Slow Factory (also known as Library Study Hall) is a left-of-center education initiative that uses fashion as a medium for social, environmentalist, and other political activism. ^{1 2 3} The organization supports anti-Israel protests on college campuses following the start of the Israel-Hamas war; claimed that Israel is bombing refugee camps, schools, and universities; ⁴ and has claimed that Israel is perpetuating terrorism, genocide, occupation, and apartheid against residents of the Palestinian Territories. ⁵

In 2022, Slow Factory received $25,000 from Silicon Valley Community Foundation, $16,500 from Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, and $15,000 from PVH Foundation. ⁶

History and Leadership

Slow Factory was founded in August 2012 by Celine Semaan and Colin Vernon. ^{7 8} The project originally started as an art project to put National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) satellite images on shirts to promote discussions of climate change. ⁹

As of May 2024, Semaan is Slow Factory’s chief executive officer. ¹⁰ Semaan is a self-described “environmental justice advocate” and climate activist, ¹¹ a member of the Council of Advisors of Progressive International, ¹² and a director’s fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. ¹³

In an op-ed published in Teen Vogue, Semaan called a changing climate an “existential crisis,” claimed that plastic production was built on the foundation of “indigenous land theft,” and blamed wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, on colonial expansion and water theft for plantation crops and resorts. ¹⁴ She also participated in an event at the Brooklyn Museum that discussed “climate rage” and how to turn the far-left climate justice movement into a struggle for liberation. ¹⁵ She has claimed that the world will tip into a chain of ecosystem collapse by 2030. ¹¹

Activities and Funding

Slow Factory is a left-of-center education initiative that uses fashion as a medium for social, environmental, and other political activism. The organization prioritizes minority voices, hosts annual conferences, and promotes left-of-center policies on various issues, including the far-left concepts of climate justice and systemic change. ^{1 2 3}

In 2022, the organization spent $40,728 on a climate education series focused on the far-left concepts of climate justice and collective liberation. It also spent $34,812 on “Applied Utopia 2022” programming, which begins with “radical principles” to research residency, art installation, printed publications, and conferences on fashion and its intersection with “collective liberation.” ¹⁶ The organization has worked in partnership with the United Nations Office for Partnerships. ¹⁷

In 2023, Slow Factory produced an advertising campaign to change tourist behavior in Hawaii, which included messaging that tourists should not visit the islands. It claimed that tourism is killing Hawaii and that the 2023 Maui wildfires are the result of the “illegal occupation of Hawaii,” exploitation, and dried lawns. ¹⁸

The organization runs Applied Utopia, which supports a process and an approach of an idealized “perfection” of society. ¹⁹ Its Open Edu program studies the far-left concepts of systemic racism, identity politics, critical media studies, climate justice, and collective liberation. ²⁰ Slow Factory also runs a program called “Garment to Garment” about fashion industry waste, ²¹ has said that leather is bad for the planet, ²² operates a fellowship program for minority groups to promote systemic change, ²³ and attacked the United States Army for allegedly being one of the world’s biggest polluters. ²⁴

Political Activism

Slow Factory has supported anti-Israel campus protests that have taken place since the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel of October 7, 2023 and Israel’s military response. ²⁵ The group has called Israel an occupying force in the Palestinian Territories; claimed that Israel is bombing refugee camps, schools, and universities; ⁴ and claimed that Israel is perpetuating terrorism, genocide, occupation, and apartheid against residents of the Palestinian territories. ⁵

On Facebook-owned image application Instagram, Slow Factory has made posts claiming that Zionism, the ideological position that the Jewish people have a right to a state in the Holy Land, is genocide, ethnic cleansing, state-sanctioned terrorism, ecocide, supremacy, settler colonialism, illegal land annexation, fascism, and segregation. ²⁶

Slow Factory also runs the Media Justice campaign to raise the visibility of alleged crimes against humanity taking place in the Palestinian Territories. Slow Factory hopes to raise $250,000 to buy billboards in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to support the far-left #FreePalestine movement. ²⁷

Funding

Slow Factory Foundation is funded by individual contributions and grants. In 2022, the organization reported revenue of $464,176 and expenses of $749,466. In 2021, the organization reported contributions of $1,279,763 and expenses of $1,079,489. ²⁸

In 2022, the organization received $25,000 from Silicon Valley Community Foundation, $16,500 from Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, and $15,000 from PVH Foundation. ⁶

Slow Factory has received support from major companies and fashion brands including Adidas, PVH, Google, Waste Management, Tesla, Swarovski, Natura, Stella McCartney, Farfetch, and Vestaire Collective. The United Nations Office for Partnerships, Columbia University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons (the design school at the self-consciously left-wing New School), Museum of Modern Art, and others have also supported Slow Factory. ²⁹

1. “Study Hall.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/study-hall.
2. “Overview.” Slow Factory Foundation LinkedIn Profile. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/study-hall-global/about/.
3. “Team.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/team.
4. “Facebook Post.” Slow Factory Facebook Page. May 15, 2024. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/Slowfactory/posts/pfbid06NPTXxqLVEGe9NCzsKV1VGaWXW2A8Gyp1SLfqFW2gHWvPYqbhU6afkaGWjwMdCyal.
5. ^[1] “Facebook Post.” Slow Factory Facebook Page. April 4, 2024. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/Slowfactory/posts/pfbid02kp8WDqzqR99RfGyUaBgNniWeH1aNkL9gTZkdUYcLebnQZ6GzuAM6epSWxog5yF5kl.
6. “Slow Factory Foundation.” Cause IQ Grants Database. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/library-study-hall,831973980/https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/library-study-hall,831973980/.
7. “Colin Vernon.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-vernon/.
8. “Celine Semaan.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinecelines/.
9.  Glasgow, Abigail. “How Celine Semaan Evolved Slow Factory Into a Hub for Digital Advocacy.” W Magazine. February 20, 2024. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/slow-factory-celine-semaan-digital-activism-instagram-interview
10. “Our Team.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/team.
11. Semaan, Celine. “What Needs to Happen to Tackle Fashion’s Climate Impact.” Time Magazine. September 30, 2023. Acessed May 15, 2024. https://time.com/6318970/fashion-climate-impact-anxiety-essay/.
12. Haddad, Rea. “The Slow Factory: What Regular School Won’t Teach You.” About Her. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.abouther.com/node/41241/people/features/slow-factory-what-regular-school-won%E2%80%99t-teach-you.
13. “Experience.” Celine Semaan LinkedIn Profile. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinecelines/details/experience/.
14. Semaan, Celine. “Slow Factory’s Celine Semaan Gets Real About Sustainability Activism.” Teen Vogue. August 28, 2023. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/slow-factory-celine-semaan-sustainability-activism.
15. “Collective Rage for Collective Liberation: Indya Moore, Amanda Seales, and Celine Semaan – Sold Out.” Brooklyn Museum. April 20, 2024. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/calendar/event/conversation-climate-rage-april-2024.
16. “Library Study Hall.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2022. Part III. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/831973980/202303199349313590/full.
17. “One x One.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://onexone.earth/.
18.  Dahlstrom, Michael. “Why you should ‘cancel your travel plans’ to Hawaii.” Yahoo! News. September 1, 2023. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://au.news.yahoo.com/why-you-should-cancel-your-travel-plans-to-hawaii-071205629.html. https://au.news.yahoo.com/why-you-should-cancel-your-travel-plans-to-hawaii-071205629.html.
19. “Applied Utopia.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/applied-utopia.
20. “Open Edu.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/open-edu.
21. Roshitsh, Kaley. “Slow Factory Launches ‘Garment to Garment’ Pilot.” Women’s Wear Daily. September 23, 2023. Accessed May 15, 2024. https://wwd.com/sustainability/social-impact/slow-factory-designer-training-program-garment-to-garment-new-york-1235829506/.
22.  Sergan, Elizabeth. “Brands like Nike, Coach, and Gap are destroying the Amazon with their leather products.” Fast Company. December 3, 2021. https://www.fastcompany.com/90702567/brands-like-nike-coach-and-gap-are-destroying-the-amazon-with-their-leather-products.
23. “Fellowships.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/fellows.
24. “Facebook Post.” Slow Factory Facebook Page. Posted May 10, 2024. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/Slowfactory/posts/pfbid0G4AY7iq7rr3Say3QYAT3nEwxHtYRCe5euekrBDeAQqFvWLUvqiPhCywc2ZWtA1F9l.
25. “Facebook Post.” Slow Factory Facebook Page. May 2, 2024. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/Slowfactory/posts/pfbid02mrdeJ87yjSpAduZGbFd9daNWLNZBvm8YinnjMnA8yFAFPg2sUUCQNsuZKKMSwdqCl.
26. “Instagram Post.” The Slow Factory Instagram. Posted May 16, 2024. Accessed may 17, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/p/C7B9-8KOcPF/?igsh=MWIycDF3MnYzbjg4dA%3D%3D&img_index=1.
27. “Media Justice.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/media-justice.
28. “Library Study Hall Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2022. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/831973980/202303199349313590/full.
29. “About Us.” Slow Factory. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://slowfactory.earth/about.