Women leaders have made their mark in this world. They’ve broken norms and stood for the values they believe in. They’ve bucked the trend and become an inspiration to millions of other women (and men).
Resilience, tenacity, and hard work have brought them where they are now. These are women who have chosen the path less traveled and came out unscathed despite the hurdles. Here’s to every single woman who has inspired many in the course of their journey.
This Women’s Day, let’s train the spotlight on 21 retail businesses with strong-willed, highly successful women in the driver’s seat.
The Brave Collection
The life-changing journey of New York-based designer Jessica Hendricks Yee began when she noticed that many Cambodian women lacked dignified job opportunities and were forced into sexual slavery. This pushed Yee into deciding that she had to help empower these women. And she certainly did make a difference!
Yee started The Brave Collection of bracelets with the twin aims of providing job opportunities to survivors of human trafficking and shining a light on the plight of vulnerable Cambodian women.
Artisans who work with The Brave Collection are paid above-average wages and provided fair and dignified working conditions at a studio in Cambodia. Many of them are young mothers who work from home. All of them are provided health insurance and stipends for their children’s education.
Such a noteworthy effort ought to be appreciated!
The Oula Company
Founded by Erika Dalya Massaquoi; who is well-versed in fashion, art, and cinema; The Oula Company highlights sourcing textiles responsibly, globally, handcrafting them, and, made in the USA on its homepage.
Oula’s signature garments are patterned both vibrant & colorful and are made with Ankara (African Wax Fabric).
The garments are hand-cut and are sewn locally in the USA – resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. The pieces are durable, long-lasting, and can be worn throughout the year, giving them more value than fast fashion.
The brand believes that style can liberate and empower and its design ethos is particularly influenced by the Black Is Beautiful movement and inspires the iconic natural beauty.
Wildfang
Wildfang is a brand that is out there to create a home for badass women, who are bold, unafraid, and in tune with their identity.
In 2013, founders Emma McIlroy and Julia Parsley started this brand with the “radical” belief that a woman has the right to wear whatever the hell they want and be whoever the hell they want.
Since then, the brand has been vocal in spreading the message of emancipation and female pride and given back over $500k to charities and organizations that support reproductive, immigrant, and queer rights.
Wildfang makes a real-world difference by contributing to organizations that further women’s causes: ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Malala Fund to name a few.
Otherwild
If you step into an Otherwild store, the first thing that greets you is the fresh quirkiness of the space and its merchandise. Apart from funky apparel and ceramics, you also have your pick of a good-natured dose of LGBT-friendly merch thrown in.
The woman behind this radical, fun store is Rachel Berks. An artist and graphic designer by profession, Berks has created her concept store intending to provide a space for events and a platform for upcoming design artists to showcase their wares.
Instagram has been her go-to place to advertise anything new her team has brewed. The most easily identifiable objects in her store are “the future is female” tees that have gone crazy viral on Instagram.
As Berks, herself says in an interview, the focus is on LGBTQ, artists, and designers.
Dôen
The attitude behind Dôen is casual and bohemian.
Sisters Margaret and Katherine Kleveland started the direct-to-customer site as a means to celebrate all it means to be a woman. Exasperated with a state-of-affairs in which men called the shots at most levels in fashion, they started a company that would be run entirely by women.
The Kleveland sisters are so intent on female ownership in a business that even the factories they source from are either owned or co-owned by women. This is what real-world emancipation looks like!
Dôen has amassed a cult following for its dreamy aesthetic. The website lists categories such as tops, knitwear, footwear, and sleepwear, among others.
Yelani
Yelani was founded in 2009 by Yetunde Jude, a recognized veteran black hair care expert, to develop hair care products of the highest quality for women.
The brand states its purpose to ‘uplift black women’, by making it easier for them to take care of their hair. Its gentle products are designed to reduce shedding, detangling time, and breakage while focusing on softening and strengthening the hair.
Yelani’s products are 100% free of chemicals that can cause cancer and hair damage. And is known for using herbs, essential oils, and plant-based ingredients, that are tailor-made for women with natural curls and give healthy, and soft hair.
Apart from its niche of catering to women with natural curls, the brand also has a wide range of products, with the focus of providing healthy hair for kids and helping men grow fuller, thicker beards.
Mulberry & Grand
“Inspiration is everywhere we look. My goal is to bring that inspiration to life with this brand, and to inspire women to celebrate themselves,” says Emily Guggino, the founder of Mulberry & Grand.
The NY-based boutique offers a unique selection of jewelry, accessories, clothing, gifts & more that are hand-made, trendy, and affordable.
Along with its passion for unique style, the brand strongly believes in and spreads the message of diversity and inclusivity as they always look to hire and collaborate with a diverse group of people from all over the world.
They are currently offering a 15% discount for students and free shipping on US orders above $35. Check them out!
ByChari
Established in 2012, ByChari is a reflection of designer Chari Cuthbert’s approach to life and style. More than a jewelry line as they state, it’s a way for women to create and share their stories.
Handmade sustainably in Los Angeles, Chari and her team remain committed to supporting local small businesses so that each BYCHARI piece can be worn with confidence.
Started just as a concept of creating effortless, unique, and modern designs that aren’t found anywhere else, BYCHARI is now worn by household names including Kate Hudson, Rose Huntington-Whiteley, Aimee Song, Chiara Ferragni, and Rocky Barnes.
If you are someone who appreciates simplicity but demands luxury in their jewelry, BYCHARI is your cup of tea in style and fashion.
“There is something so subtle and beautiful about jewelry. I love how each piece, and how it’s worn, tells a story about the woman who wears it.” –– Chari Cuthbert, Designer & Creative Director
Natural Earth Paint
Natural Earth Paint was founded in 2011 by professional artist Leah Fanning, after searching for non-toxic yet high-quality art supplies and finally decided to create the products she desired herself.
Not just products, NEP is committed to being 100% eco-friendly, even in their packaging (made with biodegradable plastic bags and recyclable glass bottles.) and a solar-powered production facility.
NEP received the prestigious Gold certification from Green America – the highest rank for a green business, the Cribsie Award in 2016 after receiving 40,000 votes, and has been featured in over 100 blogs, reviews, and magazine articles, including Forbes and Huffington Post.
Then I Met You
Founded by Charlotte Cho, Then I Met You is inspired by the Korean concept of Jeong, a deep feeling of empathy and affection that one can develop for people, places, and things.
Jeong is what drives the brand to put others ahead of themselves and work towards the greater good of the community.
The name ‘Then I Met You’ is synonymous with the moment of interaction when customers try out the product for the first time, which will impact their lives forever.
The brand is known for its suite of unique products of the highest quality ingredients such as the radiant orange of sea buckthorn, the deep brown of cocoa, and licorice, etc without artificial colorants, parabens, silicones, and alcohol (‘product perfectionists’ seems so apt now).
Following its journey towards the greater good, the brand also focuses on sustainability in its formulations, production, and packaging. I Gotta say, excellent stuff!
The Lip Bar
While the concept of Lip Bar may be trivial, the story and the cause behind it make it so much inspirational and show us why the brand has grown so much since its inception in 2012.
Melissa Butler started Lip Bar over frustration caused by the media and the beauty industry in defining beauty standards even in shades of lipsticks. She realized that despite high standards and unnecessary chemicals, the industry had low diversity and a lack of inclusivity.
That’s when she decided to kill all the birds with one stone.
The Lip Bar is a vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand that exists to change the way people think about beauty and remind them that there are no beauty standards and they are enough to be beautiful!
The Lip Bar has been featured in various magazines such as Elle, WWD, Glamour, Essence, etc.
Ettitude
Founded by Phoebe Yu, Ettitude’s brand stands by one thing and one thing only, comfort with a conscience.
And how do they do that, you ask?
Ettitude uses their own fabric CleanBamboo, which uses 500x less water (saves 8,189 gallons – as much as 93 Americans use in a day!) and emits 50% less CO2 (saving 25.9 Kg – equivalent to driving 64.3 miles!).
Apart from the effort with their products, Ettitude has also been donating to various causes such as anti-racism, gender equality, bushfires, and climate change, etc.
The W Marketplace
The pandemic has negatively impacted millions of lives across the world, with women comparatively more affected more than their male counterparts. A survey shows as much as 45% of the permanently-closed women-led businesses may never set up shop again.
That’s when the team led by Kate Isler and Susan Gates decided to step up and create a platform where women could launch or grow a business, find resources to help them succeed, and meet other women entrepreneurs and business owners. And Voila! The W Marketplace was born.
Apart from just providing a platform to set up shop, the marketplace also has a blog section, where womentrepreneurs share their inspiring success stories. Have a read at them.
The Honey Pot Company
The Honey Pot Company is the first one that is out there to provide a complete feminine care system with their feminine hygiene products.
Founded by Beatrice Dixon, Honey Pot Co’s products are made with herbs that are 100% natural, without any chemicals or toxins, are biodegradable, and are made in a cruelty-free way.
The brand further steps up its game by providing menstrual care for women who are homeless, low income, or living in poverty.
They also offer you personalized recommendations based on your answers. Check out for yourself.
Beauty Bakerie
After a successful fight with breast cancer, Cashmere Nicole founded Beauty Bakerie in 2011 when she became extremely conscious about the products she uses and decided to share them with the world.
The Beauty Bakerie brand is a direct reflection of Cashmere’s perseverance and passion for both high-quality and healthy ingredients, cruelty-free, all-inclusive cosmetics that enhance the beauty in everyone, every day.
The brand has also been instrumental in setting up Sugar Homes, an initiative that supports the needs of orphaned children worldwide and has been vocal for various issues such as addressing the disparities within the beauty industry and the Black Lives Matter movement, etc. Check out their collections here.
Redwood Classics Apparel
Founded by Kathy Cheng, Redwood Classics Apparel strives to provide its customers with the highest level of quality fabric available.
Their garments feature flatlock stitching which weaves in an extra thread to provide greater strength and durability and their entire process from sewing and dyeing to packaging and shipping combines traditional, handcrafted practices with state-of-the-art technology and computerization.
The brand stands for promoting and facilitating diversity and continues its efforts to help aboriginal and minority-owned businesses in Canada and strengthen a nationwide movement toward a more equitable, globally responsible industry.
Their website has beautiful behind-the-scenes videos of their factory. Take a look at them here.
Mented Cosmetics
A glass of pinot and a conversation between KJ Miller and Amanda Johnson on how hard it was to find the perfect shade of lipstick was what sparked the idea of creating Mented Cosmetics.
Each of the brand’s products is perfectly pigMented to match your skin tones because the brand wants all women, from light to tan to dark skin tones, to feel like they have makeup that actually works for their complexions.
All lipsticks are vegan, paraben-free, non-toxic, and cruelty-free. Explore their full collection of makeup products.
Vital Pet Life
Started by Donie and her partner Kyle, Vital Pet Life’s story began when they were unable to find a soothing, non-GMO, toxin-free product for their dog Tuxedo.
All of their products are clean, sustainably sourced, and toxin-free.
After you purchase a VPL product, you’re not only a customer but a part of the community that unlocks their happiness, vibrance, and longevity for their fur-babies.
The brand strives to always give you quality products and the best customer service and is committed to the health of your furry loved ones and your satisfaction. Much appreciation!
Black Girl Sunscreen
Black Girl Sunscreen’s story begins with the need for melanin women to have a sunscreen brand that caters exclusively to them.
It all started when founder Shontay Lundy grew frustrated with either having to carry expensive umbrellas or neglecting to go outside altogether due to white residue from regular sunscreens. That’s when she decided to create a natural non-white residue sunscreen brand for women of color.
Black Girl Sunscreen uses NO parabens, or other harmful chemicals while infusing the finest ingredients to shield and moisturize your melanated skin without the dreaded white residue common with most sunscreen.
Apart from sunscreens and skin care products, they also offer cool coffee mugs and sweatshirts. Check them out!
The Herbs and Bees
Founded by Noha Soliman, The Herbs & Bees is a business with a mission to bring safe, fresh skincare products into every household and overall, make the world a better place.
They are an ethical and environmentally-conscious brand that uses flower extracts, plan-based and seed oils instead of petroleum-based oils, parabens and sulfates, etc so that your skin can detox and heal itself.
The products are fully produced in the USA, and their packaging is 100% reusable and recyclable as they believe in making their carbon footprint as small as possible.
The brand uses ingredients such as activated charcoal, bergamot, bentonite clay, etc, and has been certified as organic, vegan, and cruelty-free by organizations such as PETA.
Universal Standard
Why does it have to be so hard to shop when you’re a plus-size? Why do you not get the same options like everybody else? Why do you have to forgo the pleasure of shopping due to a lack of options?
These are some of the questions that enabled Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler to create their own brand: Universal Standard.
Their clothing line has all sizes (0 to 40), catering to any woman who walks into the store wishing to buy a garment. Nobody will be turned away as their size isn’t available.
They not only have clothes sizes up in their collection but also down. Gotta love the all-inclusive policy!
Good quality stylish clothes that fit perfectly should certainly be available to everybody! Way to go!
