Foundation Rosemary
Established in 2025, Foundation Rosemary is the official non-profit organization behind the fashion brand SIES-Upcycled. The foundation is driven by a mission to create social impact through sustainable fashion and is led by a board of three dedicated members:
Isice Michels - Chair
As founder of SIES-Upcycled and chair of the foundation, Isice leads the vision and strategic direction, ensuring that both fashion and impact remain closely connected.
Annelies Reefman - Treasurer
Annelies oversees the financial health of the foundation, managing budgets, donations, and ensuring transparency in the use of funds.
Oscar Zeekant - Secretary
Oscar is responsible for communications, administration, and maintaining clear records of the foundation’s activities.
The foundation is named in honor of Rosemary, the sponsor child of Isice. Rosemary is a bright and determined student in her final year of secondary school in Zambia. She works hard every day to create a better future for herself, her family, and her community, staying focused in school, achieving strong academic results, and striving for a scholarship.
By naming the foundation after her, we honor her spirit of resilience and ambition. Rosemary represents everything we believe in: empowerment through education, sustainable opportunity, and the power of girls to change the world.
Foundation Rosemary supports initiatives, like the production and donation of reusable menstrual pads to ensure that girls like Rosemary can go to school every day and take charge of their own futures.
Who we are
Meet Isice Michels and Annelies Reefman
In the summer of 2023, Isice traveled to Livingstone, Zambia, to volunteer and advocate for gender equality. During her time there, she encountered the significant challenges faced by girls in the region, particularly the harsh reality that many miss a week of school each month due to a lack of access to menstrual products. This experience revealed that only 8% of women in Zambia finish secondary school.
Motivated by this revelation, Isice made it her mission to create a sustainable brand that would indirectly fundraise for menstrual pads. Thus, SIES-UPCYCLED was born. With a deep passion for sustainability and gender equality, she established a fashion brand that upcycles vintage blazers, promoting circularity in the fashion industry.
In 2025, Annelies Reefman joined the mission, bringing her passion for women's empowerment and sustainability to the brand. Together, Isice and Annelies are committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of girls in Zambia.
DID YOU KNOW? Every profit generated from SIES-UPCYCLED is donated to the African Impact Foundation in Zambia, where reusable menstrual pads are produced, pads that can last up to three years. Each item sold has the power to change the lives of 5 girls, providing them with the essential resources they need to stay in school and create a different future!
Gender equality in Zambia
