ForbesWomen is an informative and well-researched publication that we follow. We particularly like the weekly summary from the Editor, Maggie McGrath.
This week she highlights the article about the imperative to Vote on November 3rd. The title is “These 15 Female-Founded Brands Want You to Vote – Here’s Why”:
These women appreciate first-hand the import of our vote this election. And in the spirit of womanhood, they are reaching out to us to pay attention and support women’s rights now more than ever. We reviewed these female-founded brands They are all interesting and fascinating in how they started and faced the challenges of women in business.
Lingua Franca is one in particular that we want to share with you. Lingua Franca is a line of sustainably sourced, fair trade luxury cashmere sweaters all hand stitched by women in NYC. According to Rachelle Hruska who founded the business:
“It all started with a stitch – literally. No grand plan, no big idea. One weekend I was just looking to burn off some anxiety and turned to embroidery (a craft my grandma Rita taught me when I was a young girl in Nebraska). I picked up an old cashmere sweater, a needle and thread and LF was born – a subversive underground movement to counteract the forces of mass production, mindless consumerism, and the patriarchy. Just kidding (kind of).”
From embroidered cashmere sweaters, the collection now includes dyed sweatshirts, baby blankets and more. The messaging on many of the sweaters includes “Vote”, “Give a Damn” “Women Rule” and others that are bylines for organizations that they support. The business gives $100 of every sweatshirt sold to select organizations that help women and children.
This business has a charitable commitment to do good that supersedes the traditional business model of “grow expand grow again, no matter who you expunge or how you get there.”
The business recently introduced Virtual Workshops that will help you learn to embroider your own sweater. They sell kits that include everything you need to get started. Rachelle notes that during these challenging times when we are spending lots and lots of time at home, this is the perfect new project to undertake.
There are two brick and mortar stores in New York City. Check out their site:
La Ligne
Her message and that of the other women-founded businesses is get out and vote. It matters for each of us and especially for all women. We agree. Over these past three years, we have avoided taking a political stand on issues. Yet, now we are witnessing a paradigm shift where everything seems to have become political. Being concerned about the environment, or flying an American flag, or encouraging voting, are issues and actions that have become politicized. We look forward to a time where we are not profiled by our computer’s search engines and where we can work toward solving societal issues without being type cast as a liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican but rather as an engaged citizen.
Ciao
Lucy and Claudia