Responsible Leadership
Q & A Series /
Q & A Series /
The Responsible Leadership Series is a human, vulnerable, and transformative platform that celebrates the visionary founders, CEOs and change makers who are reshaping business as a force for good.
[ Responsible leadership is the world's most scalable form of activism.]
It’s a space to share what truly defines the Responsible Leaders of today, what they’re willing to stand for, risk, or sacrifice to build something that lasts. By opening up about the moments that tested their values, they'll not only reflect on their own journey but inspire others to lead with courage, clarity, and conviction.
This series is both a mirror and momentum, a reflection of the choices that shape the Responsible Leaders of today and a reminder of why they matter.
Fashion Stylist / Editor / Published Author /
Co-Founder of a Second Hand September
Bay Garnett
Introducing Bay Garnett - one of the most influential, and least self-promotional figures in modern fashion.
Long before sustainability became a buzzword, she was already styling from thrift stores and charity shops, proving that clothes carry stories, not status, including styling the first Vogue editorial using entirely secondhand clothing in 2003.
“The pioneer of secondhand
fashion.” Vogue Magazine
Spotlighting voices who are
leading with integrity.
Find out more
What moment, personal or professional, shifted your perspective from profit to purpose, or made you realise you couldn’t lead any other way?
I don’t think it was a single moment. I’ve never really believed in those neat epiphanies.
For me, it happened organically, through doing. I was working on a project with Oxfam around clothing donation and reuse, and it was only once I was involved that I realised how important it felt. Not in a moralistic way, but in a very personal one.
Doing something that serves a bigger purpose than just yourself is incredibly freeing. It’s a relief, actually, to step out of the constant focus on me, how I look, what I’m doing, what I’m achieving. When your work connects to something larger, it feels grounding. And once you experience that, it becomes hard to ignore.
[Q:] What moment, personal or professional, shifted your perspective from profit to purpose, or made you realise you couldn’t lead any other way?
[A:] I don’t think it was a single moment. I’ve never really believed in those neat epiphanies.
For me, it happened organically, through doing. I was working on a project with Oxfam around clothing donation and reuse, and it was only once I was involved that I realised how important it felt. Not in a moralistic way, but in a very personal one.
Doing something that serves a bigger purpose than just yourself is incredibly freeing. It’s a relief, actually, to step out of the constant focus on me, how I look, what I’m doing, what I’m achieving. When your work connects to something larger, it feels grounding. And once you experience that, it becomes hard to ignore.
