IFD Soundbites
IFD Soundbites
Empowering Women Through Sustainable Fashion Design and Entrepreneurship
FIRESIDE CHAT WITH CARAGH BENNET CO-FOUNDER OF THE ZENA BRAND
"Our bottom line is to see the women establish their own bottom lines.” These are the words of Caragh Bennet, our guest today, who has made it their life's purpose and brand to rewrite stories and empower women through sustainable fashion design and entrepreneurship.
The Zena Brand puts its community first with the notion that it isn't always about generating profit, but rather, about living out your purpose and finding fulfillment through it. Truly, when we are so passionate about what we're doing, no matter what challenges come our way, we can find ways to innovate, and we can continue to provide for our community no matter what.
This episode is filled with inspiration on numerous levels, from The Zena Brand's commitment to sustainability along with the use of raw materials, to how to start and run an enterprise that you are passionate about, to empowering women by providing them with lifelong skills that can ultimately help them achieve their dreams.
Caragh Bennet & The Zena Brand - From Fun Accessories to Serious Impact
Women living in rural poverty face two major barriers to business opportunity: a lack of education and a lack of capital. The Zena Brand set out to change that.
Caragh Bennet is the co-founder of The Zena Brand, a non-profit jewelry line that has purely social impact based in Kampala, Uganda. Together with Loren Thomas, they founded Zena with the single promise of changing the global stories of gender inequality and extreme poverty by investing in female entrepreneurs.
Key Highlights:
Tune in to this podcast and learn:
- How they met in university, then interviewed 50 women from rural Uganda with the hope of building relationships with people from a completely different culture (08:05)
- Introduced the concept of social entrepreneurship and employment in Uganda, where the idea of Zena came from (10:18)
- Their biggest achievement was partnering with Diane Von Furstenberg at Bloomingdale's last year to celebrate The Lion King on International Women's Day (13:58)
- What their brand looked like early on, before it went through a significant rebranding to a younger demographic that better reflects their values (15:19)
- Their favorite memories starting Zena, as well as some challenging times (17:51)
- Caragh describes their journey to the book she read entitled “ Shoe Dog by Phil Knight a memoir by the creator of Nike” (17:58)
- Experiencing the pandemic was like going into a boxing ring - a fight of your life (18:29)
- How they turned their business's greatest fear into their strength (19:35)
- Why agricultural agriculture is a crucial industry for rural and farming communities (24:42)
- Their social act program has not only helped women escape poverty but also given children an opportunity to education (29:27)
- Their biggest advice to fashion design students pursuing this career path: to be intentional and to keep your purpose in mind (48:20)
Additional Resources:
The Zena Brand’s Website https://thezenabrand.com/
The Zena Brand on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thezenabrand/?ref=page_internal
The Zena Brand on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thezenabrand/
Book Recommendation: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight