Naika Colas is the Associate Director of the MPS Fashion Management program and and Assistant Professor of Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design. A New York City–based Sustainable Design Strategist, she is also the founder of the eco-friendly fashion brand Jacques Louis, known for creating trend-forward pieces from natural fibers, deadstock fabrics, regenerative materials, and recycled textiles. With over 15 years of experience in fashion design, triple bottom line strategy, and branding, Naika specializes in environmental sustainability, social impact, community development, and inclusive design, bridging creativity with climate action. Prior to her work in academia she worked as a residential and corporate sustainability strategist at NYC’s Bureau of Recycling and Sustainability - with a total of 11 years in public service in NYC. Her work examines the relationship between nature and human experience, championing sustainability as a tool for empowerment in disadvantaged communities.

She has spoken on panels for the United Nations, Harvard University, the Global Fashion Agenda, Rhode Island School of Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology, MHI, Port-au-Prince StartUp Week, Haiti Tech Summit, Parsons School of Design and more. Her expertise has been featured by NPR, Business of Fashion, the CFDA Newsletter, and Harvard’s ReVista Magazine, where she authored an article on her social impact initiative Sewing for Refuge. Naika’s career spans entrepreneurship, education, and corporate leadership, including her tenure as Head of Sustainability and Marketing Lead at Ovation In-Store. She serves on the governance board of the New York Fashion Workforce Development Coalition, as well as Kay Tita, EducNation, and the NYC Fairtrade Coalition, working to strengthen ethical supply chains, preserve garment district jobs, and expand opportunities for marginalized communities in the US and Haiti.

Naika earned her master’s degree in Design Management from Pratt Institute and her bachelor’s in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her teachings focus on empathic modeling, environmentally conscious production, and inclusive design, and her fashion designs have been featured in Essence Magazine’s Global Fashion Edition. As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, she has received multiple grants for international design workshops in Tanzania and Haiti, continuing her mission to design strategies that create lasting value for both people and planet.

Founder Highlights

• Built a sustainable fashion brand - Jacques Louis, with a social enterprise model

• Former Head of Sustainability at a retail merchandising firm - Ovation In-Store

• Board member for 4 nonprofits (NYC & Haiti); global work in Haiti, DR, and Tanzania

• Featured by NPR, Harvard ReVista, and Business of Fashion

• Led circular recycling programs diverting 10,000+ pounds of acrylic & 2,400+ pounds of electronics annually

• Trained over 1,000 NYC Sanitation Workers - DSNY

• Trained corporate teams at Google, Target, Microsoft, Starbucks, and more