MARCI ZAROFF BIO
Marci Zaroff has a degree from the Haas Business School of the University of California,
Berkeley. A vegetarian since childhood, in 1990, Marci co-founded a thriving health &
environmental educational center called "Gulliver's Living & Learning Center", with an AVEDA
spa, national magazine ("Macrocosm") and organic cafe ("Lilliput"), known today as the world's
largest nutrition school: “The Institute for Integrative Nutrition” (www.integrativenutrition.com).
After a decade in the natural/organic food and beauty worlds, Zaroff recognized the “missing
link” in the wellness equation, and in 1996, seized the opportunity to launch leading lifestyle
brand Under the Canopy, to coin and trademark the term “ECOfashion®”
(www.ecofashion.com) and to pioneer the market for organic & sustainable textiles. Zaroff is a
recognized visionary and authority in organic/sustainable apparel & home fashions and has
created a unique development, distribution and monitoring business model to ensure that the
process and the products remain pure, transparent & authentic.
In addition to her work as Executive Producer on the upcoming documentary “Thread”
(www.threaddocumentary.com), Marci is also Founder and former CEO of FASE
(Fashion●Art●Soul●Earth)and CMSO (Chief Marketing & Sustainability Officer) of the Portico
Brand Group, which is a roll-up (formed in 2011) of sustainable fashion, home & spa/hospitality
brands: Portico Home, Under the Canopy and FASE. (www.porticohome.com,
www.underthecanopy.com, www.FASEthefuture.com)
Marci keynotes and speaks internationally on organic/sustainable textiles, creative
leadership/strategy, social innovation & green business/design. She was a key driver in defining
the USA & Global Standards for organic fiber certification (GOTS), launched
organic/sustainable fiber initiatives in top retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Macy’s, Target,
Bed Bath & Beyond and AVEDA, and is featured extensively in major TV & print media,
including Entrepreneur, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, InStyle, Lucky, Vanity
Fair, CNN, Entertainment Television, Good Morning America & the Discovery Channel, to just
name a few.
Zaroff has received countless recognitions, such as ABC News’ “Legends and Legacies”,
"Honorary Member" of the Turkish Textile Association, the Natural Product Industry’s “Socially
Responsible Business Award”, New York Moves “Power Woman Award”, Fashion Group
International’s “Rising Star Award” and ELLE Magazine’s “Mercury Style Award”.
Marci serves on the Board of Directors of the Organic Trade Association, Textile Exchange and
AllergyKids Foundation, and is/has been an Advisor to Teens Turning Green, Fair Trade USA,
the Green Spa Network, MetaBrand Corp, Sustainable Brands International, Yellow Leaf, To-Go
Ware and YOXI TV. In addition, Marci helped Fair Trade USA develop the first USA Fair Trade
certification of textiles and will be spearheading their national launch in 2013.
Marci offers sustainable supply chain & marketing consulting to both for and non-profits, with
past and/or current clients/partners such as Operation Warm, Walter Wilhelm Associates, Bureau
Veritas, Yogiiza, Give Bag, UB Real and others.
An artist and yoga enthusiast, Marci lives in her hometown of Boca Raton, Florida with her two
“green” teens, where she is Chairman/Co-Founder of “South Florida Green Drinks” in
partnership with Global Green USA. Marci has had the honor of introducing former Vice
President Al Gore at South Florida’s Mizner Amphitheater, has received a prestigious Henry
Crown Fellowship from The Aspen Institute, and is featured in the newly released book: “ECO
AMAZONS: 20 Women Who Are Transforming the World.”