Oct 23, 2018
She made comfortable women's apparel not only stylish and sought after, but also mainstream - you'll find her multi-million dollar company's clothing in department stores around the country and in some 56 shops in the U.S., Canada and the UK. That's quite a journey from her start in the 1980's, when she invested a few hundred bucks to present her first collection and immediately won attention with her clean-lined, easy-to-wear designs. Today, this pioneering female founder heads up a company that's not only become a certified B Corp, used non-traditional models in its ads and incorporated organic cotton, but has also implemented numerous social initiatives and programs and vowed to use only eco-positive textiles by the year 2020.
Big brand names and fast fashion labels are often pitted against sustainable, ethical fashion brands and framed as the enemies, but more and more we're seeing experts point out the different things each brings to the table - and how they both have the potential to help push fashion into a better place in their own unique ways. In this week's episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, you'll learn how Eileen views the different roles large brands and emerging, independent labels play in the wider push to bring ethical apparel mainstream.
Not every head of company generating hundreds of millions in sales annual works from dawn to dusk. In fact, as Eileen says, putting boundaries around her hours by working from home, stopping at 5 p.m. most days and even earlier on others meant she could spend more time with her kids, stay sane and - yes - have a life outside of her business.
Okay get this, the Eileen Fisher brand is phasing out its best-selling fabric by 2020 because it doesn't meet their standards for eco-friendly fabrics and sustainability. It's a risky move and a definite business challenge for a successful, well-known fashion brand, but is that stopping the company? No way. Eileen says on the Spirit of 608 podcast this week that might be an impossible idea for other brands out there is just a new problem to solve for her company and part of their future vision to use only eco-positive textiles.
Meditation: Once again, meditation crops up as the resource of choice from an uber-successful female entrepreneur. Says Eileen: just taking 10 minutes of your day to meditate can make all the difference and can help realign and reorient your thoughts, especially before meetings.
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