?
Rachel wears multiple hats, and splits her time between Cambodia and San Francisco.
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What are some of the biggest challenges when it comes to running a business in another country, or cross-culturally?
Rachel talks about the challenges of finding the right people, and interviewing through language barriers.
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What about when you’re hiring expats to work in Cambodia? What are you looking for?Find out what will make Rachel hesitant to hire someone.
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You mentioned the challenge of knowing what you don’t know. Can you expand on that, and your experience in Cambodia?Rachel talks to us about learning to deal with the reality of the state of women’s rights in Cambodia.
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Are there certain traits or abilities that will help someone who’s interested in being an international entrepreneur?Rachel tells us what she should have done earlier on, and gives us her best advice.
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Any last advice for aspiring social entrepreneurs?Learn first, do second.
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You mentioned finding related organizations. Do you have advice as far as how to approach those people or make those connections?Rachel tells us the two things people can do that will make people like her far more likely to email you back.
