Monsoon Accessorize Trust partners celebrating community impact with women and children

About

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Our Story

The story of our charity begins with Peter Simon, who travelled through India and Afghanistan and was captivated by the breathtaking landscapes, vivid textiles, and vibrant culture. Yet, amidst this beauty, he could not ignore the widespread poverty that persisted. Moved by this stark contrast, he was inspired to make a difference, particularly in the communities where Monsoon products originated.

Founded in 1994, the Monsoon Accessorize Trust is dedicated to supporting and empowering disadvantaged communities. We believe that lasting change arises from collaborative efforts rooted in local expertise and genuine community engagement. Our work spans a wide range of initiatives - from providing quality education and healthcare to supporting employment-generation projects.

Our Purpose

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Employability

Backing initiatives that boost skills, employment, and long-term community income.

Education

Funding education and training initiatives to empower disadvantaged communities.

Healthcare

Backing programs that enhance healthcare access and outcomes for vulnerable groups.

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Our Approach

Over the past 30 years, we have been dedicated to artisan communities by preserving traditional handicrafts and empowering local communities with support in vital areas such as education, healthcare, and building sustainable income.

Our work is centred around three core pillars: supporting women & children, sustainable incomes, and healthcare. These pillars enable us to create meaningful, lasting impact - helping to build better and brighter futures.

As our reach has expanded, we support vulnerable groups across India, Afghanistan, and close to our HQ in West London.

We are immensely proud of the positive change we have achieved over the past three decades, and we look forward to continuing this journey of impact for many years to come.

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Our Partners

Our Team

Founder

Peter Simon

After a market stall on the Portobello Road, Peter created Monsoon with the first store in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge, London in 1973, selling handblocked, hand embroidered ethnic clothes, using vegetable dyes on hand loomed cottons and silks, produced in villages around Jaipur, Rajasthan. A later trip along the silk road via Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan to India introduced more hand-crafted clothes and accessories, Monsoon and Accessorize have grown into two global fashion brands with a presence in more than twenty-five countries. The company won the Queens Award for Export.

In 1994 Peter founded the Monsoon Accessorize Trust, a UK registered charity to fund education, healthcare, and income generation projects primarily for under privileged women and children, initially to support communities who directly contributed to the business.

Peter is also a founding benefactor of Tate Modern and a Global Patron Member of Art Basel.

Trustee

Mark Holloway

Mark Holloway is an experienced Non-Executive Director with c. 40 years business experience. Mark held senior management positions for twenty years with two global FTSE100 blue-chip companies. Mark started his career with Unilever Plc in 1986 and had various financial and commercial roles, including with Unilever's international market development company.

He moved to Allied Domecq Plc in 1998 as Commercial Finance Director. He was heavily involved in numerous M&A projects as well as being responsible for the company's dual listing on the NYSE. He oversaw the £7.4 billion sale process to Pernod Ricard in 2005. Mark left to start up his own boutique corporate advisory consultancy in 2006 and has worked with Peter Simon (Founder of Monsoon Accessorize) since 2007.

Mark has held various Non-Executive Director positions with Monsoon Accessorize, Collagerie, Loaf, Willis Owen, and other businesses over a twenty-year period. Mark has also served as a Member of the Board of Trustees at Monsoon Accessorize Trust since 2017, which is a role he happily continues to do following his decision to wind down other business interests. Mark holds a degree in Management Science from Swansea University, graduating in 1986 and is a qualified management accountant with CIMA.

Trustee

Dawn Pine

Dawn currently serves as the Group Supply Chain Director at Adena Services (Monsoon Accessorize Brands), overseeing the end-to-end movement of inventory - from origin suppliers through logistics and planning to distribution across stores, e-commerce, and marketplace channels for both the UK and Internationally.

With a career spanning over 40 years, she now also oversees Customer Service, ethical and sustainability teams. She also drives circularity initiatives that align with the company's charitable efforts.

Dawn has been a trustee of The Monsoon Accessorize Trust for over 10 years, playing a key role in shaping the company's charitable initiatives. She is a key influencer on its philanthropic work, which is dedicated to empowering women and children through education, healthcare, income-generation, and emergency relief across Asia and the UK. Her long-standing involvement reflects her deep commitment to ethical leadership and social impact. She has held this trustee position since 2015.

Charity Manager

Sophie Preisig

Sophie Preisig is a sustainability professional with over 15 years' experience shaping sustainable business practices for multinational companies. She has a strong record in developing impactful sustainability strategies, with expertise in sustainable fashion, circular economy, leadership and change management.

Since 2019, Sophie has led sustainability, ethical and charity initiatives at Monsoon Accessorize, embedding a group-wide strategy across product, social impact, environmental performance and governance - earning recognition as a top mover in the Fashion Transparency Index. She also oversees the Monsoon Trust, ensuring meaningful charitable impact.

Previously, at Sedex, she spent nine years expanding the Stakeholder Forum from 20 to over 180 members - including HSBC, LVMH, Walmart and M&S - while shaping widely adopted social and environmental frameworks. A graduate of the University of St Gallen, Sophie is passionate about guiding corporates on authentic sustainability journeys that advance transparency, circularity and collaboration.