about us supplementary

I entered law to pursue social justice, yet I had trouble finding clothing that fit my values, vocation, and aesthetic. Working on human and labor rights issues around the globe enabled me to understand how complex and harmful the global garment industry can be. The collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh was a turning point in global consciousness, prompting consumers to investigate the industry and demand better. It also propelled me to deeply ponder the best way to integrate my love of great style and passion for human rights. I felt blessed to work directly with Bangladeshis who were Rana Plaza first respondersas the founding Board President of CriticaLink, and as my life evolved I could no longer fight the pull to create the type of clothing I had sought for a decade.

Never one to accept that something can’t be done, I refused to believe the status quo has to be the future. When I voiced my desire for more socially conscious apparel options I also found I was not alone. All of my friends wanted to build a socially conscious wardrobe, they just didn’t know how. These conversations also shared another common theme: limited options for well-fitting, flattering, and stylish clothing at an affordable price. The market hadn’t yet caught up to our desire for something better. It was still far too hard for us to make clothing purchases that value the people who work in our supply chain and their communities. The garment industry remained the second worst polluting industry in the world.

I started to see a number of fantastic socially conscious brands popping up, yet sustainable fashion wasn’t mainstream…yet. I believed the industry could do better by both those who make clothing and those who then wear it. And Maven Women was born.

Once I made the leap to fully focus my vocation on Maven Women the hard realities of creating a thoughtful fashion brand become all too apparent. No one had created pieces with this aesthetic, fit, and social impact before and it quickly became clear why. There are few people in the fashion industry who truly understand the needs of busy working women as they age. Seeing how clothing is made showed me why I have to take so many pieces to the tailor, as many brands cut corners in the fittings process.

We aim to make the most socially conscious choices at every step, from farm to factory to final product. Fabric selection is incredibly complex and there are few options that match our aesthetic. We are also particular about the minutiae that make a dress truly high quality. It took three years of hard work with fabric sourcing, design, fittings, testing, partnership building, and quality control to create a product that is thoughtful at every step. 

I was also pregnant or breastfeeding during the majority of these first three years. During this season my normally "pear-shaped" body took on more shapes than I could count, including "inverted triangle" and "hourglass"! I've poured everything I've learned about what fit and flattered me in each of these seasons into our pieces, and I even started working on maternity and breastfeeding clothing. We do so many fittings that my water broke when I was fitting one of our maternity prototypes! 

I am proud to introduce you to our meticulously crafted pieces and I invite you to journey with us and invest in investment pieces!