CTFC Team

  • Melissa Pierce

    Co-Founder & Executive Director, CTFC

    Founder, Soul Studio

    Melissa Pierce (She/Her): is proudly born & raised in Austin, Tx and a 5th Generation Texan. In 2016 she established her brand-Soul Studio creating a line of womenswear made from recycled flowers and natural dyes. Soul Studio has been sold in over 50 boutiques in the US & Canada including retailers like Anthropologie and Free People. In addition to growing her brand she’s spent a decade building community in the Austin area by producing fashion shows, SXSW events, pop-ups, and more. In 2021 she joined forces with Kasi Martin to co-found the Central Texas Fashion Coalition.

  • Kasi Martin

    Co-Founder & Director of Communications, CTFC

    Founder, Peahen Studio

    With a career spanning 10 years in fashion and sustainability, Kasi (She/Her) forged her way as a journalist and founder of The Peahen, an award-winning blog dedicated to sustainable fashion. The Coalition’s resident wordsmith, Kasi has also led communications at Fair Trade USA and directed marketing and copy campaigns for sustainable lifestyle brands.

    Today, she works as a freelance journalist and wardrobe stylist at Peahen Studio. Kasi joined forces with Melissa Pierce in 2021 to co-found the Central Texas Fashion Coalition.

  • Emily Rose Saunders

    Director of Finance, CTFC

    Stylist at Woad and Weld

    Emily Rose, originally from OKC, with deep family ties in Texas, has found her home in Austin as a Fashion Stylist and Finance Professional. As a lifelong fashionista, her path lead her to study fashion at Lasell University in Boston. For the last 12 years, she has gained a plethora of knowledge ranging from nonprofit, accounting, fundraising, environmental justice, data analysis, DEI, community organizing, social media and international fair trade operations.

    She joined the CTFC in June 2025, to bring her love of finance and business to support a mission that strengthens that very community.

  • Emma Rae Robinson

    Community & Media Intern, CTFC

    Emma-Rae Robinson (she/they) is a multi-media artist, and community advocate based in Austin, Tx.
    She has a history of successful collaborations with organizations such as Whole Foods Market and Keep Austin Beautiful, and a passion for creative direction.
    Emma-Rae has recently stepped into Austin’s fashion industry, hoping to grow, learn, and bring her support to the world of sustainable fashion professionals here in central Texas.

CTFC Board of Directors