Ellie Fun Day: Social Impact
Client: Ellie Fun Day: Social Impact
The Challenge: Launch a social impact company that creates sustainable and ethical income for marginalized artisan women in India by improving upon their current sewing skills.
The Outcome: Increased the number of artisans by 4x with a sustainable income, 50% YOY profit for artisan NGO, created market access to 250 retailers globally including Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and Restoration Hardware, Saved 152 acres from pesticides by using GOTS certified organic textiles, $12k invested into the partner NGO medical clinic from our profits. Contributed to five of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Key press features (unpaid): Martha Stewart Living, Huffington Post, Travel and Leisure. Awards: LVMH Rise Program, Google Entrepreneurs, SOCAP
I noticed that the baby market lacked a clear differentiator for uniquely handmade gifts. Most of the baby gifts that were purchased were from big-box retailers that lacked a personal and handmade touch. So I was inspired by the love of my own baby blanket to prototype several baby blankets. I cold-called several local independent retailers to get feedback. Many were willing to provide input into the design, comfort and construction of the very first blanket that I made. I quickly iterated on this feedback and designed a blanket that was multi-layered like a traditional quilt while incorporating contemporary embroidery that appealed to the modern mother. We market tested this first style of blankets at a New York tradeshow and garnered huge interest from Nordstrom, J.Crew, Barneys New York, and Anthropologie. Our first holiday season we shipped 1000 blankets of our Stitched blanket.
On the supply chain side, our largest challenges were to source local organic cotton fabric and to ensure that the blankets the artisans made were at an acceptable quality limit. With very little initial knowledge about the organic cotton textile supply chain, we dove headfirst in finding the key players in the ecosystem and found a collective of farmers that were committed to growing organic and fair-trade cotton. From there we were able to source the final textile to our specifications. Due to the large initial investment of fabric, we needed to design a larger collection beyond the first baby blankets that we developed. This base fabric served as a basis for our subsequent collections.
The artisans that we worked with first had a 50% defect rate upon their first shipment. We worked with them on developing QC processes, sewing training and lean manufacturing skills. Putting processes into place helped ensure that they would deliver an export-quality product on time. From there we helped the NGO double the size of their sewing manufacturing facility to increase the capacity by adding in the latest tools and technology needed to help them scale the demand coming from the buyers.
We increased our collections yearly to accommodate the demand and the growth on both sides. As Ellie Fun Day grew, we added 2 more artisan units that expanded our offerings into clothing and toys. Through the partnerships, the partner NGOs have been able to pour back $12k into their local medical clinic, help the artisans open 100 bank accounts, and impact over 300 lives in their local community.
With our social impact story and relevant designs, we secured key collaborations with Restoration Hardware, ABC Carpet & Home, Barneys NYC and Anthropologie. This resulted in sales in the 6-digits in a single season as we gained traction in the marketplace. Unpaid celebrity purchases came from Jessica Alba, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Hudson, and many more social media influencers.
Ellie Fun Day took the TOMS shoes model of social impact to a deeper level through its holistic commitment to the marginalized artisan communities and the end-customer. We proved that a sustainable pathway of employment is possible with the right resources using human-centered design and design thinking to make a dent in poverty alleviation.
TEAM
Creative Director : Sarah LinCFO : Grace TongCo-founder : Elton LinGraphic Designer : Hannah PhamPhotography : Calvina Photography