Berlin Geekette of the Month: Simone Simonato

April 28, 2014 Jess Erickson

Meet Simone Simonato, Fashion Designer and Founder of SICA.

If you want to support Simone and SICA, check out her crowdfunding campaign here!

What's your background?

Fashion. I started sewing when I was 14 and have been doing that since than. In 2006 I started with SICA. I have a diploma in fashion and a BA in graphic design and just finished the MA program Sustainability in Fashion at ESMOD-Berlin.

What inspired you dive into sustainable fashion?

My work experience with SICA, full time from production through sales. I developed ways to minimize waste and pick better, long-lasting materials. I also choose to hire the right people, and pay them good salaries... but to develop consumer awareness was still a big challenge. I realized I needed time to research how I could do better in fashion. I decided to quit SICA and explore how the industry works. The brand already had a sustainable concept to exist and I needed to know more about it.

Have there been challenges you needed to overcome? If yes, what did you do?

Being a foreign women establishing a project alone in Bangladesh, where most of the decisions are made by men. But I believe in myself and what I do. I listen and observe ten times more than I speak.

Please walk me through your day, what's a typical working day for you?

Normally, it's getting out of bed and turning my bedroom into my workspace. Most times, I stay on the computer and work on marketing, production or do research. Sometimes, I have my sewing machine and textiles out and work on designs, which is what I really love to do. I especially love when I get to travel to join ongoing and new projects.

Can you see yourself in ten years doing the same thing you do now?

Yes I can. I love diversity and would love to take part in different projects. Being able to provide jobs through design is what drives me.

What is the best advice you ever received?

To not give up! I get inspired by people that feel connected to what I do and support it somehow. That keeps me going.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in the last year?

It does not matter where you are; people are quite the same. Everybody is afraid and does not always know what to do/where to go. Gotta keep going.

And what are your plans for the future?

Cooperation and research. I want to keep learning and share with others what I have learned. My goal with SICA is to get involved in different upcycling projects.

If you could do one thing differently, what would it be?

I don't believe in changing my past. I believe every step (bad or good) is important. Things only happen when we are prepared for them to happen.

Any advice for Berliner women?

Of course joining the Berlin Geekettes! I will take this moment to thank the Geekettes community. Being part of such a talented and powerful group only made me stronger and believe that success is possible to everyone. Every now and then, I realize how many barriers I had set up in my life. Being surrounded by these beautiful women blows up my mind!

Spotlight: Tamara Atanasoska

March 11, 2014 Jess Erickson

Guest piece writte by Tamara Atanasoska

I love how technology empowers everything we do nowadays. Don’t you?

After graduating from MIT University in Skopje, Macedonia (Computer Science with majors in: software engineering, software architecture, web development), I’ve been able to work on different projects, contribute in different organizations, companies and startups.

Now I am pursuing career in web development, aspiring to IT project manage - a position that allows me to dive into tech and communicate what clients want and need.

The beginning…

My interest in an IT profession started back in the day, when I was young and curios how technology actually works. I was driving my parents crazy by sending my personal computer countless times to the PC service :) I was fascinated by the endless opportunities that the technology offers for solving problems and also the fast growth of the technology field. My passion for science and the application of science in real life is what drove me towards pursuing this profession. I love challenges!

About value...

When it comes to the value that I can provide, I pride myself on the ability to enable effective and efficient communication with the client, where we can learn more about how the client interprets their problems and needs….so we can translate that into a personalized technological solution.

My field of technical excellence are web based projects. In the past few years I’ve been working on planning, developing and maintenance of web projects - using Python/Django and JavaScript.

Striving for personal growth and continuous improvement, I am currently upgrading my Python and Django skills by working on different web based projects. Recently I spend more and more time learning HTML5, CSS3 and of course JavaScript.

Apart from the “professional avatar”, I nurture a great interest and active participation in building communities around solutions for social and youth problems.

Few years ago, through the local hacklab and Google Summer of Code program, I’ve had the opportunity become part of the worldwide community for Free Software. Witnessing how big influence a community can have and participating actively in it, I’ve learned the principles and values around which a community can grow and develop. I’ve started initiating different local internet communities, humanitarian causes, “women in technology” groups and even engaged in the creation of an independent social and cultural center, as well as giving back to the community by providing lectures, trainings and sharing knowledge.

Being able to organize and work with people gives me the insight on how they perceive and interact with the technology. Since the “social” part is inevitable when it comes to developing a technological solution, I find this very helpful and it constantly helps me to improve my problem solving skills.

Why Berlin?

The culmination of all of this was the opportunity to visit Berlin and participate in the OpenTechSchool and PyLadies initiatives. Living in Berlin for three months, I’ve been able to meet a lot of young people, full with energy, enthusiasm and bravery to beat the odds and create something new.

I see Berlin as one of the centers for innovation in technology and a city that has the leading role in the shaping of a healthy startup culture. A place where I can create, contribute and feel like I'm a part of one big, tech-inspired family.

-If you want Tamara on your team, learn more about her here or on LinkedIn.

A story of talent, passion and (female) inspired minds.

December 16, 2013 Jess Erickson

As proud co-founder of frestyl, I was pretty excited when the BG asked me to spend some (more) time with the techies of my team and investigate how this super power duo decided to work together. Breaking news, we’re now a 7-all women team. This is rare, we know, but as a woman you don’t realise how unique it is - except when people start staring at you with their eyes wide. So, please approach this article as it is: a story of talent, passion and (female) inspired minds.

6 Reasons Mentoring Was the Best Thing I Did This Year

November 14, 2013 Jess Erickson

You’re reading this blog post, so I obviously did sign up in the end, and was matched to my wonderful mentee in the area of Product Management, Emmi. Our first Skype chat already boded well - we clicked and her expectations of what she wanted to get out of the program seemed like something I could help with. We ended up meeting every other week, very consistently for the first few months and I can tell you that this mentoring has been more valuable and rewarding to me than I expected in my wildest dream. I knew it’d be awesome but I had no idea it would give me so much insight into myself, a much clearer view of where I want to be in my life, and be so, so much fun at the same time.