A new ethical lingerie range is aiming to launch through a crowd-funding campaign.
AmaElla, created by two best friends, hopes to raise £10,000 to enable the social venture to run their first production.
AmaElla offers stylish organic cotton designs and is produced according to strong ethical principles. The brand will help women feel, look and do good.
Cambridge-based entrepreneurs, Lara San Gil and Julie Kervadec are the faces behind the new brand. Lara and Julie met whilst studying for a Masters in International Marketing and Communication in Madrid.
Collaborating on a L’Oréal brainstorming competition, and making it through as finalists, it became clear they shared a common purpose of a social nature, a common frustration, of an undergarment nature and a complimentary skill set, of an entrepreneurial nature.
Kervadec said, “As consumers, we’re both very mindful of health, ethical and style concerns.”
“We got talking about our frustration at being unable to find organic cotton lingerie that looked elegant.”
“Whilst there are brands offering stylish non-synthetic clothing, none seemed to be developing stylish non-synthetic clothing, none seemed to be developing stylish non-synthetic lingerie, the layer we wear closest to our skin.”
San Gil continues saying, “The issue is that synthetic materials, commonly used in lingerie, hold moisture close to the skin, increasing the likeliness of infection.”
“More than 75 per cent of women experience a yeast infection in their lifetime, with 1 in 20 having recurring thrush.”
“To avoid these problems, dermatologists and skincare experts recommend cotton to guarantee good skin perspiration and breathability, yet the organic cotton lingerie on the market lacked appeal to style conscious consumers.”
In January 2016, the venture was accepted into Cambridge Social Ventures’ incubator programme, part of the Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School.
The pair are now looking to raise the funds to create their first products. The lingerie will be manufactured in Europe through suppliers who comply with strict social criteria, including no outsourcing; no child labour; no forced labour; strong health and safety policy and evidence of activities that increase the wellbeing of local communities.
Alongside the knowledge that they are helping to create an ethical brand, investors will also be given the opportunity to pre-order the lingerie at discounted prices, ensuring they receive the products ahead of retailers.
AmaElla’s wider vision is to create a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry. Their garments enable you to become part of this movement.
To find out more about how you could support this campaign, click here.
