In our last B Corporation Series, published in April, we covered four B Corporations that were examples of B Corp environmentalism. In this report, we will be covering five B Corps in the fashion industry created by women entrepreneurs.
Women of Color in the Fashion Industry
From B the Change [LINK] we read the following: “Through the Level program, businesses led by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color who also identify as women work alongside consulting organizations to measure and improve their impact, tell their story, adopt legal stakeholder governance, and pursue B Corp Certification. The program builds on the three pillars in B Lab U.S. & Canada’s Theory of Change: climate justice, racial equity, and a stakeholder-driven economy.
“This year of Level includes 15 companies from a range of industries and locations in the U.S. and Canada. In the first of a three-part series, we introduce five of the Level 4.0 companies bringing positive change to the fashion industry — each in their own way. They include a localized clothing rental marketplace; a baby gear library; a gender and size-inclusive apparel line; a sustainability fashion/home consultancy; and a modest activewear collection.”
The featured women entrepreneurs are Milagros de Souza, who created a company called “The Clothing Library”; Bo Zhao who created the “Baby Gear Group”; Alexa Reyes, who created “Friend + Folk”; Lauren Hill, Co-Founder of a company called “Population”; and Muna Mohamed, founder of a company called “Kalsoni”. We will look into these companies, and provide links to their businesses.
The Clothing Library
The Clothing Library, founded by Milagros de Souza, is completely based on the local community. Each city operates as its own hub, with the goal of the business someday operating nationally. As a renter on The Clothing Library platform, customers only have access to items 10 to 15 miles away. Check out The Clothing Library at this [LINK].
Baby Gear Group
The Baby Gear Group is based on the founder, Bo Zhao’s own frustrating experience with baby gear as a new mom. She loved getting things secondhand, but it was often difficult to find, so she ended up spending money on a lot of stuff she didn’t really need. She found herself wishing there was a way she could try out gear, use what worked for her baby and when she was done, it would magically disappear. In a true lightbulb moment, she realized she could just create this service as a baby gear library. Check out the Baby Gear Group at this [LINK].
Friend + Folk
Alexa Reyes craved a space where shopping for essentials was simple for everybody. The goal of friend + folk is to offer equally priced, non-gendered styles in a broad range of stigma-free sizes (12 to be exact), with financing partners that make shopping more accessible. Reyes said investment in the local community is in the brand’s DNA. That includes hiring local workers and responsible manufacturing in Los Angeles (with vendors within a 20-mile radius); utilizing and sourcing domestic, organic resources; and investing back into the community. Visit Friend + Folk at this [LINK].
Population
Lauren Hill and Population Co-Founder Catherine Tedrow have been collaborating for almost a decade. They see opportunity in an industry with a history of poor working conditions and wages and negative environmental impacts. Going forward, Population wants to partner with legacy and luxury clients that have the mandate and financial capacity to invest in their supply chain and product; and work with and uplift businesses owned and led by Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. Visit Population at this [LINK].
Kalsoni
Kalsoni, founded by Muna Mohamed, is a social mission and for-purpose brand that offers activewear products and services designed to empower women and girls to engage in physical activity with maximum comfort, functionality, and confidence. Kalsoni creates inclusive activewear that caters to Muslim women and girls. As a brand created by women for women, Kalsoni wants to ensure that women and girls who prefer a modest-fit style can enjoy and engage in the outdoors, gym, sports, and any other activities with maximum comfort, functionality, and confidence. Activewear products include wide-legged joggers, mid- and full-length tunics, hijabs, shawls, and long-sleeve shirts. Visit Kalsoni at this [LINK].
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AMS Fulfillment is a Certified B Corporation, dedicated to People and Planet before Profit. We work to B the Change we wish to see in the world.
