Over ten years of experience blending behavioral sciences and retail management with soft goods product design and sustainability. A Master of Arts in Sustainable Design, driving sustainability initiatives within the apparel and accessories industry.
Hello! I’m Kelsey Barajas, a soft goods product designer and developer, brand manager, and sustainability manager at a leather goods manufacturer in Minneapolis, MN. I design personalized leather goods crafted from off-cut materials and push myself to design with intent.
Born and raised in northern Minnesota I’ve always been connected to nature and have had a strong desire to create. I have an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Spanish from the College of Saint Benedict, an Associates Degree in Apparel Design from Minneapolis Community and Technical College, and I am pursuing a Master of Arts in Sustainable Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (expected graduation, May 2023).
I have a great love for the outdoors and enjoy hiking, camping, and traveling with my husband. There’s something beautiful about learning about different places and cultures through sharing food and conversation. I can also be a homebody and find enjoyment in caring for my home, my two cats, and my plants and creating art in a variety of mediums.
Throughout my life I’ve been aware of waste, participating in neighborhood clean-ups and Adopt-a-Highway programs, but it wasn’t until I studied apparel design that I realized the mass amounts of waste created on an industrial scale. Since then, I’ve sought to educate myself on ways to reduce this waste on a personal level and also on a much larger scale. For example, in my current role I develop products from off-cut materials, have established a material donation program, while also striving to source more responsible materials, but this isn’t enough.
Brands and manufacturers should be responsible for the full useful life of the products they produce. With my education and experience I will advocate for system-wide solutions from specifying responsible materials to collaborating across industries to identify solutions together.
email: kelseylnbarajas@gmail.com
telephone: (218) 310-8159
