Sinead Fyda, Founder and President of Jishike Social Couture, started her career in fashion with Neiman Marcus when she was chosen for their Executive Development Program in 2000.  After spending two years in their corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas, Sinead then moved to New York City where she accepted a position with Christian Dior and was later recruited by Ralph Lauren where she was promoted to Buyer for their U.S. boutiques, buying all categories of women’s accessories.  During her five years at Ralph Lauren she was responsible for the U.S. women’s accessories assortment and worked in conjunction with the design and merchandising teams to develop the global women’s accessories strategy for their retail division.  In that time she received numerous awards for spearheading the growth and direction of the women’s accessories retail business.

After working for nearly a decade as an executive in the luxury sector of the retail industry, in 2007, Sinead found herself at a crossroads; not feeling entirely fulfilled by her work, she left her promising career in search of a change.  It was that decision that led her to volunteer in a small village called Rau in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa.  It was there that Sinead realized, not only could she find the change she was looking for, but that she could also help to change the lives of the women and children she was surrounded by.  Inspired by the children of Rau, she founded Jishike Social Couture as a social accessories business that’s combined purpose is to provide an opportunity for the mothers of the children to learn new skills, earn an income, and ultimately, secure a better future for their families.

Since starting Jishike Social Couture, Sinead has sold their one-of-a-kind handcrafted accessories to customers all over the world, has made several personal appearances at trunk shows and events, has had articles written about her story, was featured on the morning television program Daytime Columbus, and most recently was honored to be chosen as one of 2011’s “20 Outstanding Women to Know” by Columbus’s Sunny 95 radio station.

Sinead now splits her time equally, living in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania working with the women, and in Powell, Ohio where she grew up.