EILEEN FISHER, Inc. Teams Up with TakePart.com to Recognize Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern minimalist design and socially-conscious company EILEEN FISHER, Inc. has teamed up with TakePart.com, Participant Media's digital news and lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer, to launch the 'In Her Company' campaign recognizing 30 up-and-coming businesses in the food, technology and fashion industries led by outstanding women entrepreneurs. The campaign aims to highlight the important issues facing female entrepreneurs while educating the public, and creating an open forum for discussion on the issue.

"I know how important it is to have someone believe in and validate your work, and my goal is to encourage women entrepreneurs, especially those who firmly believe that business can be used to create social change, even if the economic climate is uncertain," says Eileen Fisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of EILEEN FISHER, Inc. In 2004, the company introduced their own Women Business Grant Program and has awarded over $550,000 to wholly women-owned businesses that are innovative, socially-conscious and committed to sustainability.

Through editorial stories, video, and info-graphics as well as the opportunity to take action by pledging to support 'I Am That Girl,' – a national organization dedicated to creating safe spaces for young girls to discuss difficult issues and foster creativity and confidence – the campaign also hopes to put a spotlight on the growth opportunities and challenges faced by women who own businesses or are looking to start one.  For instance, there are approximately 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the U.S as of 2014, accounting for nearly 7.9 million workers or 6% of workforce,* and it's anticipated that women-owned businesses will create an additional 3.1 million more jobs by 2018*. Despite this growth, funding for women-led startups lags with only 19% of startup or angel funding going to these businesses in 2013.

"We are thrilled to work with Eileen Fisher because of the brand's devotion to supporting women. We're proud to showcase women who are building exciting and innovative companies and show the next generation of entrepreneurs that they too can follow their passion," said Karina Kogan, EVP of TakePart.com. "It is also important to bring attention to the economic challenges faced by women and through TakePart.com, offer avenues for change."

'In Her Company' launches today with a video featuring founder Eileen Fisher and four of the campaign's outstanding entrepreneurs who discuss the opportunities and challenges of running a business.  These women include:

Caron Proschan of Simply Gum – Simply Gum is the only 100% natural chewing gum in the United States. Crafted from premium, natural ingredients, this vegan and gluten-free gum is an alternative to conventional gum, which contains over 80 synthetic substances. 

Alex Wolf of Na2ure – Alex sees everything through the lens of fun and intuitive design. As a curious and inventive artist and designer, she developed Na2ure a goal to transform how children of all ages learn science. By creating visual, colorful, logical and addictive games, Alex hopes to inspire a new generation of young minds and nature-lovers to navigate the Tree of Life with ease.  

Melissa Joy Manning of Melissa Joy Manning, Inc. – With stores in Berkeley and New York City, Melissa Joy Manning is a designer and business owner known for her beautifully designed and impeccably crafted jewelry.  A 2013 Eileen Fisher grant recipient, Manning has attracted a loyal following not only for her bespoke designs but for her socially and environmentally-responsible ethos.

Delissa Reynolds of Bar Sepia – Founder Delissa Reynolds "raised the bar" nearly 11 years ago with the opening of Bar Sepia, a community driven meeting place in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Since then Sepia has grown to become a successful small business, a critically praised destination for Brooklyn residents and visitors alike and a neighborhood institution.  Reynolds was a recipient of the EILEEN FISHER grant in the programs inaugural year, 2005. 

'In Her Company' will spotlight the 30 exemplary women leaders chosen by EILEEN FISHER and TakePart.com by unveiling a number of women each week through early December on the TakePart.com website at TakePart.com/In-Her-Company.  The first two unveiled today are:

Ellen Bennett of Hedley & Bennett – Bennett's handmade, unique aprons can be seen in many top restaurants and are worn by celebrity chefs around the world.  As a former line cook, Hedley & Bennett began as an experiment for one of Ellen's chef's kitchens, and has since transformed into a nationwide trend of culinary professionals donning the thoughtfully and well-constructed aprons.

Mariquel Waingarten of HICKIES – HICKIES is a Brooklyn-based lifestyle brand co-founded by Waingarten that prides itself on designing products that reimagine the obvious. HICKIES is driven by a simple yet powerful idea, to replace traditional shoelaces with their patented elastic lacing system creating a smart solution to shoelaces.

About EILEEN FISHER
EILEEN FISHER has been creating effortlessly chic clothes for the past 30 years. Designed with pure shapes and fine fabrics, the collections offer sophistication, comfort and style that last. As a socially conscious company, EILEEN FISHER is a pioneer in eco-friendly fashion and in supporting global initiatives that empower women and girls. The clothing is sold at more than 60 EILEEN FISHER retail stores in the US, Canada and the UK, as well as at major department stores and eileenfisher.com.

About TakePart.com
Participant Media's TakePart (http://www.TakePart.com) is a digital news, lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer. TakePart's mission is to inspire and accelerate social change by connecting compelling content to action, and its proprietary "TakePart Action Platform." (TAP) is a widget that allows the site to embed petitions, pledges, and other actions within relevant editorial content. TAP also powers engagement for Participant Media films and for Participant's television network Pivot, (http://www.Pivot.tv) available in approximately 45 million homes in the US.

Participant (http://www.ParticipantMedia.com) is the global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing, and digital content that inspires social change. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.

*Sources: "Intellectual Property and Women Entrepreneurs" (National Women's Business Council, 2012); 2012 Annual Report (National Women's Business Council, 2012); The 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN; The 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN; Susan Coleman and Alicia Robb, "Access to Capital by High-Growth Women-Owned Businesses" (National Women's Business Council, 2014); A.W. Brooks, L. Huang, S.W. Kearney, and F.E. Murray, "Investors prefer entrepreneurial ventures pitched by attractive men," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2014); Jeffrey Sohl, "The Angel Investor Market in 2013: A Return to Seed Investing" (Center for Venture Research, 2014).

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/153118-In_Her_Company.mp4

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SOURCE EILEEN FISHER, Inc.

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