Sophia is an award-winning climate justice and fashion change-maker, having worked for a dozen environmental organizations ranging from federal government agencies, ENGOs, to industry, and academia. She’s the Founder of Threading Change, the world's leading for youth, by youth ethical fashion organization working at the intersections of climate, gender, and racial justice in alignment with the necessary transition to a circular economy. Threading Change specializes in facilitating creative events, convening unlikely allies, and initiating valuable industry and citizen connections to co-create a fashion industry that is equitable, youth-driven, and climate-resilient. Sophia is the recipient of numerous awards both local to Vancouver and globally.
She received the City of Vancouver’s Greenest City Leadership Award in 2022, Corporate Knights’ 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders in 2021, and Starfish Canada’s Top 25 Under 25 in 2017 and 2018. When not out busy changing the world, Sophia is an avid traveller, strongly values her time in nature, and can be found journaling.
More about me
I grew up in a family full of oil and gas engineers in Northern China until I was 8 years old when my mom and dad immigrated to Calgary, Alberta. My upbringing as a child of immigrants working in a field that’s very different than what they envisioned for me, has taught me to always look at issues through an equitable and diverse lens. In 2019, after attending COP25, I found my calling to really zone in on the intersections between fashion and climate. Thus, I founded Threading Change to represent the youth voice on the fashion world stage, and I have now found myself home at Canopy.
Why forests are important to me
Forests are what inspired me to become an environmentalist. In 2006 when my grandparents came to visit my parents and me in Canada, my dad took us to almost every single national park in Alberta. That summer, I absolutely fell in love with the stories, abundance, and life that forest ecosystems are able to provide. In 2013, I made the decision to study Natural Resources Conservation in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC, continuing my deep gratitude for forests through my studies.
Why Canopy
Right after university, I realized that I mainly did change-making through the lens of lobbying, boycotting, and hyper-focusing on the issue, rather than the solution. After I forayed into the world of entrepreneurship by launching Threading Change, I saw the immense power that being solutions-focused can bring. I love Canopy’s approach to change-making not only because of its impact but because of the collective action and momentum it builds.
Ask me about
Techno and house music, the best thrift and vintage stores in Vancouver, the difference between wood bison and plains bison, and my love-hate relationship with Burning Man.
What ruffles my feathers
Those who complain about an issue but don’t do anything to change it or make it better. What are you waiting for?!
My animal alter ego is a Chinese Pangolin. Being Chinese myself, growing up in Northern China, this is a great fit! But, Pangolins are also the only known mammals with large, protective scales, and I resonate with this–I’m a tough cookie, taking on many challenges and loving to find solutions for them. Pangolins are able to quickly roll themselves up into a tight ball when they feel threatened. When I face problems, I love to dig deep internally, and then discuss with others to figure it out. I enjoy my alone time, but love to travel around the world, meeting new people. Since there are eight pangolin species in Africa and Asia, like Pangolins, I also have friends and family all around the world. Lastly, pangolins are nocturnal, and have poor eye vision… they really are my animal alter ego!
