Industry Retail Founded 2010 | Headquarters Nashville Type of business Private | |
Area served Primarily the U.S. and Canada Key people Barrett Ward
Rachel Ward Products Clothing, Handbags, Accessories Website | ||
Fashionable is an American retailer of women’s clothing and accessories. The company was initially founded as a nonprofit organization in 2010 by Barrett Ward and Rachel Ward to facilitate women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in leaving the commercial sex industry. It subsequently converted into a for-profit company and is classified as a B Corporation. The company is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.
Contents
History
The concept for Fashionable began in 2008 while Barrett Ward and his wife, Rachel, were living in Ethiopia. At the time Ward worked with Mocha Club, a nonprofit organization he cofounded in 2005. While at Mocha, he communicated with Women at Risk (WAR) and learned that women who might otherwise resort to prostitution due to lack of opportunity could be trained to weave scarves and sell them for a profit. Ward cofounded Ellilta, an Ethiopian scarf production company to provide jobs for the women at WAR. Ellilta was the first product manufacturing supplier for Fashionable, which launched in October 2010.
Minka Kelly brought Fashionable scarves with her on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in October 2013. Jimmy Fallon playfully tried on one of the scarves. On October 22, 2014, Barrett Ward was honored by GQ magazine at its 7th annual Gentlemen's Ball for his philanthropic efforts with Fashionable. In Summer 2015, Fashionable acquired Miriam Designs, a jewelry company that employs women in recovery. As of 2016, Fashionable employs both women and men in Ethiopia and Nashville. The company’s stated goal is to continue to provide sustainable business both globally in developing countries and locally in the U.S.
Business Model
Rather than setting aside a portion of their profit to donate to those in need, Fashionable trains and pays individuals to hand make products or intentionally buys from companies that do so in their home countries so that the individuals can provide for themselves rather than rely on charity. When a Fashionable product is purchased, sustainability is created in a developing country and with women overcoming adversity.