Passing the Thread
Our relay campaign loops back again, as our thread travels from Ontario, Canada to New York, USA. Our thread exchanges hands from Robin Shaw (@robinxshaw) to fellow @rolemodelsmgmt model, Dawn Gallagher (@dawngallagher). We welcome the excitement in highlighting her wisdom-colored thread woven with years of humanitarian excellence and timeless grace.
Native to Buffalo, New York, Dawn was discovered at the young age of sixteen by Elite Models at a local parade. Not long after her modeling career began, she was gracing the covers of Vogue, Harper”s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and more. The iconic 80’s & 90’s supermodel utilized her career to broaden her cultural horizons by taking advantage of the ability it brought her to travel. It was during this time that her ever-growing interest in beauty began.
Her appreciation blossomed with exposure to the differences in the varied definition of beauty within other cultures. Eventually, she started documenting her conversations about natural beauty ingredients with women from different countries in a journal. She sought answers to what makes them feel beautiful and their secrets to glowing skin and hair.
During the ’90s, Dawn also became a member of Conservation International. Through her active membership and her passion for the preservation of our global environment, especially the Amazon Rainforest, she founded her own beauty company, Borneo Basics. Ahead of the times, the progressive bath and body line created products from natural and sustainable resources from the rainforest. Portions from the proceeds of the line were also directly donated to Conservation International.
From her love of beauty, wellness, and natural resources, she eventually authored two New York Times best-selling books, Naturally Beautiful: Earth’s Secrets and Recipes for Skin, Body, and Spirit (Rizzoli, 2000) and Nature’s Beauty Secrets: Recipes for Beauty Treatments From The World’s Best Spas (Rizzoli, 2011). Her first book focused on a multicultural approach to beauty from the lessons she learned while traveling. The second shared her beauty and wellness expertise by giving readers the tools to have an at-home luxury spa experience at a fraction of the cost. Some spa recipes included were based on treatments from the Banyan Tree Spa (Maldives) and the Overwater Spa (Kamalame Cay, Bahamas).
Now, with over 25 years of fashion, beauty, and wellness expertise, Dawn continues to be a trailblazer in her industries. Her successful career has progressed into engaging with wider audiences as a television host and spokesperson. Even recently, in April 2020, she hosted an event for Climate Action and Indigenous Wisdom via The Action Network. Her discussion centered around divesting from big banks that support fossil fuels in favor of banks supporting clean energy and sustainability. She further advocates #breakupwithyourbank as the co-founder of Women Power Our Planet. A women-led for-women company that provides resources for climate-conscious investing, banking, and financial advising.
She found her voice in empowering women and men to feel their best at any age. Her website provides many outlets for mature women to inspirit their beauty routines, including a web-store promoting #beautyforgood. Dawn gives back, as proceeds from her store are directly donated to the non-profit organizations Eco-Soap Bank and Pachamama Alliance.
Close to the heart, Dawn is on the board of directors for the Eco-Soap Bank (@ecosoapbank). The non-profit employs women in developing countries to save, sanitize, and supply recycled soap from hotels to schools, hospitals, and village communities. Not only does this empower women in having a stable income, but it also significantly cuts down on landfill waste and aids with public health. Since its founding in 2014, Eco-Soap has recycled over 730 tons of soap and has provided soap and hygiene education to over 3 million people. Its founder, Samir Lakhani, even received the 2017 CNN Heroes Award.
The Pachamama Alliance (@pachamamaorg) has been working in harmony with indigenous organizations of the Amazon rainforest since 1997. It got its start from an open invitation from the Achuar people, where the non-profit fought in solidarity to defend indigenous rights and homelands. Their mission, in partnership with indigenous people, is to transform human systems and structures that separate us by engaging the masses in transformative discussions and experiences. Their dream for humanity is a world that benefits everyone with an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially-just human existence on this planet.
Dawn’s inspiring journey gives us hope in the power of individual impact in making this world a better place. Having accomplished so much already throughout her life, we cannot wait to see what she achieves next. Her resiliency, tough and tender, motivates us to put our best foot forward. As Dawn says, "We should take brilliant pride in the way we evolve, the lessons we learn, and the challenges we overcome in the dance of life. I think it is in fiercely dancing our dance, that we teach others how to fearlessly dance their dance." At Seven All Around, we commit ourselves to dance our dance, chassé after chassé, in bringing you stylishly sustainable shoes.
Join us next time as our Pass the Thread Relay campaign dances to the lovely eco-warrior goddess, Hannah Utah (@hannah_utah).
