Isabella Kostrzewa

About Isabella Kostrzewa

Isabella Li Kostrzewa is a sustainable fashion designer, and founder of Isaboko and Upcycledko. They were a recipient of the CFDA Re:Generation Innovation award for design oriented towards U.N. sustainable development goals and the second American finalist for The Redress Design Awards, the largest sustainable fashion design competition. They have pioneered systems involving waste materials, zero waste patterns, and gender free design. Isaboko is a brand based entirely on damaged vintage Japanese textiles, that are deconstructed and turned into timeless and versatile garments. Kostrzewa’s highlights include having work in Teen Vogue, a collaboration with the NHL team The Islanders, showcasing work at the Paris Olympics, and having a week long pop up in Nolita. Currently they are participating in a design residency at Materials for the Arts, a NYC non-profit dedicated to redistributing waste stream materials to artists. They were chosen as a BeVisioneers climate fellow supported by Mercedes Benz. As a graduate of Parsons School of Design, they received academic and departmental honors, and were noted by i-D Magazine as a top 10 design graduates of the year. They are often recognized from their season of Project Runway Jr. where they were a finalist. As a Remake ambassador they lobbied for The Fashion Act at the NY state capitol in 2024. They have previously been an assistant at DECODE, The Series, Yeohlee, and a forthcoming book on plus size patterning. All of Kostrzewa’s work is in the pursuit of creating a better relationship between humans and our clothes, in the effort to transform the fashion industry\'s global impact and give us hope for the future. Visit Isaboko.com or @isaboko_ on instagram

Experience

1. Assistant

   DECODE ®

   Apr 2024 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Generating strategies and executing projects covering pattern development, writing, researching, and documentation. Working with Adobe illustrator, photoshop, to create graphics for social media. DECODE is a brand, design firm, and manufacturing company at the forefront of zero waste patterning and production

Education

• Parsons School of Design - The New School

  Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA

  2018 — 2023