Our Team

Co-founders

Sam, a co-founder of CCC, with long wavy dark hair, glasses, and red lipstick smiling at the camera. She is wearing a colorful clothing top with a large tied scarf and layered necklaces. There are various green plants behind her.

Sam Lopez

Chief Content & Marketing Officer | Vendor Coordinator & Media

With a background in broadcast journalism, storytelling through visual media is where I feel most creatively fulfilled. Paired with my passion for sustainability and creating community, I have found the greatest joy of my life through co-founding The Houston Clothing Swap and Conscious Consumer Collective. I believe everyone can walk around in gorgeous vintage, repurposed, and second hand pieces for centuries and never have to put a penny towards fast fashion. A sustainable future is only possible if we prioritize a circular economy, and realize that we CAN change the world, as a collective.

Raquel, a co-founder of CCC, with light brown, wavy hair smiling at the camera, wearing a sleeveless white top with red horizontal stripes, a red beaded necklace, and a floral tattoo on her left arm, standing indoors with a blurred background.

Raquel Sandate

Chief Financial Officer | Event & Sponsorship Coordinator

Professionally, I work in accounting and operations. Passionately, I have been dedicated to making clothing swap events that serve the community a success since I began hosting swaps in 2018. What started as a small gathering of clients and friends has grown into something truly special over time. The Houston Clothing Swap, which started the movement that has now led to Conscious Consumer Collective, is about more than just finding unique styles or outfits - it’s about raising awareness for sustainable fashion and making a positive impact on our community and planet.

Diana Cwick

Chief Operations Officer | Charity & Partnership Outreach

With a background in health and wellness, lighting design, and entrepreneurship through my own gluten-free vegan baking business, I has always been drawn to spaces that foster creativity, intentional living, and community. After witnessing Raquel’s early clothing swaps, I envisioned a much larger opportunity - one that could merge sustainability, style, and collective impact. My passion for circular fashion and conscious consumption has only deepened since. As co-founder, I am dedicated to building community, reducing waste, and inspiring others to find joy in secondhand fashion and sustainable living.

Board Members

A woman with long red hair, wearing a blue dress and flower-shaped earrings, stands in front of a bush with pink and beige flowers. She is smiling and looking at the camera.

  • I’m a video editor and graphic designer who started my own business, The Art of Editing, with a background in both commercial and non-profit work. I’ve partnered with nonprofits like Model Farm, which promotes eco-friendly farming, and 26 Seconds, an anti-trafficking organization. As a scuba diver, seeing the fading coral and fragile life of the Great Barrier Reef broke my heart and lit a fire in me to protect what we still have. It pushed me to live with purpose, choosing sustainability not just as a lifestyle, but as a responsibility to our planet and future generations. I believe we can empower people to feel confident while making choices that heal rather than harm. That’s why I’m proud to be part of The Houston Clothing Swap, a community that proves fashion can be both kind to the earth and empowering to the individual.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and tattoos on her arms smiling, wearing a black t-shirt with a graphic of a woman inside a pink heart and a pink satin skirt, standing in front of colorful yarn shelves.

  • I’m Pamela El Gergi, the founder of Habibi Bazaar, an art studio and small business where creativity and community come together. I’m a fiber artist who works with techniques like rug tufting and upcycled textiles to tell stories rooted in memory, heritage, and sensory connection. My background in psychology and neuroscience shapes the way I approach art, it’s always been about more than just the finished piece. I’m interested in how creating with our hands can ground us, heal us, and bring us closer to ourselves and each other. For me, making art is not just a form of expression, but a way of honoring our stories, being present, and resisting the throwaway culture around us.

  • I'm an operations and strategy leader who helps mission-driven organizations grow with intention - building systems that support people, strengthen communities, and create lasting impact through my work at Practical Evolution. To me, sustainability means rethinking our relationship with consumption: recognizing that while many of us are surrounded by excess, others still lack the basics, and that a more circular, equitable approach is both possible and within reach.

    My greatest hope is that conscious consumerism stops feeling like a luxury or a sacrifice and starts feeling like the joyful, collective act it truly is.

A woman with curly hair wearing gold earrings, a gold ring, and a leopard print top with red flowers, posing in front of a closet.

  • Costume designer, stylist, and proud Thrifty Queen! I live for the thrill of a good find, whether it’s at a garage sale, estate sale, or buried deep in the racks of a thrift store. If it sparkles, tells a story, or just screams potential, I’m probably taking it home. I’ve had the joy of volunteering at two of the three Houston Clothing Swaps, and now I’m thrilled to be joining the board! I’m passionate about fashion that’s fun, sustainable, and community-driven. When I’m not sewing up costumes or styling looks, I’m out searching for Houston’s next hidden food gem—because a good outfit deserves a good meal.

Young woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a light blue tank top, denim jacket, and checkered skirt, smiling against a plain background.

  • I am the Events Director at Sawyer Yards, where I lead community-driven events across the campus, blending creativity with sustainability. With a background in managing high-profile events for companies like Google, the US Army, Culture Map, and Ferrari, I bring a wealth of experience in strategic event planning and execution. My customer-conscious approach ensures that every event delivers meaningful experiences while prioritizing environmental responsibility.

    I am excited to contribute my expertise to build and foster a community committed to conscious living and eco-friendly choices.

  • I’m a nonprofit professional with a background in early childhood education. I care deeply about uplifting community, giving back, and the power of thoughtful choices to cultivate meaningful change. At my core, I value creating spaces that feel supportive and rooted in care. Outside of work, I love crafting and being creative, using it as a way to slow down and reconnect. 

    I’m drawn to spaces that value intention, care, and people over perfection, and CCC and The Houston Clothing Swap embody that in a way that feels welcoming, honest, and impactful.